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Core group meeting minutes Dec 17

Transition Town Hastings

4/12/17

Approval of last minutes/Matters arising.

Old bathing pool- ken?

Cycling route- Laurie?

West Street Celebrations- TTH Swap shop made- £51.60

Admin-

Complete signed Constitution- Action-Is there anything to do on this?

Membership – Sarah trialing an option on ESC website

Projects-

Garden– New bench, Waiting to see about 2^nd water butt- don’t know until end of next week- Action Chris to find out.

Plan separate meeting for gardeners to look at buying tools and what to plant in future. Action- Alison to ask for dates/doodle poll in Jan & set up quarterly garden meet at end of a session?

Action- Alison contact Natalie again

Karen can’t lead on garden on 9^th Dec- Action- Chris volunteered to do. Thank you Chris!

Energy– free workshops- Scrappy Dog Draught Excluder, Making your own solar panel & Charger- Ore Community Centre & Broomgrove Community Centre. Running training modules look on Energise Sussex Website.

Action- Karen to promote them all more.

Sarah said if there are ideas for other workshops- let ESC know.

Energy clinic in Ore -Sat 9^th Dec- Action- Karen is working there

Campaigns

Green Party Food Waste- see leaflet- Action- Chris to send us Peter Chowney’s correspondence.

Grow wild- sarah’s email?

Action- Sherry, Mischa, Richard etc to meet re creating a Wellbeing Hub at Silchester Rd. Funding from Mind?

Promotion

Facebook updates

Newsletter – someone to take over January newsletter while Karen away? Action- Sarah and/or Chris to do

Events

Thought café, Nov 24^th, The Beacon- update/next one?

Mischa- Film nights, Pot Luck, Talks, food workshop around Mischa’s Table by Daphne Lambert (Green Cuisine Trust).

Mischa- ‘We the Uncivilised’ & A wind farm on boat film to look into?

Next -Christmas Green Drinks- 21^st Dec- at Beacon- Action- Karen to promote? Get poster design from Scott G?

Swap Shop- next one?

Pot-luck in New year- Action- Alison to check with st Johns Feb 2^nd?

Healthy Culture Workshops

Community spaces- Mischa enquired?

Central Hall (Blind Centre)

Salvation Army

Christ church

Garage

Action- Chris to ask re Concordia Hall prices

Fundraising

Mosaic- anyone want to do another funding app- Andrea?

AOB

Student Volunteering (Sussex Coast College)- filling roles, publicity etc. Students due to do placements next year March, April & June but will need Employer’s Liability, risk assessments, policies, inductions etc- to e want this level of responsibility and complication? We all agreed- no!

Podcasts – can anyone send relevant ones to Karen to use in newsletter etc

Next meeting-

When- Weds 17^th Jan

Who is chairing?

Who is taking minutes?

Action- Sarah to book please.

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4th January 2018
New funds for our community garden

Great news. We were successful in our application for a Sustainability & New Economy Grant from Quakers UK. We will receive £200 to help fund the development of our community garden at St Leonards Warrior Square station, specifically around the water collection.

There is no water supply close to the garden and we so for the past few years volunteers have been carrying buckets of water across the foot bridge to top up water needs over the spring and summer months. We’re really excited to be able to take control of the water supply by purchasing some large water butts for the north platform. These will allow volunteers to spend more time focusing on planning, designing and planting.

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27th December 2017
1066 Local Energy newsletter out now

Read all the latest events and news from the 1066 Local Energy Campaign, including upcoming training events such as draught excluder making and solar panel workshops, energy advice events and an inspiring video interview about the difference a local energy system could make for our community. Read the newsletter here and sign up to the mailing list too!

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28th November 2017
Core group meeting minutes Nov 17
FILM NIGHTS

– New suggestions (from Linda):
- Chasing Coral, freely accessible on the net (and Netflix)
- Chasing Ice (but costly to screen)
- Modified (non GMO labelling in US and CA)
- Just Eat It (food waste in US and CA)
- Greenpeace Film Festival
We the Uncivilised (suggested by Karen) – showing in Lewes at “The Depot” on Wed 29^th Nov at 20h – could somebody go and check whether it is worth bringing to Hastings

Issue of cost of movie rental, but this could be covered by donations or a small ticket (e.g. £3 per person)

As a side suggestion – Karen suggests sending a podcast with each newsletter, invited everyone to send through interesting podcasts

Location:
- The Palace – available for free
- Electric Palace – charge
ACTION: Linda to follow up and check cost of screening for her suggested titles

UPDATE ON QUAKERS MEETING (Sherry)
- Great wealth of experience in community work
- Interest in partnering up with TTH
- Training in New Economics (3-year project)
  - Keen on sharing this through open reading / training groups
OLD BATHING GROUND AREA (Update from Ken)
- Issue is still outstanding and a decision should be taken by Xmas
- Site in question still needs work done on it before the Council could sell it
  - Some asbestos contamination
  - Brief from Council is to have lots of affordable housing + a leisure element
FOOD WASTE CAMPAIGN (Update from Chris)
- Discussion stuck – Peter Chowney not showing clarity about issues at stake
- Lots of outstanding issues in the email track that need addressing – of which food waste is a small issues compared to the entire procurement process
- Further updates to come
ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

ADMIN

Complete signed constitution
- Some items still need to be added by Chris before final version can be circulated
ACTION: Sarah and Chris to finalise

Clarification of roles –Co-Chairs, Co Secretaries to meet separately to clarify division of roles

Monthly meetings: first Monday of the month, postponed by a week if it falls on a Bank Holiday. Next meeting on Monday 4^th December

ACTION: Sarah to book meeting room for next meeting

MEETING WITH NEW STATION MANAGER (Alison) – see Appendix I

SECOND WATER BUTT
- Small water tank already bought
- Aim to install a second tank in parallel
- Quaker fund to possibly contribute £400
- SouthEastern also suggested they might contribute but unwilling to commit a clear budget
“DONATION PILE” at the garden (suggestion by Linda)
- Should we have an area where any excess produce by any individual can be brought and offered to the community
- Objection is that it takes time and effort to build a dedicated structure
SIGN-UP SHEET for “Leaders” at the garden sessions

ACTION: Sarah to review dates for fortnightly sessions and update sign-up sheet

ENERGY GROUP MEETING on 9^th NOVEMBER
- Kate to report at next Core Group
- Looking at establishing a project at the Pier to generate energy through kinetic action of waves on a platform
COMMUNITY COMPOSTING
- If the council is not willing to do this, should community initiatives be started instead ?
- Chris to look around the country at community recycling initiatives
- Lidia suggests to contact allotment associations and check if they could collect household food waste
EVENTS
- Friday 24^th at the Beacon, 18.00-22.00. Talk on “Climate Change, The Anthropocene, & Language – Nicholas Royle & Alex Lockwood In Conversation”.
ACTION: Green Drinks: Karen to arrange with Scott and Anna (possibly again in Ore?)

ACTION: Karen to put together next issue of newsletter

FUNDRAISING
- Bags of Help (Tesco) to subsidise a mosaic from a local artist outside SLQ station – still waiting to hear from them (£2.000 for winner, £1.000 for runners-up)
- Trinity Wholefoods offering £500 – to apply for funding for new tools
- Could somebody check with B&Q and other DIY / garden centres for possible contributions
- A volunteer was found to cut out a “COMMUNITY GARDEN” sign in individual letters to go on the railings
MEMBERSHIP
- HVA contributed more detail to the updated constitution
- Discussion:
  - Should we have a database of “members” including areas of interest / skills to coordinate action groups
- Sarah mentioned the intention to publish a directory of groups and companies doing community work in specific areas to coordinate efforts
- We could be suggesting monthly contributions (Standing Orders) form members
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT HASTINGS

ACTION Update from Laurie to be put on the agenda for next month

FINANCE
- £518 total balance between bank and cash
- TRIODOS bank account – Chris to look into conditions for TTC to transfer the account over to them (and conditions for a community account)
AOB
- Local resident (LC) applying for an Arts Council funding for an event in December
  - Possibly in the building of the “Old Italian” restaurant
  - Suggesting a Xmas present swapping event – but objection to this is that we should be actually fundraising for cash rather than swaps.
- HULL (CITY OF CULTURE) is using lights to make tower blocks more attractive – could be applied to Pier – mentioned by Sherry
- Local resident (PO) (illumination schemes internationally) would like to establish a “trade show” for renewable projects on the Pier – mentioned by Sarah
- SPICES – COMMUNITY CURRENCY – mentioned by Sherry
  - Recycling earns you time credits to incentivise positive behaviour
  - Time credits can also be exchanged at partnering organisations (eg college training, “paintball events”…)
  - Suggestion to start a time-bank in Hastings ?
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11th November 2017
Your Plants Will Grow High Next Spring When You Use These Autumn Gardening Tips
By Clara Beaufort

Horticulture knows no such thing as time off. There’s work to do right now if you want your flowers and vegetables to enjoy lush, healthy growth when warm weather returns. Use the tips in this post as your guide to gardening success.

Clean up the Dirt

Start your autumn chores by removing dead or dying plants from your garden beds. Give the remains a close look-see for evidence of mold or blight. If you see such signs, then burn the infected plants. If you don’t, then add them to the compost pile so they can work for you all winter long. Remove any foreign matter and give the soil a good, deep raking or tilling to break up clumps and aid aeration. Taking these steps now will lay the groundwork for next year’s harvest, according to the experts at Mother Earth News.

Mulch in Moderation

Too much of anything is a bad thing; that includes mulch. You should add a thin layer to your beds on top of 1-2 inches of compost. Anything more can actually work against you by preventing the cold from killing mold and blight.

While you’ve got your hands in the dirt, remove the roots of weeds like Bermuda grass and nutsedge. Otherwise these pests can overwinter in your garden to menace you next year, according to the gardening gurus at DIY Network.

Water Ahead of Time

Hard winter soil can block rain and melting snow from nourishing the roots of your trees and shrubs, according to Better Homes and Gardens. So get the jump on frost by giving these plants a generous watering now. This will act like the hump on a camel’s back, providing much-needed moisture throughout the cold season.

Don’t Forget Your Lawn

Autumn is for fertilizing your grass. Turf can store nutrients over the winter, digesting them in a gradual process that will help to ensure greener results next spring. You should aerate your lawn before winter cold sets in.

Consider Planting Cover Crops

Plants like hairy vetch and cereal rye can safeguard your soil over a long, severe winter, making them good choices for cover crops. Just make sure you till them into the ground next spring before they go to seed. This is a favorite trick of organic gardeners, according to Rodales. The seeds are small and even modest rainfall can help to establish them in the soil, making this idea almost effortless to implement.

Handling Hardscape Maintenance

The term “hardscape” refers to stone walkways, retaining walls, and other non-organic elements of a garden or landscape design. While less fragile than living plants, these structures do need annual care. This should include:
- An autumn inspection to correct imperfections that could lead to trouble down the road. For example, a crack in a walkway might seem like a small thing. But it may become a trip hazard should water enter it and freeze, forcing the stone or masonry to expand. You should also look, not only for cracks, but for soil or stone cavities alongside or under hardscape. Otherwise wintertime precipitation could fill the gap and turn to ice, creating a problem called “frost heave” which can damage or even destroy hardscape.
- A general sweeping to remove foreign matter, followed up with a washdown from a garden hose or pressure washer. This will discourage the growth of mold or mildew, which can deface hard surfaces.
Performing these needed steps will protect your garden and your landscape features from winter’s wrath. So give it your best, then brush off the dirt off your pants and start planning for next spring.

Guest blogger: Clara Beaufort

Gardenergigs.com

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29th October 2017
Green space for Ore Community Land Trust

Ore Community Land Trust (OCLT) has a stated purpose of “Seeking to acquire land in the Upper Ore Valley to save and enhance urban woodland and green space for community use and to protect animal habitat”.

OCLT was set up in 2009 and is now registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). This widens their scope as they are keen to take on other green spaces and woodland in the Ore Valley, although their primary aim is to bring Speckled Wood into community ownership.

The organisation’s recent AGM reported the following activities:

1) HBC is planning to transfer the green spaces in the Ore Valley over to OCLT.
2) OCLT are in the process of buying a container as a volunteer base in Speckled Wood. They need more volunteers to support this.
3) OCLT are working with TCV to organise some green gyms in Speckled Wood. The first one will be for women.

Read more in the Ore CLT Annual Report AGM 2017

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25th October 2017
Hastings Sustainable Transport Forum

A number of local community groups working on issues relating to transport and the environment have been looking at ways of sharing information, working collaboratively and to act as a focal point for consultation and engagement on matters related to sustainable transport with other public and private bodies. (more…)

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19th October 2017
Don’t miss the bus on climate change: make pensions fossil free!

On Saturday 23 September campaigners from across East Sussex will be boarding one of the Big Lemon’s sustainable buses for a one-day tour of East Sussex, taking the message about fossil fuel divestment – and the Divest East Sussex petition – to Hastings, Bexhill, Hailsham, Eastbourne, Seaford, Crowborough, Uckfield and Brighton.

If you’d like to come and see us off on the day – and take part in the photo call, featuring one of the Big Lemon’s sustainable buses – then please meet us by Hastings pier at 9.15am on Saturday 23 September.

“If we want to avoid 2C, we have very little time left. The public should be very concerned.” – Adrian Raftery, co-author of the recent scientific paper ‘Less than 2 °C warming by 2100 unlikely’, Nature Climate Change, 31 July 2017.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

We’ve already seen global warming of over 1 degree centigrade.

The resulting climate change is now leading to increasingly severe impacts – from rapidly melting sea-ice at the poles to 50 degree heatwaves in India and drought in California. The UK is also seeing serious impacts – with increasingly severe flooding in almost every region and country in the UK in recent years – and it’s going to get much, much worse.

Unless, that is, we take action NOW to ensure that most of the known deposits of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) are left in the ground unburnt, and replace them with cleaner sources of energy.

LET’S NOT MISS THE BUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) currently has £150m of local people’s pension monies invested in fossil fuels. These investments are a disaster for the climate as well as a financial risk for local people’s pensions.

Hastings Borough Council, Lewes Town Council and Brighton & Hove City Council have all called on ESCC to get rid of these investments (‘divest’).

Add your voice to the calls for divestment by signing the petition to divest the East Sussex Pension Fund and join us on 23 September if you can (see below for our schedule).

Together we can send a strong message to the ESCC that it’s time to move our money away from the problem and into the solutions.

More info here.

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13th September 2017
Recycle Food Waste Petition to HBC

PROVIDE SERVICES TO RECYCLE FOOD WASTE IN HASTINGS

Food waste:
– smells, attracts vermin and seagulls, and contributes to CO2 emissions in landfill sites.
– could be turned into valuable compost.

Hastings Old Town residents said in recent surveys that not knowing what to do with food waste was one of their main local concerns.

Lewes District Council will save 4000 tonnes of CO2 over 5 years by recycling food waste. They will also produce soil conditioner from the waste that can be sold to bring money back into the community.

We call on our Council to provide regular food waste collection services for Hastings residents. This will reduce the problems of bins attracting seagulls, reduce CO2, and encourage people to reduce their own food waste.

Sign the Petition to Hastings Borough Council now

Image © Beccy McCray

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31st July 2017
Vote for Science Lab on the Beach at a local Tesco store
Energise Sussex Coast is bidding to bag a massive cash boost for it’s ‘Science Lab on the Beach’ project from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local community projects.

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

Energise Sussex Coast is one of the groups on the shortlist.

The Science Lab on the Beach will feature solar powered family activities, solar panel making, solar powered boat building for children, an energy quiz and more. We want to give local residents a taste of the amazing potential that sunny Hastings holds for changing the way we power our local area through more locally owned, community benefit renewable energy and greater household energy efficiency.

Richard Watson, Chief Executive of Energise Sussex Coast said:

“Hastings is one of the sunniest places in UK and we want every child in the town to be able to come to our science lab on the beach to have fun and find out how the sun can help us generate clean energy for the future.”
- Voting is open in the following local stores throughout July and August:
- Tesco Express, Battle Hill, Battle, TN33 0BN
- Tesco Express, Fernside Ave, St Leonards, TN38 0UU
- Tescos Extra, Church Wood Drive, TN38 9RB
- Tesco Express, Lacuna Place, Hastings, TN34 1BP
- Tesco Express, Little Ridge Ave, Hastings, TN37 7LR
- Tesco Express, Old London Road, Ore, TN35 5BH
Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Lindsey Crompton, Head of Community at Tesco, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for July and August. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp

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29th June 2017

Blog

Clean up the Dirt

Mulch in Moderation

Water Ahead of Time

Don’t Forget Your Lawn

Consider Planting Cover Crops

Handling Hardscape Maintenance

Transition Town Hastings Discord channel