Chair: Jim
Minutes: Harriet
Present: Jim S, Lynda S, Harriet J, Dan P, Lynne C, Naseem, Colleen
MINUTES
| 1. Agenda item I Welcome and apologies Jim |
A warm welcome to everyone from Jim. Apologies from Tila R & Maria M.
| 2. Agenda item II a) Minutes of the last meeting, 02/01/24 b) Matters arising from the last meeting, 02/01/24 Jim |
No comments were received on the minutes of the last meeting.
All matters arising are covered under items in the minutes.
| 3. Agenda item III BCAG admin Jim |
Total hours spent on BCAG business and projects for January were recorded – thanks to everyone for putting in time. Harriet to ask any core members not at the monthly meeting, for their hours.
| 4. Agenda item IV Treasurer’s report Naseem, Lynda |
Naseem now has access to the TSB account – hurrah!
The balance stands at around £21K – this is almost entirely grant money for specific projects with the unallocated balance standing at around £1K. The meeting noted again that this is lower than usual and will make it challenging to meet ongoing running costs including insurance, calibrating PAT testing equipment, and venue hire.
We received a kind and generous donation of £50 from a private individual in response to the note about funding in the last Newsletter.
Lynda has asked James N to print a few copies of the Newsletter, one copy to go to Banbury Charities.
Naseem reminded the meeting of the OCVA ‘Well Together Fund’.
Lynda to ask Phil if he would take on the auditing of the accounts.
| 5. Agenda item V Social media, Newsletter, publicity Jim |
Thank you to Maria for the January News – full of interesting and highly relevant stuff as usual!
| 6. Agenda item VI Bridge Street Community Garden BSCG (Tila) |
January was a month of admin.
Tila has completed x2 grant applications with an additional £3K being secured from CDC. This will be used for gardening materials, plants, food and transport.
Thanks to the regular weekly session from Aspire, numerous winter tasks have been completed.
Tila is busy arranging the programme of wellbeing sessions for the spring / summer.
The Garden is participating in the Grimsbury New Year Wishes Event, 12/02, Grimsbury Community Hall.
The next main Garden event is the Fermentation Workshop run in partnership with Replenish / CAG Oxfordshire.
| 7. Agenda item VII Food Action Dan |
The January CTET event (18/01) was well attended and everyone present enjoyed a delicious meal having shared in the prep. The size of the Cornhill Centre kitchen restricts the number of people who can be involved in the cooking and this needs to be kept in mind for future events.
The next event is a soup-cook, 23/02, with any surplus soup to be shared at the Give & Take event the next day.
Plans for a March event are underway.
Dan continues to be involved in the CDC and associated network of community groups and individuals, working to improve access to food surplus in the Banbury area.
| 8. Agenda item VIII Browning Road Orchard BRO Harriet |
Many thanks to Banbury Shed for repairing the Orchard apple press.
Colin has talked with Vaughan about him being the link between BCAG and the local community at Browning Road. Harriet to follow up with Vaughan. Colleen kindly offered to be our link with St Hugh’s Church so their positive association with the Orchard can continue.
Wild Banbury Volunteers will be working in Browning Road Park 09/02 and if they have time will carry out some winter pruning of the trees.
| 9. Agenda item IX Banbury Active Travel Supporters group (Paul/Chris) |
BATS are already planning for their stand at the Banbury Show, 15th June, Spiceball Park, and are looking for volunteers to help. In the pipeline, too, plans for a summer ‘big cycle’.
Congratulations to BATS for arranging the new bike parks outside Bridge Street Community Garden and also Wood Green Library; they should be in place shortly. Accessible, dedicated places for securely parking bikes are part of the infrastructure needed to encourage people to cycle. Thank you to Oxfordshire Community Active Travel Fund (OCC) for meeting the cost.
With walking and cycling safer and more appealing where motor vehicles move more slowly, BATS continue to encourage local councillors to adopt 20mph speed limits for all residential roads in Banbury.
| 10. Agenda item X Banbury Environment Network Harriet |
The Sue and Harriet are organizing a ‘water blitz’ event (16/02) to give publicity to the Banbury Water Quality Testing scheme and to increase data coverage, providing a snapshot of water quality across the town at a single point in time. This will be part of the Wetland and Rivers Community Days set.
Harriet is organizing a ‘Tracks and Signs’ workshop in association with the Oxfordshire Mammals Group, 01/03. This is also one of the Wetland and Rivers Community Days events. Other upcoming events in this programme are: late March/early April Mammal and Beetle primary survey, Banbury Country Park; 03/04 Pond dipping, Spiceball Park; 18/04 Outfall Safari with ZSL; 10/05 Community Riverfly with the Riverfly Partnership.
| 11. Agenda item XI Climate Action Lynda |
In partnership with Age Friendly Banbury, Lynda is taking the lead on a ‘sew and sow’ clothes repair and seed swap pop-up at the Community Space 15/02, 9.30am-1pm.
The next Give and Take event is booked for 10am – 2pm, 24/02, at The Haven. The event will be open to the public 11am – 1pm. Jim to check on arrangements for the Repair Café, Lynda to arrange refreshments.
18/03 sees the start of Food Waste Week. Lynda is booking the Community Space to provide a focus for appropriate ways to mark the week.
The Banbury Acting Together Groups’ Community Assembly on the cost of living, held 20/01 in the Community Space, went well. The next meeting will be held 14/02 at the Quaker Meeting House.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday 05/03, 7.30pm, online.
Date to note: AGM 07/05.