Chair: Jim S
Minutes: Harriet J
Present: Jim S, Harriet J, Lynda S, Neil W, Paul B, Cathy C
MINUTES
| 1. Agenda item I Welcome and apologies Jim |
Jim welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Apologies were received from Naseem H, Tila R, Chris M.
| 2. Agenda item II a) Minutes of the last meeting, 03/02/25 b) Matters arising from the last meeting, 03/02/25 Jim |
No comments were received on the minutes of the last meeting. There were no matters arising from February’s meeting.
| 3. Agenda item III BCAG admin Jim |
Total hours spent on BCAG business and projects since the February meeting were recorded – thanks to everyone for putting in the time. Harriet to ask any core members not at the monthly meeting, for their hours.
| 4. Agenda item IV Treasurer’s report (Naseem) |
BCAG central funds stand at £2642.
| 5. Agenda item V Social media, Newsletter, publicity Jim |
BCAG Facebook: 1385 followers; BSCG Facebook: 1110 followers; mailing list subscribers: 321, Newsletter 318, voting members: 207. BSCG email 220, BATS email: 120.
For info: Shed Facebook: 479 followers; litter pickers 166.
Thank you, Joe for the BCAG newsletter.
Joe and Tila have put together a schedule for updating the website; Joe’s time for this will be covered by the Thriving in Nature grant. The meeting agreed that, as the website is a key part of our public face, all material for the website should be proof-read and content reviewed by a core member before it goes live. Chris, Paul, Neil and Harriet would be the core members for this. Jim has been liaising with the website host over some necessary updates.
For the meeting to note, a hacker has attempted to upload files onto the BCAG site; Jim has attended to the matter.
| 6. Agenda item VI Bridge Street Community Garden BSCG (Tila) |
Tila is working closely with the other freelance garden events providers, Milly and Tamzin, and with BCAG committee members, to ensure grant funding is used to time and as agreed with funders.
The meeting agreed that it would be helpful to have a group of core members available through a group chat, to provide advice and support for Tila, and oversight of the various Garden-related grant funded projects. To begin with, the group will comprise Jim, Lynda and Harriet.
Tila sent ongoing thanks to those who have helped at the Monday gardening sessions this last month, helping to keep the garden cared for and welcoming. Also, thanks to Jim for keeping a daily eye on the Garden.
Milly ran another in her series of Wild Wellbeing workshops – a gentle, creative session and a lovely way to look ahead to spring.
Home-Start volunteers visited the garden for an outreach session with Tila, and Tamzin delivered an outreach session as part of Home Start’s Stay and Play programme.
Events included a creative and engaging session led by students from EMBS Community College.
Tila and Tamzin delivered a nature-themed creative session with Sunrise Multicultural Project at their Britannia Road base.
Tila attended the Oxfordshire Community Growers winter meeting in Oxford, taking with her some of the beautiful seed packets prepared by Lynda as a contribution to the seed swap.
Tila also attended training with the International Tree Foundation on working with refugees and asylum seekers.
| 7. Agenda item VII Browning Road Orchard BRO Harriet |
In partnership with the Wild Banbury team, chippings provided by the Town Council park rangers have been put round the bases of the trees as a mulch to conserve water in the soil, prevent grass growth, and to deter the mowers from cutting too close to the trees!
Most of the trees have been pruned.
| 8. Agenda item VIII Banbury Active Travel Supporters group Paul / Neil |
Progress is being made on the Western Corridor scheme. It was pleasing that the contribution to these schemes by BATS, reflecting considerable expertise and time, was publicly acknowledged by county staff. Well done Paul and Neil.
20mph signs have gone up in the town centre locations.
BATS has been part of the meeting discussing options for improvements at the Tesco and Lockheed Close roundabouts, which are to offer better options for pedestrians and cyclists as well as enhancing traffic flow.
Following on from a suggestion put forward by Paul, continental style pedestrian crossings are now being considered for designated sites such as side roads near schools. Pedestrians already have right of way for crossing side roads but many motorists appear ignorant of this part of the highway code.
Jim attended the Banbury Traffic Advisory Committee. He has made some progress on his ongoing campaign, through the ‘Fix My Street’ portal, to get potholes and blocked drains sorted to improve safety for cyclists.
Funding has been made available for an open meeting for road users. There will be no set agenda, rather, it will be an opportunity for people to raise issues and put forward ideas.
| 10. Agenda item X Banbury Environment Network Harriet |
Planting has been completed of the ‘Hedgerow Heroes’ hedge along the back of the verge of Duke’s Meadow Drive. This scheme is run by Wild Oxfordshire and CPRE.
| 11. Agenda item XI Climate Action Jim, Lynda, Chris |
To date 27 people have signed up for the Community Resilience event, 25th April. Jim will invite our MP.
The research part of Sue’s project with Bath Uni has now ended and work is underway on the written report. There is the possibility of a follow-up project.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Our constitution states that the AGM will be held on the first Tuesday in April. This timeframe makes it very difficult for the treasurer to have accounts finalised and audited in time for the meeting. Jim and Harriet intend to put a proposal to the AGM for changes to the constitution such that the AGM be held on the first Tuesday in June.
Neil and Joe are working on boosting numbers of sign-ups to the Newsletter by promoting it on the socials.
Lynda continues to attend the monthly Canal Festival planning meetings, encouraging better promotion of the BSCG as a venue.
Jim is leading a history walk on the former pubs of the canal area.
It was confirmed that Harvest@Home / Banbury Harvest are welcome to promote their events in the BCAG News and socials; the group will need to be proactive about this and supply the relevant information.
Jim suggested that a trail based on the trees in People’s Park would be a great use of any unspent project money.
Review of BCAG policies is due.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The April meeting will be online, 7th April, 7.30pm start.