Co-chair report:
Since our last AGM we have received further grants for Bitterne Park and Polygon Growing Places, and to support our online presence. We ran a successful series of talks on Water at Highfield Church and started our informal Climate Gatherings. Next month we will have a film and discussion night on ‘Net Zero – what’s real?’ SoCAN offered Transition Southampton a workshop on doughnut economics, and a few of us followed up with a small group session on doughnut art/displays. We again took the Time Machine to the Big Green gathering. We are now actively working on an updated Sustainable Living Guide. Thanks are due to the many individuals who have helped make all our projects a success.
Charlotte (newsletter), Rhia (Bitterne Park Growing Places), Liz (doughnut economics workshop), Si (website, autumn climate gathering and Imagine Bitterne Park), Nathan (treasurer/bookeeping), Kevin for garden/comoosting), Kevin, Adrian, Angela and Roger (talks), Ellis, Liz and Mark (Climate Commission)
Treasurer report:
We currently have £4421 in the bank, £300 up on last year. This year more of our money was donations rather than grants, reversing the position last year. We have been spending on projects, so the money is not stagnating in our account.
The Co-chairs, Treasurer and committee were re-elected unanimously by the 10 people present.
Project reports
Repair cafe: Continuing 2 cafes per month across 4 venues, though numbers are fairly low at the Shirley/Freemantle sites and we need more publicity. We ran a series of free electrical repair sessions at the Roundabout Cafe, Mansbridge funded by Abri for their residents. Thanks are due to the organisers of the various cafes: Claire at St Denys, Eleanor at Immaculate and Jo at St James. Angela is still looking for a volunteer to take on Freemantle.
Bitterne Park Growing Places: recent successful seedswap reached 40 people, an alternative to expensive and time-consuming seed giveaways of previous years. Upcoming events including seed and plant trail (19 May) and Trifest. Hoping to link with other gardening groups,and more activities planned in co-operation with Friends of Riverside Park.
Rat-proof Composting and Green Garden Consultancy: approx 40 compost collars deployed to date – right across the country including Crawley, Somerset, Kent, Essex, Yorkshire, Oxford as well as Southampton. Wildlife gardening consultations continue.
Southampton Climate Commission (on which we have a seat): now working more smoothly than previously, with effective new vice chair. We co-ordinated a position paper on Hydrogen. Working groups are forming, including one on Retrofitting which Roger hopes to join.
Imagine Southampton and Imagine Bitterne Park: we published an ‘Imagine’ film which premiered at God’s House Tower. Imagine Bitterne Park has a webpage and plans to get the postbox into more locations including schools.
Retrofit Southampton: 3 workshops held at October Books, each had attendance of 6, of which half had clear projects in mind and we were definately able to help. People powered Retrofit was suggested as a useful resource to help get retrofitting projects off the ground. It was pointed out that tenants are in a difficult position as they may have high energy costs but can’t retrofit.