This part of the meeting has a theme focusing on Village ward and will cover the following:
· Welcome introduction from the Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery. The Dulwich Picture Gallery is celebrating its 200th anniversary of opening – 1811 – 2011.
· Dulwich Festival 2011 - a preview, plus presentation on the Village event (Dulwich Fayre) on 15 May 2011.
· Village ward councillors – to talk about support for the local youth club, a pensioners club and a football team with staffing from private charities and facilities provided by the independent schools for free.
· Presentation from the Director of Dulwich Helpline, a community based project that runs the Village Pensioners Club.
· To hear about the Mark Evison Foundation which was set up last year in memory of local resident Lieutenant Mark Evison who died in Afghanistan. The aim of the foundation is to create grants to fund the dreams and adventures of disadvantaged youths. Village ward have a plaque on a bench on the Village Parade honoring Lt Evison.
Minutes:
This part of the meeting was a theme on Village ward which covered:
Welcome introduction from the Dulwich Picture Gallery
The Director of Learning and Public Affairs from the Picture Gallery was present to welcome those present at the meeting. She spoke about the history of the Gallery and that it was celebrating the 200th anniversary of opening, 1811 – 2011. Galleries around the world have modeled the Picture Gallery and it hosts series of events and provides community support by holding a number of educational activities for older people like arts and craft classes, work in partnership with local GPs for those who prefer not to attend a day centre. The Gallery offers support to local people by running a programme called ‘urban group’ on local housing estates to keep young people off the streets and to ensure they stay creative.
A lot of the programmes are possible due to overwhelming support they have received, they also rely on donations. On average around 120,000 visitors attend the Gallery annually many are local school children.
The representative spoke briefly about the Norman Rockwell’s America exhibition which was on show at the Gallery.
Dulwich Festival 2011, Dulwich Fayre on 15 May 2011
Representatives from the Dulwich Festival were present to outline that the festival has been running since 1993 which consists of arts, artists and local performers.
During the festival part of The Village. The representatives are looking for volunteers and stewards on the day and they hope to receive the necessary licenses to host the event. It is fully supported by the local residents and Councillors which would also host a community council event. For details of the events please refer to website: http://www.dulwichfestival.co.uk
Presentation from the Director of the Dulwich Helpline
Barbara Scott, Director of the Dulwich Helpline presented this item and spoke about her role and the main aim of the project which is to help older people to ensure they are less lonely and support them in their living environment.
There are twenty two activity groups every week like gardening projects and other similar activities. The project also helps with minor decorations and tasks in the home.
Barbara talked about the intergenerational work with local Schools, technology classes, e.g. mobile and email which is very popular. She said it is very important to break down barriers and to help social cohesion. Social interaction promotes good mental health for the older age group. They recruit local people to help with the classes and day to day running of the office.
The project receives local donations and funding from the Council and Primary Care Trust to help with running costs. They also organise fund raising events and are always looking for volunteers to help Dulwich Helpline. More information is available on the website: http://www.dulwich-helpline.org.uk
Mark Evison Foundation
Margaret Evison was present to talk about the Mark Evison Foundation set up in memory of Lieutenant Mark Evison. He was a British army officer who died from a gun shot wound whilst serving in Afghanistan. His school friends are trustees and have helped raise a quarter of million pounds. The aim of the foundation is to create grants to fund the dreams and adventures of disadvantaged youths. More information is available on the website:
http://www.markevisonfoundation.org/the-foundation/the-idea
Save the Velodrome Campaign
Hillary Peachey, leader of the Velodrome Campaign was in attendance and spoke about the Herne Hill Velodrome which sits on Burbage Road. The campaign started six months ago, it is a non profit organisation which were awarded charity status and has received a lot of support. However more support and finances is needed to keep securing its development and progress.
The campaign has been formed to save a former Olympic stadium from closure. The Herne Hill Velodrome is the oldest cycling track in the country and the home of the 1948 Olympic Cycling Championships. But now it faces closure due to deterioration and lack of funding. The trustees would like to recruit more volunteers and to establish as much support as possible. Meetings are held regularly in the local area.
Hillary responded to questions from those in attendance.
For more information please refer to the website link below:
http://www.hernehillvelodrome.com/save-the-velodrome
Village Ward Councillor
Councillor Robin Crookshank Hilton was present to talk about support for local groups in the area and said she was most proud of the Millwall Community Football scheme. Representatives from the football scheme were also available to highlight what they had achieved i.e. received their coaching certificates and how they would like young people to become involved in order to keep them off the streets. There are sessions that take place every Friday at JAGS (James Allen Girls’ School) that has football facilities and astro turf pitch. Any group between the ages of 15 – 19 years of age could attend no matter what their gender.
The chair thanked the representatives for attending and contributing to the meeting.