Agenda item

a)      Presentations from recipients of funding

i)        Debbie Valman, Programme Manager (Thames Valley) Groundwork South

ii)      Tim L’Angellier, Group Scout Leader

iii)    Delaford Colts

iv)    Iver Parish Council (Jem Day Deputy Clerk)

v)      Wexham Parish Council, George Green Juniors Football Club, Storage shed (Geoffrey Spring)

The Community Board received presentations from the following recipients of funding:

i) Circular Walks Green Enhancement - Groundwork South

Stuart Pomeroy set out the aims of the project and how these had been met:

1. Improve the Environment and Protect Buckinghamshire’s Green Space:

·       Two new Colne Valley Circular Walks (Iver and Langley) had been designed and two new information boards for Iver have been commissioned. 

·       Work was scheduled for February 2023 to improve the walks on the ground with a walk round by contractor and Groundwork staff, litter picking, cutting back overgrowth and making improvements as necessary for walkers.

·       Four free sessions at Iver Environment Centre had been offered to Iver Primary Schools. 

·       Permission was being sought to plant wildflower strips along the circular walk routes.

2. Contribute to the Buckinghamshire’s post covid economic regeneration efforts:

·       The post covid effect had hampered the recruitment of staff to deliver this aim. Despite going to market three times, a manager and leader to run a ‘Green Team’ could not be found.  However, Groundwork South was able to ensure that another project, which happened late last year and involved trainees, was directed to delivering improvements to the Langley Circular Walk and in particular the Slough Arm of the canal. 

·       Ambitions for the ‘Green Team’ element of the project continued and GroundWork South had now recruited a management team.  Whilst they would not start in time for this project, they would be following up with other teams of trainees in the area and had agreements with contractors that those trainees would get guaranteed interviews following their courses.

3. To carry out key green infrastructural improvement of walkways across the target areas:

·       Groundwork South had made directional roundels for the walks which would be put up on the routes.

·       The two Colne Valley Circular walks leaflets had been reprinted and would be delivered to the Parish Council offices for giving out to the public and would be made available in the Colne Valley Park Visitor Centre as well as other County Parks. It was also available on the website.

·       Contractors were repairing the small bridge over a ditch near the River Colne at Little Britain and the bench on that stretch. They would also be doing a walk and repair along the length of each walk.

4. To map out opportunities for Biodiversity Enhancement:

·       A local led initiative was underway to map the Ivers using GIS and to produce maps that incorporate layers of information taken from a range of sources such as historic OS maps, Magic Maps, local knowledge and biological records. 

In the discussion which followed, Stuart explained that the mapping project involved the mapping of wildlife in the area and was looking at what opportunities there were for biodiversity enhancement.  This could then be used as evidence for funding applications and would also help inform restoration works.

In response to a question about river pollution, Stuart explained that there were issues with water quality in local rivers due to the dumping of untreated sewage.  He advised that Tony Booker, Chairman of the Colne Valley Fisheries Consultative, had been involved in a number of projects which aimed to protect local rivers.

The importance of ensuring that rights of ways were maintained and were accessible was stressed by the Community Board.  It was noted that this was key to ensuring that people could stay fit and active. The link to Active Travel Schemes was raised.    Emphasis was also placed on the need to ensure connectivity in terms of walking and cycle routes across areas with green infrastructure.  A suggestion was made that it would be useful to have a task and finish group next year which could look at identifying paths in Iver and Wexham which required improving.   Action: Aniqah Sultan (Community Board Manager) to look into this further.

ii) Scout Hut - 1^st Iver Heath Scouts

Ann Mayling provided the Community Board with an overview of the project:

·       The aim of the project was to create a flexible and usable space for activities which were core to the scout programme.

·       Phase 1 - comprised the major hard landscaping to create a paved area to the rear of the hut with fire pits built into the area.

·       Phase 2 – the area which was to the side of the hut bordering the village hall car park was extended to create a significantly larger paved area and to create a ramp to access the fire pit area.

·       The areas had been used by all age groups and was also available for the Brownies and Explorers who meet at the hut. The young people loved lighting the fire pits and had cooked meals, as well as toasting marshmallows. They had also had camp fires and celebrated the 5th November in the area.

·       This outside space would be well used and would help in the delivery of more outdoor activities on site throughout the year. It would also help to grow the capacity of the groups.

iii) Sport Equipment - Delaford Colts FC

There was no representative from Delaford Colts at the meeting, but the report in the agenda pack provided an overview of the project. It was noted that the project involved the purchasing of the following sports equipment:

·       Goals

·       Football/Managers Kits

·       Training and Match Equipment

·       Safety Kit

The success of the project had been evident by the positive feedback which had been received from the community and from parent members commending the training facilities and equipment in comparison to other local clubs.

The Community Board were invited to send any questions which they had on the project to Aniqah Sultan, who would forward them on. 

iv) The Ivers Parish Council

Jem Day provided an overview of the following two projects:

The Ivers Training Hub:

·       The Community Board funded a training hub to be used by a trainer and up to 10 persons at a time.

·       The equipment included an interactive whiteboard and 11 chromebooks that could be used by the trainer and the attendees.

·       The vision was that training would focus on assisting economic recovery (post Covid) by training people to be able to fulfil the jobs that were available and by training businesses to be up to date. The venue would also provide a training hub for local voluntary organisations to assist them to deliver community based services.

·       The project was completed by the end of March 2022 and the facility had been operational for more than a year.

·       The first use by Adult Education was on 3 February 2023 and two further sessions were booked for 10 and 17 February. It was hoped that this use would become more frequent.

·       There had been regular use of the hub by a range of community organisations.

·       Formal (booked/diarised) use of the hub was 128.75 hours in the first year (21 Feb 2022 to 17 Feb 2023), with the average booking being for two hours.

Hardings Row Access for All Project:

·       The Community Board provided £8,744.51 to improve the access at Hardings Row Nature Reserve in Iver Heath.

·       The aim of the project was to improve the decking and to add more to give greater coverage. This would improve access to residents who have mobility issues making it steadier and safer to use. It would also encourage more of the community to enjoy this area of natural beauty.

·       The work was due to commence from 6 March 2023.

Buddy Benches:

·       The Community Board had also funded the supply of 3 Buddy Benches to support covid recovery and promote community inclusion. The bid was for three benches, with one being placed in each of the three main areas of the Ivers – Iver Health, Iver and Richings Park.

·       The matched funding from the Parish Council was the installation (and associated costs) to be carried out by the Parish Council’s maintenance team.

·       The Benches would be installed at the end of February/beginning of March.

Wildflower Project:

·       Councillor Wendy Matthews, Chairman of the Community Board, also mentioned the successful Wildflower Verges Project, which had been funded in part by the Community Board and the lasting legacy which the project would have.   

v) Wexham Parish Council

Geoffrey Spring provided an overview of the following two projects funded by the Community Board:

George Green Juniors Football Club Storage Shed:

·       The first project application by Wexham Parish Council was for funding to purchase a storage shed for use by George Green Junior Football Club.

·       The management of the club approached Wexham Parish Council for the provision of equipment storage.  As space within the Harvey Memorial Hall was at a premium, it was felt that if a shed could be provided they would then have a self-sufficient and secure base.

·       Wexham Parish Council retained the ownership of the new shed, but the club could use it whilst they were using the facilities. 

·       Pictures of the new shed were shown on the presentation slides and could be seen in the agenda pack. The shed was expected to have a life span of 20 years plus. 

Queen’s Jubilee:

·       The second project application by Wexham Parish Council was for funding towards activities relating to the Queen’s Jubilee. 

·       Wexham Parish Council only purchased items for the Jubilee celebrations that had an amount of longevity, which would be able to be used again.

The Community Board thanked all the presenters for their interesting presentations and were pleased to note the positive outcomes of the projects.