Agenda item

Elaine Hassall

Minutes:

Elaine updated on board activity as per the appended slides. Elaine gave an overview of the priorities and how the board had been supporting the delivery of these alongside the corporate priorities of Buckinghamshire Council.

 

Elaine highlighted the Proud of Bucks event on Saturday 26th October 14:00-16:00. All were welcomed to join. Please RSVP to her if coming.

 

Elaine highlighted the Parish workshops had been a success- the next is expected to be in November.

 

Action: all- if anyone would like to host the next parish workshop, please let Elaine know.

 

Elaine noted that she attended the biodiversity seminar for parishes which offered a lot of insight. The notes from the seminar will be circulated shortly.

 

Elaine also attended an open day at Westcott Space Innovation Centre- Westcott Space Cluster, A growing nucleus of space related companies. It was recommended that board members visit future open days as the tour and talks are very insightful into the place Buckinghamshire businesses are playing in experimental space innovation.

 

 

Q; How much budget do you have available for projects?

A; Elaine- we have a budget for projects that meet priorities, we have approximately £50k left this year. We need to ensure Community Board money is spent on the right things and we have found that there are lots of pots of funding available that are often more suitable, which people can apply for. If you have a project that aligns with one of our priorities, please speak to Elaine in the first instance.

 

Partner updates:

 

Ashley Waite presented an update for I’d like to borrow- the library of things- the presentation can be found appended to these notes. Ashley advised that the aim now was to move and adapt to what people want- they have seen a whole range of items that have had high demand that hadn’t been expected. Village Halls and Fetes have used the tables and chairs over the summer. Little Kimble donated old garden furniture- 6 tables and 42 chairs! The library has items for children and to support people with disabilities. They are currently running on an appointment basis.

 

The other strand of I’d Like to Borrow is I’d Like a Bike, providing refurbished donated bikes for children and adults, who might otherwise not be able to afford one.

 

Q; What is the biggest priority at the moment?

A; Ashley- managing capacity due to volume of donations and getting the bikes out of the door and getting the bikes maintained. At the moment the offer is ad-hoc and they can’t give a commitment of bikes per month. Volunteers are needed to fix the bikes.

 

Q; Jim Edwards: Do you offer maintenance alongside the bike?

A; Ashley- this is an aspiration along with cycle training. It needs to be turned from a hobby shop to something more professional led by someone with maintenance skills to really drive it forward. We have one of the highest volumes of cycle tracks in the county but not a lot of facilities to support. The Railway Centre are a really active partner which means the project can be ran at a low cost.

 

Supporting documents: