Minutes of the Fairfield Association meeting held on 21 May 2024 at the Tite & Locke.
These minutes are also available as a PDF.
Present
Andrew Brennand, Dave Brookes, Geoff Oliver, Hilary Short (Chair), Jane Parker, Mark Tanner, Mick Short, Mike Stevens, Pavlos Pavli, Sue Nieduszynska, Sue Pope
1. Apologies
Grace Naylor, Ian Diffenthal, Ian Procter, Sharon Diffenthal, Tony Finn
2. Minutes from the last meeting
- These were agreed.
3. Matters Arising
- Response from LGGS to letter sent to them about LNR – they are waiting for a response from the English Schools’ Funding Association about whether an arrangement with the Fairfield Association would impact LGGS funding. Since the meeting we have heard from Gary Rycroft at Joseph jones solicitors. He is going to give LGGS a gentle nudge.
- Bicycle Hangar – planning permission has been submitted.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Bank balance
| Date | Account | Amount in £ |
|---|---|---|
| 16.04.24 | 147,443 | |
| 30.04.24 | Co-op | 63,116 |
| 30.04.24 | Skipton | 85,000 |
| 30.04.24 | Total: 148,116 |
Restricted funds
| Source | Amount in £ |
|---|---|
| Play area | 4208 |
| LCC (bicycle hangar) | 4633 |
| Total | 8841 |
General funds
£139,275
Balance
£148,116
Significant income
- Sponsorship for festival: £400 from Gina Downing (LCC), £250 from Brabners and £250 from Accessplanite
Payments
- £379 for four SumUp units (paid by sponsorship), £282 Lakes loos for FA Festival, £624 to Hoyles for work on arable field (completed in November 2023)
5. Membership and Friends
- No new members and one new friend.
6. Items for discussion
- Digital file storage and access (Mark Tanner) – 10TB of storage available for all Fairfield Association documents. Access is controlled. Files that were on Dropbox have been moved across, Mark and Andrew can provide individuals with access to the new file storage as required. It was agreed that Glenys needs to be informed.
- QR code information (Pavlos Pavli) – Mike and Pavlos suggest an aural QR guide around the Nature Reserve – two examples (the shed (Rebekah) and the cows (Fraser)) –met with enthusiastic response. The website will host the audio files and transcripts. May be able to get a small grant to cover the costs of the posts and plaques. Mike will explore possible funding to make the Nature Reserve more accessible and informative.
7. Playground
- Work commenced Tuesday 7 November. There has been slow progress and they now hope to complete by mid-June.
- The surface prices have been received and ‘green wet pour’ is about £20K for all surfaces. It is not as expensive as expected.
- LCC will undertake regular inspections for safety. Fairfield Association will have to pay for any emerging maintenance.
- Playground plaques will not be installed in time for the festival.
- One acrylic board showing simple messages in sign language will be attached to the fence – Andrew to order.
- Andrew to check whether there will be gravel around the fence to minimise damage by grass.
8. Education
- Nothing to report
9. Events
- Fascination of Plants Day 18 May – went well and Fairfield Association was featured on a map
- NLWG wildlife fair in the orchard 1030-1600 on Sunday 16 June – Fairfield Association has been asked to provide a tea tent – Pavlos will ask for volunteers, Sue and Hilary to arrange the tea stall, Andrew to request baking
- The Fairfield Festival to celebrate the new playground will be 1200 to 2000 on Saturday 13 July – Andrew and Mike are liaising with Jon and Fraser – BBQ during the day and Pizza in the evening, music all day and more ice cream. Need to ask for more volunteers.
- AGM on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at the Friends Meeting House
- Apple Day in September, date to suit organisers
9. FFOG report
- Close to the willow tunnel in the orchard plan, we plan to make a stepping logs path – need to ensure the logs aren’t too high – Sue N to contact Mark Henry
- Sites where saplings may be planted have been identified, including in the corner of the play area near the substation – 12 small trees and non-prickly shrubs on Fairfield Green.
- Cromwell Rd gate continues as a project as it still isn’t secure
- Tamperproof locks have been fitted to the gate to the arable field off Aldcliffe Road
- Google currently suggests cycle routes through the Nature Reserve – this is potentially dangerous – worth contacting local MP Cat Smith (Mike) and the country council (Sue N)
10. The Triangle
- Tent on the triangle has been reported to the homelessness team – the person refuses to cooperate – can we remove the tent and take it to the Police?
- The pointing on the chimney needs sorting and on the hip tiles – need to get a quote for repair (Dave)
11. General Updates
- Shirley Rawsthorne wants to look after the notice boards
12. Website, Facebook, Instagram and Newsletter
Website analytics for 30 day period: 21 April 2024 – 20 May 2024 inclusive:
- Visitors: 655
- Page Views: 3388
- Average session time: 2m 40s
107 followers on Instagram – Grace’s work is much appreciated
13. AOB
- There was no AOB
14. Date of next meeting
The next meeting will take place at 7:30pm on Tuesday 25 June 2024 at the Tite & Locke.
We will take a break in July, so the next meeting is 20 August to plan AGM and Apple Day.