Minutes of AGM Meeting

Minutes: Lottery bid major undertaking for FOLP. FOLP providing input/feedback on plans. £120K received by TBC for fuller bid which has just gone in – hoping for £6.1million. includes restoring the haha, connected to tennis refurbishment, playground equipment improvement, lighting, flooding, footpaths, opening up Longford Brook etc. Decision won’t be made till September – not sure when the result will be announced. If we meet their criteria should succeed as its not a competitive bid process. KD; does that include linking the cycle track across Edge Lane? MN; not part of the HLF bid as its part of Trafford Highways – but is an ambition. If the bid is successful work probably won’t start until 2024. All details for the bid can be downloaded/found on the Trafford planning portal including any objections. ETH; suggestion to set up committee to look at putting the pump/spring back into the Japanese Gardens. Siphon Building is now going to run by the scouts but will be opened up to other groups when they are not using it. HLF bid will also bring back the Longbarn into use. Going to be a community based thing – but not competing with the community centre. RB: Will put together a summary of Chairman’s report and send out to anybody who is interested. SD: summary of the theatre group RB: Main income for the park comes from the theatre and the Tree Amigos & grants from individual projects. Green spaces fund has been secured by Shelly Quinton from Victoria Park includes £500 for Longford Park.

Minutes: As per report emailed prior to meeting: £19K in account but approx. £7K for cycling (MN) also some for allotment so just over £11K available. Were given £2K by TBC film fund – which has gone towards the walking route posts, lecterns and leaflets. However due to HLF bid unsure of what will be covered so projects are generally on hold – but open to ideas for projects. Green spaces award to the whole of Stretford for a tree trail across Stretford to link up the green spaces. Each group has been awarded £500 for their part in the project. We have also been awarded 2 wheelchair benches. Jean & Jay talking – potential garden of tranquillity, linking in to RA idea for the replacement sculpture or bench for the Manchester Bee sculpture replacement. Potentially FOLP could add money to. Potentially put in the formal gardens with a sculpture and tranquillity garden. Could link into issues to do with Women’s rights – make the park more welcoming to women & girls. Jay: Women’s night march meeting in LP in November. Green space fund will help if we need advice – next meeting 10th July but JS can’t go – hopefully somebody else can. Do need to think about what to do with the money as have approximately 1 year to spend the money. RW: suggested need a landscape gardener/designer (if anybody knows one) to look at design. ETH – Laurie Sanguine designed a small field/area in Oswald Road. A possibility for looking at design. Also coordinate with landscape architects on the HLF bid – Graham Atherton (TPC). RB: Vice chair of Walton Park is a lecturer in landscape design and may be willing to help. Sajid: Has a contact with a landscape architects who interested in Japanese Gardens (Paul Beckmen). RB: Come back to this idea in the next meeting.

Minutes: Chair: Richard Bond Vice Chair: Rick W. Treasurer: Jackie Sumara Secretary: Sonia Devons General Committee: ETH now on committee – Committee meetings will now be open to all. (need to include ETH in committee email group). HLF Bid additional info:

Minutes: Over the last year – collaborate and coordinate with others cycling across the park including simply cycling, TfGM, women’s only group Breeze (learn to ride/women’s rides). Successful at getting funding for park activities. MN has access to qualified mechanics to help out. Cycling UK – government funding to support people to cycle and more often and use car less combined with the mayor’s fund to get safe cycling and walking infrastructure. Got two chunks of funding – spring and winter. Have been increasing the diversity of cycling/park users. Pop up bike repairs, train others to repair. 275 supported to learn basic cycle maintenance or received cycle repair. TfGM project to encourage non cyclists to cycle. Bike library scheme has been set up. Stretford Public Hall has an electric bike library scheme to let people try out different bike. Also one in Sale town centre and different parks around Greater Manchester. Also received funding to encourage women of colour – in particular Muslin mother’s – set up a women’s ride around Old Trafford and Longford Park. 8 sessions were done – stopped during winter but starting up again. Want to get numbers up to 50 who ride on a regular basis. Have a ride leader (trained and qualified) who is also an English as a foreign language teacher - project is being monitored by TfGM. Last couple of weeks – male cycle volunteer who would like to support social rides from the park. Funding cuts mean that pop up repair/maintenance learn sessions will not be taking place. Looking for alternative sources for funding to deliver more cycling activities in the park.

Minutes: Health walk in the park for the last 14 years. Got training from BHF and do a walk once a month to encourage people who might not come into the park on their own. Jamie (Streford Park Run) had been awarded Trafford volunteer of the year £200 – but wanted to encourage people before the park run. Used his money and neighbour fund and FOLP money to set up the new walking routes, posts and lecterns with maps. 1000 copies of the maps were distributed in the community. Once a month walking group has grown slightly linking with the St Matthews Church Hall walking group. Further 1000 leaflets printed and supplied in the café and library. Tried to involve GP surgeries for prescribing teams who said they would promote walks. There is a new walk from the surgery on Nicholas Road on Thursday afternoon and includes Longford Park. At Easter the leaflets were sent to primary schools in the area.

Minutes: Wildlife garden report sent out previously to committee members. Wildlife garden set up around 2005. Management organised by RW as part of FOLP. Some support given by Amey/TBC. Maintenance and upkeep is with FOLP. Last few years work has been limited – not much change or innovation – mainly management and upkeep of the area e.g. coppicing of birch trees, cutting back of shrubs. Probably meet up 4-5 times a year to do various works. RW cuts the pathways once a month to help people walk through. Potential proposals in the HLF but not guarantee that the bid will succeed but proposals are currently on hold until announcement of bid result. Pond was redone about 7 years ago which included new liner and materials under the liner. Thought damage to liner might have been the issue but actually more likely just drying up in the summer as pond is too shallow. However pond does refill and get flora and fauna back. Second issue with pond is spread of vegetation/weeds. Remove this every year. Conservation volunteers have also helped – South Manchester Conservation volunteers have also come in for a session in the Wildlife garden and allotments. Allotment: MW circulated a report – days to meet, Sunday morning, Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Thursday evenings has proved to be more difficult. Number of volunteers alters but currently a good group of core volunteers. Recently spring open day was successful fund raiser. Thanks to a couple of people JB & Kate Dibble who run the café on the open day to raise money. A few 100 people came and got 2 new volunteers out of it.

Minutes: SS & Andy are no longer volunteering – but Pet’s Corner are always keen to have volunteers to help out. Also need to raise money for food/vets bills.

Minutes: Gardens on a Monday afternoon (small group) set up by SS. No access to water or tools store nearby so trying to negotiate with TBC – written request went in for a temporary license for use of the toilet block.

Minutes: FOLP have joined forces with Friends of Ryebank Fields to oppose the development. Keeping an eye on the planning/development and also the boundary between Manchester and Trafford. Also path that leads from the path to Ryebank Road. Within Manchester boundary but nobody knows who owns the land so have put together an application to register as public right of way – awaiting result.

Minutes: Jay happy to photograph any events if required. Litter picking – CD & ETH meaning to set up a regular litter pick -possibly the morning of the last Sunday of the month to coincide with the Health Walks. Some litter pickers at the café could be used.

Minutes: September 11th in men’s bowlers.