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Busy Time for the Friends!
Our next Friends meeting will be on Zoom next Tuesday evening, 5th October, starting at 7pm. Full details including Agenda below. There has been a lot going on so much to report back and discuss. The wonderful Sharons are getting the cafe into gear and that has been a real boon for the Wood. Great to see the Festival back and so many people enjoying the sunshine. Our hook a duck was a great success and people were very enthusiastic about the plans to extend the Wood into the area next to the High Road. On the challenging side some new flooding has appeared at the back of the tennis courts which hasn’t been there to such an extent before. We are asking Barnet Council to explore what the issues could be and address it. Reports of tree climbing rats near the High Road entrance made the October edition of the Archer. Barnet Council claim to be addressing this problem. What are your experiences?
| Our Next Zoom Meeting will be on Tuesday 5th October starting at 7pm Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92564772229?pwd=NWQ2ZzFWZ3cxK0o4SzJVTXYxL0ZyZz09 Meeting ID: 925 6477 2229 Passcode: K6VvVi We look forward to seeing you online! Agenda 1. Welcome and Introductions 2. Notes of last meeting and matters arising. (see below) 3. Chairs report back: a) Extending the Wood b) Funded Works outstanding c) Rats – what next d) Flooding progress e) Playground 4. Gardening group and Orchard Recent works and plans for the future. 5. Finance Report 6. Any other Business. |
| Notes of Meeting Friends of CTW on 15th June 2021 Welcome and Introductions – This was an open air meeting outside the kiosk and the first time the friends had met in person for some months. Minutes agreed and the one matter arising which was not on the agenda was the question of rodents in the park. Roger reported that the council had said that they would place traps around the parks. However only one had been seen near the Summerlee Avenue gate. There were mixed views on this topic. Some present at the meeting felt that the rats were part of the wildlife of the park and we should accept their presence. Others felt that once other venues opened as Covid restrictions change, the rats may relocate.Report on Progress in recent months:Funding: Roger reported on items such as expenditure on new noticeboard. However some items were still outstanding such as the nature trail . Playground: Some park users feel the Playground needs to be improved. The Friends had advertised an outdoor gathering at the Playground to look at options but there had not been interest. If any members want to prioritise this issue and are willing to do some legwork , please email the Friends at [email protected] Flooding: Roger reported on a planned meeting with a drainage expert. It seems that there is some scope for doing small scale works which could slow the flow of water on to the main field and this would reduce the persistence of flooding . Gardening: There was a full report from the CTW Gardeners volunteers. There are ten people signed up to the Gardeners team but not all can attend each session. Since the last meeting they have maintained the bed near the kiosk. In addition a new bed has been developed near the High Road gate with plants for pollinators especially butterflies. The area behind the tennis courts where native flag Iris plants grow has also been managed with addition of more bog plants. The plan here is to take up some of the water and prevent that corner of the newly resurfaced court being flooded. Some stones were laid to make a shore line but unfortunately the stones are frequently utilised as stepping stones to retrieve tennis balls and so this plan is unlikely to be successful. The grass around the apple trees has been allowed to grow to increase biodiversity in the park. Kiosk: There was very strong feeling on this topic with members saying that it was such a shame that we had lost use of this facility for another summer. As reported at previous meetings the Friends are aware that prospective lessees have applied to Barnet Council but the process of letting the kiosk seems to be tied up in bureaucracy. The meeting unanimously instructed the Chair to write to the Chief Executive of the Council to raise our collective concerns. Plans for the Future: Roger reported that a number of projects were still outstanding. For example, the Friends have set aside a budget for painting all the gates and it is hoped that this will be achieved over the summer months. Likewise, the nature trail for young people is outstanding as mentioned above. Litter picks will continue to be on the second Sunday of each month. Finance:Treasurer, Nigel Linton proposed changes to the FoCTW banking Mandate. This involved changes to the account signatories as follows: Remove historical Account signatories: 1.Alister Cormack2 David Attfield 3 Suzanne Corson 4 Ana Sanchez Add to the Account signatories, 1. Roger Chapman In order to enable Friends of Cherry Tree Wood to move to online banking we will change the signature requirement from 2 counter signatures to only 1. At present the signatories are Nigel Linton, Deborah Linton and thus Roger Chapman will be added AOB.It was reported that there will be a Late Summer Festival (East Finchley Festival) in the Wood on the 5th Sept 2021 and The Friends would have a stall. Oak processionary moth issue noted at Long Lane pasture raised by Harriet. People to be aware that it is local and can cause irritation to the skin. NB: Oak Processionary moth infestation in Cherry Tree discovered next day when processing round the wood with Nicola Cross from Barnet Council. Barnet will deal with areas close to public footways and should remove various – but not all – nests they discover. |
Friends of Cherry Tree Wood, East Finchley 