SOUTH OCKENDON COMMUNITY FORUM

GENERAL FORUM MEETING

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 4th March 2013 at 1.30pm

The Forum, 29 Derwent Parade, South Ockendon, Essex.

The meeting started at 1.30pm.

  1. Present and apologies

Present:

Arthur Barley (Chair)Belhus Park Scout Group

Glynis PettitAge Concern Thurrock

Jean HaggerSouth Ockendon in Bloom

Valerie ClaphamDestiny Chapel

Linda SaundersResident

Cllr Wendy CurtisThurrock Council

Cllr Charles CurtisThurrock Council

Maggie PollockThurrock Play Network

John PettitAge Concern Thurrock

Linda BuckinghamThe Ockendon Academy

Helen SawardSouth Ockendon Centre

Alison DymondResident

Sonia DewellSouth Ockendon in Bloom/Friends of Dilkes Park

Eve DymondYoung at Heart Walking Group

Daniel AgbonsonThurrock Council – Youth Service

Fr Peter RabinSt Nicholas and All Saints Churches

Alf CardosiResident

Lisa BurtonResident

Pat SpeedHoly Cross RC Church

PCSO Macdonald NeifeEssex Police

Apologies:

Avril SinghOckendon Life Group

Joyce CudbyTop club

Bob CudbyWest Road Allotment Assn.

Barrie LawrenceResident

Kirsten O’ReganSurestart Where Kids Come First

  1. The minutes of the last meeting on February 4th 2013 were accepted as a correct record.
  2. Matters arising–
  • Item 7 South Ockendon in Bloom Report should read ‘Ruskins have planted saplings and 3 large trees in Dilkes Park’.
  1. Chair’s report

Correspondence - none

Meetings - none

  1. Guest Speaker – Helen Saward (Centre Manager, South Ockendon Community Centre)

The new centre is due to open on 25th March and is the first venture of this kind in the borough. The Centre is a mixture of housing, community and library services. It is of the community for the community. It is flexible and will react to the needs of our community. This will be a different way of working but still done in a professional way. The key players are Thurrock Council, Thurrock CVS and South Ockendon Community Forum.

Signed as a correct record: ______Date: ______

There will be a public toilet available in the centre.

There will volunteers who will bemeeters and greeters and signpost clients to other agencies.Customer relations’ training is to be given to all volunteers.

Initially the building will be opened from 10am-5pm and later it is hoped to extend opening times to 9am-9pm. Not all staff will be present at all times so the library staff will be showing borrowers how to use the new self-operational machines for taking out library books.

All people dealing with children will need to be CRB checked. Policies and procedures will be in place for the new building.

  1. SOCF Updates
  • Trustees and other volunteers are busy clearing the Forum building. Groups may register an interest in items of furniture etc. Donations for items taken will be welcomed.
  • The Forum building is to be closed to the public from March 18th in order to facilitate the clearing process.
  • Consultation – the forum has facilitated the Thurrock Council Core Strategy Consultation. Many people found the consultation form hard to understand.
  • Trustees and local residents attended a consultation on the plans for development in Derry Avenue. Concerns were made at the plans to build on the Derry Avenue car park and strong representations were made in an email to Director of Housing, Barbara Brownlee.
  • Peartree Residents are planning an Easter Event over the Easter weekend.
  1. Organisational Updates

Cllr Charles Curtis

  • Veolia ES Trust to give £25,000 to Cruick Avenue to renew the children’s play equipment. Thurrock Council will also give £5,000 towards this.
  • £75,000 has been given to build a skateboard park in Belhus park. There has also been an application to Sport England for the rest of the cost.
  • The NHS has plans to move the stroke unit at Basildon to Chelmsford. Councillors are trying to get them to reconsider.

Cllr Wendy Curtis left the meeting.

Age Concern Thurrock (Glynis Pettit)

  • The group has been accepted as a Friend of Age UK and is now part of the Age UK network.
  • The new service for helping clients to complete Attendance Allowance forms is going very well.
  • The diary is filling up with requests to give talks to clubs and groups this year.

Holy Cross RC Church(Pat Speed) - nothing

Young at Heart Walking Group (Eve Dymond)

Eve announced that she has resigned the chairmanship of the Young at Heart Walking Group.

South Ockendon in Bloom (Jean Hagger)

  • Jean and Sonia Dewell attended their first allotment meeting.
  • Agreed to help look after the allotment site at Callan Grove
  • The green in Tamarisk Road is now looking better.

Friends of Dilkes Park (Sonia Dewell)

  • The tree planting has finished.
  • They are waiting for the ground to dry out before erecting the new climbing frame.
  • The group are looking for volunteers to man the new play container in the park.

St Nicholas and All Saints Churches (Fr Peter Rabin)

  • As the Easter Season is approaching things are becoming busy.
  • Mothering Sunday is on the 17th March and a special service is arranged 9.30am All Saints; 11am St Nicholas.
  • On Palm Sunday there will be a procession from Dilkes park to all Saints Church 10am.
  • On Holy Saturday there will be a service in St Nicholas at 11.30pm to celebrate Easter.
  • On 1st April the parish of St Nicholas, South Ockendon and All Saints Belhus Park will officially join with St Michael’s, Aveley and St Stephen’s, Purfleet to become the Mardyke Team. An inauguration service will be conducted by the Bishop of Bradwell which will involve the congregation moving to each of the four churches for part of the service. Four buses have been hired to transport everyone.
  • The Diamond Jubilee of All Saints Church is celebrated later this year with a special service on June 23rd to celebrate its 60years on the estate.

Linda Saunders (Resident)

  • Thanks to John and Glynis from Age Concern Thurrock for the lunch club.
  • Thanks to everyone at the Forum for their kindness over the last 15 years. I am glad that I stayed in Ockendon.

Destiny Chapel (Val Clapham)

  • The church is having to leave the Culver Centre and is looking for a building to hold its services.
  • The church will be celebrating its 5th anniversary on 14th September,

Alf Cardosi(Resident) - nothing

The Ockendon Academy (Linda Buckingham)

  • Busy preparing for GCSE’s.
  • A special assembly was held for the best student.
  • Working on projects to raise money for Red Nose Day (March 15th).

Cllr Charles Curtis (Thurrock Council)

  • The Council is busy setting its budget.
  • The petition for change of license to A3 for Tony’s Café has been handed in and a decision is awaited.

Surestart Where Kids Come First (Maggie Pollock)

  • Short of staff at present owing to member of staff on maternity leave.
  • The group will celebrate its 20th anniversary on March 10th.

Thurrock Play Network (Maggie Pollock)

  • Things are still difficult.
  • The play pods in school playgrounds are working well.
  • Going to Bristol to collect new materials for the scrap project.
  • Supporting recycling/reuse centres.

Belhus Park Scout Group (Arthur Barley)

  • All going well.
  • The Cubs can’t take any new children more at present. Now have a waiting list. Although there is still some spaces for new Scouts and Beavers.
  • Thank you to Veolia ES for all their help with funding over the years to help maintain the building,

PCSO Macdonald Neife (Essex Police)

  • Unable to do last beat surgery due to a call out to an incident.

Any Other Business

There is a Bus User Group meeting on March 20th in the Council Chamber. If anyone has any concerns or issues with the bus service then please come along.

The next meeting is Monday 13th May 2013 at 1.30pm in the South Ockendon Centre.

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