Much of today has been spent sticking up posters and offering all sorts of incentives to the locals in the hope that they can be persuaded to attend the inaugural meeting of a new group set up to protect one of our local parks. Not a shop did I pass without badgering them to display a poster. Railings everywhere were fair game as I posted laminated versions all over the village.
Quite apart from any environmental issues we have discovered that a considerable sum of money is to be spent installing new play equipment in the chickens play area,a fine idea, but for the fact that they wish to do this without consultation with those who will use it.
A similar group formed recently by one of our members intervened to very good effect upon a similar project in a park less than half a mile away. We hope that we will be able to gear the new apparatus to suit the needs of the local children and without replicating the equipment in the other play ground.
I spoke to a good many parents with children today (I hung around outside our local school at home time ,they were astonished to hear what was happening and had heard nothing about it . I am convinced that when Council money is being spent those who provide it by paying their Community Charge should have some input as to how that money is spent.
Of course our chief concern is an environmental one but the more people who can be persuaded to join the group the better. They group wish to restore the park to its former state as it has recently fallen victim to the hack and slash methods preferred by our Local Authorities contractors. I.S.C.A.G ,the group to which I belong will act as an umbrella for the new group and share with them the expertise we have developed of a number of years. Our research should stand them in good stead and spare them hours of hunting for addresses,information,legislation etc.
It seems odd to be fighting for action some where else when my own garden is threatened but the work must go on no matter what ,every tree we save is a victory for the generationsyet to come, besides it gives me something else to think about.
My son has been asked to Chair the new group but has insisted upon a democratic election and I quite agree,to often committees are foisted upon groups and I myself know quite a number of what we call (professional committee members);it was the fear of this which prompted the group to invite my son to be chair.
There is money available to fund the groups activities and there are two other groups in the area who have no real interest in the project but would like to use their involvement to get their hands on the cash,and not for the first time. We believe that the money should be spent on the project it was intended for and not be added to the funds of a group who's sole aim appears to be it's own continued existence.
I mention this as some years ago I approached one of these groups to enlist their aid in preventing the felling of trees in our churchyard and stopping the destruction of habitat on the site. They tersely informed me that although they were, in essence a conservation group they took no interest whatsoever ever in trees.
Now suddenly they are interested....I wonder if their interest has been kindled by the quite large sum of money involved,it make you think doesn't it?
I intended to do some gardening today and to make damson jam, severe back pain prevented the one and the poster campaign the other. Hey-ho! Looking on the bright side it was lovely to spend the afternoon trundling about on my scooter in the warm autumn sunshine and with a good conscience.
Thank goodness tonight’s dinner was only a prawn and crab pasta, quick, tasty and next to no prep,
Now I am looking forward to a quiet night , there is an auto mobile show going on near us and some idiot with a tannoy has been banging on all day and it is very distracting. Considering how loud it sounds almost a quarter of a mile away I should hate to be on the field ,it must be deafening. It seems to be a sports car event and at £ 200 a ticket with perforated ear drums thrown in they can keep it!
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