Minutes for last meeting and Matters arising.

Minutes from March meeting agreed.

3. New Projects - Bags
WAP have secured 75% of funding to fund a community bag scheme.  The bags have three purposes:

1. Some Shops up Staithe Street have agreed to stop using Plastic bags and to only have paper or community bags.

2. Support the Maltings project, the bag will have a picture of the Maltings drawn by a child from the primary school.  The bags will have the slogan “done my bit”.  Years 1 and 2 profits are ring fenced to support the marketing and community engagement for the Maltings Project.  Year 3 and beyond the bags can be taken by a team of community groups and redesigned and used and the profit for year 3 shared between them.  It’s a cheap and effective way for residents and tourists to support the project and be empowered to show they have supported the project.

3. Data Capture, each bag sold will include a postcard which the buyer can fill out and send to WAP highlighting whether they would like to be kept informed of the Maltings project updates, WAP updates and subscribe to the Quay magazine.  Deadlines for this project are tight as we wish to have the bag available to buy May bank holiday weekend.

 4. Project Review
Housing
The how to guide is now available in full to download from the Homes for Wells website and also the WAP website.  The glossy booklet with snap facts and steps is now in production and should be available at the end of the month.  Due to the Towns for towns exchange grant we secured the how to guide will go nationwide which is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved.

Hope and Smile Group
WAP continue to support this small but very much needed group in Wells.  We have now formed a committee and have slowly taken over and sorted out all of the legal documentation.  WAP are now working with local care homes to see if volunteering at the group could e adapted into part of the NVQ2 care qualification offered at both care homes in Wells.  Although this would mean a rotation each month of volunteer it would benefit the group to meet new people.  We also have a trip planned to Gressenhall workhouse funded by the adult education people in conjunction with Voluntary Norfolk.

Walsingham Youth project
A new wave of young people have now descended onto the bus on a Wednesday night, the original young people have all got independence and wheels.  It was rewarding however that the first wave of young people rounded up the new group and explained to them about not abusing the bus or adults and to agree their set of rules.  WAP are currently applying for funding to keep this project moving forward and to satisfy the requests from the first wave who have asked to train as youth leaders.  This project has been a huge success.  We are now looking at planning and running a Walsingham family day in the summer, working again in conjunction with the Safer Neighbourhood team and Youth services.  We are also now doing a personal hygiene awareness session with the new wave of young people with support from Boots supplying free products.

CATS (Community Action Through Sport)
Technology hours are booked Saturday May 22nd and Saturday June 5th between 11.00am and 12.00pm the CATS committee will be in Wells library ready to offer assistance with Mobile  phones, email, face book , digital cameras anything really.  This project is being trialled over two Saturdays and if successful will continue in Wells Bi monthly and in the parish’s bi monthly.  The Cats committee are also making a decision on whether to support Wells in Bloom request for help.  Although they felt that the green eco team at the school were more suitable candidates to help.

Wells For the Future – Maltings Development
HUGE developments with this project.  The steering group have now agreed a name, constitution, status and have set the ball in motion to register the Wells Maltings Trust and to open a bank account and apply for charity status.  The project manager’s post has secured the majority of funding needed and the job description has been written and agreed.  The post will be advertised shortly and WAP will be liaising with applicants and completing the full admin role associated with this new post, including organising Interviews.  The Wells Maltings trust has also had a new website organised and designed supported by WAP which will be up and running very soon. We have also applied for the community ambition award to support this project.

Blakeney Harbour rooms  
WAP have now reduced the amount of days being posted at the Blakeney Harbour Rooms to the first Monday of every month.  We are however continuing to support projects:

• Ellwood Art studios, we have agreed and completed a constitution, bank account, lease and once all this is finalised £10,000 should be made available to the project from Awards for All.  We hope to launch in the summer with environmental art workshops held daily.

• Community Association 1 committee.  WAP have been working with the Blakeney residents to help them to form 1 committee.  This committee or community association will be able to apply for funding on behalf of the village to fund ideas and projects.  The committee will be made up of community champions from local community spaces and parish council and WAP.  The idea is to give the community a chair or Mayor voted for by the residents to be the face of community spirit.

• Community pride in Norfolk award.  Applied for this award with Blakeney together, fingers crossed it gets shortlisted.

Walsingham Pavilion
Andrew Drummond from RHP architects who were involved in the Maltings Project has agreed to give up a day of his time to come to the pavilion and provide architect drawings of what could be in place and what it could be, This is exciting for the entire community of Walsingham as the pavilion has been an eye sore in the village for years.

Coastal Rowing – Street CATS
A meeting took place and we are currently appealing to local people who may have rowing knowledge and interest.  From this a meeting will take place to finalise location and we will apply for the government funded grant of £12,500 to purchase boats instructor time and equipment.  WAP are still fronting this venture with support from outside agencies.

• PR suggested borrowing a boat and having as float in carnival to raise profile.

Community Travel
It was highlighted by the community that the local community mini bus is under used and sits vacant more days a week than not.  WAP are working with the community travel people in King’s Lynn to get volunteer drivers trained up and local groups to book the mini bus and use it for trips out.  So far 4 local groups have agreed to use the bus if we can sort drivers.  This will be an excellent step forward for community travel.  Having more volunteer drivers will mean more community groups can expand their horizons and visit places outside of Wells.  For example the Hope and Smile group will be using the bus monthly to go to a supermarket to do some shopping, something they normally they cannot achieve.

North Norfolk Older People’s Forum Newsletter
Working alongside other Lap’s, WAP has agreed to source some funding from external funding streams to sponsor the production of the newsletter.

Binham priory
WAP are working with Binham Priory to get some funding towards the community mini bus to be used to transport children from local schools to the priory.  WAP have supported Binham Priory to get all paperwork in place to allow schools to visit easily, not only with risk assessments and health and safety but also with tying aspects of the Priory to the curriculum.  The last stage is travel, once this has been put into place the Priory will hopefully attract lots of schools.

5. Any other Business

• Finance, BF said that although some bills from last year had turned up we still had a slight underspend on the year 09/10

• Two Cheques signed by PR

• 10:10 BF confirmed he emailed Anthony Smith details.

• Environmental forum has dwindled away, some conversation took place around what was still happening, like the Allotment holders Market.  There is a gentleman from the Quakers called Peter Wyles who would like to join the environment forum.  MB asked if APHS could borrow PL eco bike he agreed.

• A big discussion took place regarding the Study Field Centre.  PR is to contact Marie Strong to try and get the facts and figures relating to the Field Centre so we can see financially what it costs.  WAP should investigate the situation and try to support the cause.  Ultimately WAP want to own the building and run it as a business or possibly community enterprise.

• Wells Community Hospital has open sessions for what is happening in the future.

• RK discussed what Cley was doing and BF offered to attend a parish council meeting.

• BF discussed homes for Wells and the fact they still share the same telephone line and umber as WAP it was agreed that now they are established they should have their own phone line and number.

• BF discussed that John Millwood forwarded him some details of the Museum forum, and that WAP would need representation on the group.  It was agreed that since Hilary Nelson is involved with WAP and the Maltings project that she would be representation enough for WAP.

BF to contact Eco team at APHS and ask if they could forward a report for this meeting to see if WAP could assist with any projects but with a view that they become Eco forum.

BF to email Di Down

BF to email John Rest

Date of Next meeting

Tuesday July 20th 2010