Author Archives: Martin McC

Working party Tuesday 22nd May

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Hello,
A series of emails and phone calls later we are now sure of our timings. 10 till 1 on Tuesday 22nd May to cobweb remove, broom and dust, clean windows etc. and move display stands into the proposed cafe area space ready to adorn on Friday morning with all our resplendent graphics! Please bring your own cleaning tools and remember the loos are not to be used so we will have to hope the Town Hall is open.
Saturday is now definitely ORF!……… as we do not have the insurance or the supervision that is insisted upon,but can do some yard brooming outside the kitchen area on Tuesday 22nd May morning also as it is now ‘risk assessed’….don’t ask!! Jackie Wesley will work offsite and thus be there to insure us from 10-1…but need to get away sharpish for later meetings so this is why we are starting early.
She will open up for us at 9.30 am. on Friday 25th so that we can hang the graphics I plan to do on Thursday…..during the morning prior to the Open afternoon in the Old School.
I have an horrendous cold at the moment but hope to see you for a small meeting on Monday 21st, we have booked the settle so six people would be ideal. We will use the meeting to plan out what we need to show graphically in our afternoon exhibition and what we will add to that in presentation terms, refreshments logistics etc., for the evening meeting in the Town Hall on Friday 25th (to whicheveryone receiving this is most welcome from 7 p.m. onwards.)  
I have attached the Open day poster which is now out and about in case you have a window for it please, and an interactive word version of the Auction /Raffle form designed by Sue, for you to use for the final Skills Auction /Raffle prizes you are able to solicit, please. ( you can fill it in online and email it back to me or Sue, if you will.)
Please support this SOS week of three events with all your community zeal, telling neighbours and friends and coming along in numbers to make the last busy twelve months seem truly worthwhile in our long journey towards holding that elusive 25 year Lease we covet for the Old School Building.
We are now in possession of the survey findings which we will share on Monday evening, and are working on balancing these with all the component parts of CAT Stage 2 which we hope to show in draft form to BCC ASAP.
Many thanks for all you put into this little community
best wishes for the weekend, broom free now….
Carol Tarrant
Ivinghoe SOS

April 30th 2012 minutes

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      SAVE OLD SCHOOL: 

      Group Meeting in the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe, 

      30th April 2012 at 8.00pm

 

PRESENT:

Carol Tarrant

Bob Corn

Jane Custance

Martin McCormack

Alex Wynne

John Wallis

Margaret Holliday

    APOLOGIES: Mike Custance

Sylvia Simmonds

Sue Nicholls

Les Laing

Moira Heggarty

Karen Groom

Carol welcomed everyone to the meeting, called to further discuss proposals in connection with the Old School Building in the centre of Ivinghoe, and its possible future for the community.

 

Previous Minutes: All approved.

 

Pub Quiz/Skills Auction 23rd May 2012: 

Carol will send an ‘Auction Promise’ slip to the wider SOS Group – Alex to speak with Sue, who will create a poster which will list the ‘Promises’, and the poster can be advertised on village notice boards, the web site and distributed onto tables on the night of the Quiz – Bob is happy to run off photocopied prints of Quiz questions and the poster if required.

 

Martin will provide pens for the evening; agreed that a raffle will be held on 25th May 2012 Open Evening at the Town Hall, although tickets will be sold on Quiz Evening – Raffle Prizes to be collated by Alex; Bob will check what the Prize for the Quiz should be with Karen, as her brother John will be running the Quiz; agreed that ten skills will be Auctioned.

 

(After the meeting, Kirk Rogers of the Rose & Crown asked for a few lines speaking of the Quiz/Auction by mid-week 9th May 2012, so that he could send an email out in good time.)

 

Minutes to SOS Meetings on Web Site: Carol asked if Martin could upload copies of all SOS Meeting Minutes onto the new web site – evidently required so that Funding Bid Agencies can read and see that we are a substantial Group. Minutes to be provided to Martin as ‘Word’ and as ‘pdf’ files – also, Martin asked if the meeting could think of content needs for the future, and he stressed that he needed photographs of the Old School when it was in action as a school – further, he would like any information or links to the new businesses (Theatre Group and the Café). Carol will add material also to the Village SOS site which has less than needed on our working plans as this content went into the submission and not the site..

 

Open Afternoon and Evening, 25th May 2012: Carol reported that a small exhibition throughout the building is planned with SOS group in attendance plus our County Councillor Avril Davies and Jackie Wesley as BCC liaison, providing Public liability insurance cover and support. The Theatre Group will be making a presentation of activity and photographs – she will also gently pursue Hayley’s wishes for input from the Café proposal. John is loaning display panels for the Café and other areas, whilst Flametree will provide their own for the Theatre proposals. Graphics will need to be made to convey both the SOS project journey, its future proposals and to guide visitors through the space safely. Carol and Bob will do this shortly. Jackie Wesley of Bucks C.C. had visited the Old School recently with Carol to assess a Risk Assessment in the interests of the Open Afternoon – she had recommended ‘roping off’ of certain areas, and is to provide a plan showing the areas of concern – John will provide the necessary safety tape. Bob will provide plans of the proposed building, Carol and Margaret will liaise re-letters and photographs of the Old School.

 

Carol will liaise with Jackie Wesley as to borrowing keys for the building to allow a cleaning /working party to gather – 19th May 2012 for yard brooming the outside between 11.00am and 1.00pm, also 22nd May between 11.00am and 1.00pm to prepare the inside.

 

As to the evening in the Town Hall – set up from 5.30pm to 7.00pm – Sylvia and Alex to prepare Teas; Display Panels will be moved across from the Old School by Group members; Alex and Sue are preparing the raffle; Carol will prepare an agenda for the evening, an outline for the evening is suggested thus:

 

½hour – tea and looking at photographs;

Carol to speak for perhaps ten minutes with a ten minute period for Q&A;

Liz and Joley (Flametree Theatre Group) to speak for ten minutes, again a ten minute period for Q&A;

Haley and Liz (Curiositea Café) to speak for ten minutes, again a ten minute Q&A period – Bob will try to telephone Haley to discuss.

General period of discussion.

Raffle and prizes.

 

Carol will arrange Posters advertising the evening to be posted around the villages, also ‘sandwich boards’ at Brookmead School and outside the Town Hall need arranging somehow.

 

Business Plan: Mike had sent his updated Project Plan Gant Chart to Carol – which she tabled – she will circulate this to the Group; Jane to create the SWOT and PEST analysis report to accompany her previous Risk Assessment – she will complete by 5th May 2012. Bob to enlist the help in gaining a copy of the Survey Report on the Old School building, carried out by Bucks C.C.; he and Carol will compile a draft Business Plan.

 

Post: Community Impact Bucks had written offering workshop training for volunteers; British Heart Foundation had written asking for applications for Grant Funding – evidently any application must be based on a Heart Health project.

 

Next Meeting: 21st May 2012 at 8.00pm, Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Village SOS Re-Opens for Funding (UK)

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 Village SOS Re-Opens for Funding (UK)

The Big Lottery Fund has announced a new round of Village SOS funding – totalling £4million – to support rural community enterprises across the UK.  Through Village SOS grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 will be available for projects in rural villages or small rural towns with fewer than 3,000 people.  Organisations that can apply for funding include Voluntary and community groups or organisations as well as parish, town or community councils, provided local residents have clearly shaped the project.  Examples of the type of projects supported through the previous Village SOS funding round include the Barford and Wramplingham Community Shop, South Norfolk, which received a grant of £29,980 to set up and run a community shop which will be based in leased premises of the newly re-opened village pub; and Laneshaw Bridge Community Enterprise in Pendle who received a grant of £29,066 to create a community hub, including a village shop, tearoom, post office outreach service and internet cafe. This enterprise will sustain itself from the income generated from the services provided and reinvest this back into community projects. Communities that have already received funding from Village SOS should not apply for funding during this round.

Applications should be submitted against one of three assessment rounds with the final deadline being 2pm on the 12th September 2012….

www.villagesos.org.uk/funding

Lynne Maddocks    Community Engagement Officer Aylesbury Vale District Council

www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Open Day on 25th May

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The Ivinghoe Old School will be open for viewing on Friday afternoon 25th May, Jackie Wesley Localities & Communities Manager BCC and Avril Davies will be attending.

A open discussion on potential plans and ideas will take place giving a opportunity for the community to voice their opinions.

March 26th 2012 minutes

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      SAVE OLD SCHOOL: 

      Group Meeting in the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe, 

      26th March 2012 at 8.00pm

 

PRESENT:

Carol Tarrant

Martin McCormack

John Wallis

Les Laing

Karen Groome

Bob Corn

Margaret Holliday

Alex Wynne    APOLOGIES: Joley Brindle

      Liz Raba

Sylvia Simmonds

Jane Custance

Sue Nicholls

Mike Custance

Moira Heggarty

Carol welcomed everyone to the meeting which had been called to further discuss proposals in connection with the Old School Building in the centre of Ivinghoe, and its possible future for the community – noting that Sylvia cannot attend Monday meetings but is anxious to offer practical help, and that John will print off future minutes for delivery to Moira since she does not have email and finds meetings inaudible.

 

Previous Minutes: All approved.

 

Web Site: Martin reported that he had been working with Dave Nicholls – to whom he paid tribute for his hard work – in creating the website, although it is not yet active. Alex tabled a painting which Malcolm Simmonds had created – Bob will scan and send the electronic file to Martin; Carol handed a DVD and a CD which contained lots of photographs of the Old School, including the Initial Business Plan (2), and Plan Drawings of the existing building and of the proposed layout. Evidently Liz and Joley will be sending something to Martin also, in connection with the Theatre Group proposals.

 

Martin has compiled initial material – a Calendar of Events, Supporters Group,

Planned Activities, etc. – all is proposed in a ‘blog’ style to enable new entries to

be made easily – and he is proposing to go ‘live’ around Easter Time – the

meeting noted that the Annual Parish Meeting is on 18th April 2012, and it would

be good to have the web-site live by then. He  And Dave were thanked profusely.

 

Carol will ask Liz and Joley to put relevant information on the Facebook

and VillageSOS web-pages – she gave the relevant access codes (simply log-on to

facebook.com ‘Ivinghoe Old School’ page, or access   HYPERLINK “http://www.villagesos.org.uk” www.villagesos.org.uk site,

head to ‘Ivinghoe’ community, and use code ‘ivinghoe5O5,.’ (the O is a capital

‘o’ rather than a nought) if anyone wishes to add anything. Carol expressed her

anxiety that the Facebook page, the Village SOS site, and our new web-site were

coordinated in their content and equality used to show the Lottery group interest.

 

Business Model and Project Plan: Carol tabled Mike Custance’s Project Plan Chart, and Alistair Owens’ Business Model – this latter to be populated with more accurate figures where Alistair has made ‘assumptions’, when the figures are known. The group fully appreciated the work put in here too plus updates.

 

Business Plan: Carol presented a Business Plan format – copies for everyone present: she and Bob will prepare the ‘Executive Summary’ after the completed document has been prepared; they will also prepare statements for the ‘Objectives Overview’, ‘Our Enterprise’, and ‘Work Done to Date.

‘SWOT’ and ‘PEST’ analyses to be carried out at meeting on 2nd April 2012, alongside the Risk Analysis.

Jane and Mike Custance to be asked to prepare the statement for ‘Putting our Plan into Practice’ (notes attached).

Alistair Owens to be approached to finalise the ‘Finances’ element.

Bob to maintain an overview of the ‘Property and Premises’ elements of the Business Plan.

Risk Assessment to be pursued at our meeting on 2nd April 2012.

‘Team’ – could everyone put together a brief line as to their skills, professional background and expertise, for Carol to compile into a ‘list of strengths’ available to us, to give confidence of our capacity to BCC!

Bucks C.C. Corporate Planning needs to be referenced in the Business Plan – we will utilise the statements made in the Initial Business Plan (2).

Liz Raba and Joley Brindle to send over and help to complete ‘Model Documents’ which we are very grateful for their support in compiling.

John to pursue the Bank Account and Constitution and Legal Entity.

Alex and Sue to pursue fundraising.

Martin, Liz, Joley and Carol to work on the web-site content.

Carol, Alex and Sue to liaise with the local Parish and Village Magazines to continue publicity, the PPP needing copy for 15th April.

Everyone confirmed that they were happy with the shape of the Business Plan, and were keen to compile the draft within a month to shave off months from BCC deadline, we being impatient to gain our Lease.

 

Quiz Night and Open Meeting: Noted that Quiz and Skills Auction is to be 23rd

May 2012 in the Rose & Crown – Sue has printed tickets, and has sold twelve

already (45 is total), and has received pledges of Raffle Prizes and Skills; she will

arrange to have the tickets in the Rose & Crown for sale at £10 each after the

Easter break, to include food, and hopefully very numerous skills pledges.

 

Open Meeting is to be 25th May 2012, to be held in the Town Hall – 7.00pm till

9.00pm, and it is hoped to have the Old School available to view during the

afternoon – although nothing has been heard yet back from Bucks C.C. after

Carol’s emailed request last week; Councillor Avril Davies will attend both the

Old School open period, and the evening meeting. The Parish Councils of the

‘Beacon Villages’ will be invited to have representation – Ivinghoe, Slapton,

Cheddington, Marsworth, Edlesborough and Mentmore – also Brookmead School.

 

‘Locality’: Carol suggested that our Group should join ‘Locality’ on the advice of experts who mailed since the Conference as it would provide advantages – this in addition to our having already joined ‘Community Matters’; John will investigate further.

 

Annual Parish Meeting: Carol has been invited to make a five minute presentation at the Ivinghoe Annual Parish Meeting on 18th April 2012 – she asked if the Group Members could go along also to give support! The Meeting assembles for 7.00pm for informal discussion, the Meeting itself starting at 7.30pm.

 

Constitution: John handed copies of the drafted Constitution to members of the Group; Carol will send electronic copies of the document to the Steering Group by email – comments are requested by our next meeting on 2nd April 2012 at which it is intended to formally adopt the Constitution in double quick time!

 

John Wallis  will speak to Councillor Avril Davies to seek help with ‘seed-corn’

Funding.

 

Next Meeting: ‘Risk Assesment’ 2nd April 2012 at 8.00pm, Rose & Crown. Ivinghoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Night, Food and Auction of Promises on 23rd May

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Quiz Night, Food and Auction of Promises

Organised by SoS (Save the old school, Ivinghoe)

At last you can do something to help, and have fun at the same time! Help raise working capital Rose and Crown, Ivinghoe  Wednesday, 23rd May,  7.30pm (Food included)

Tickets available from Sue 661910, Bob and Carol, 662267 or from the pub.

£10 each Teams of 4 (5 at a push) SKILLS? May we auction your skills and services?

An hour’s ironing, 2 hours gardening, cookery lessons, CV or letter writing, portrait painting?

What could you offer to help us raise much needed funds?

Call us on the above numbers

SOS Campaign

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SOS campaign to save the Old School building on Ivinghoe Lawn for the use of the community. 

Carol and Bob Corn, with the rest of the team, have been beavering away to try to keep the old school (Ivinghoe Centre) for the benefit of our community. We can now announce that we have proceeded to Stage 2 of the Community Asset Transfer process. This is where the building moves from the County Council hands to a community run Charitable Trust.

We are currently producing the Business Plan in order to start negotiating the lease agreement with the County Council. We are also planning a web site and beginning to look for fund raising opportunities, as well as many other interesting projects for the Centre. Volunteers are helping the

group to produce the business case, media needs, history project and the necessary fund-raising; more are welcome now to form small sub -groups. We will eventually be inviting people to help in the final preparation of the building, and again when we are up and running to assist in the running of the many activities.

Bucks County Council has already spent a lot of money moving the Post Office and creating the shop premises across the road and seems reluctant to spend very much on the Old School.  They are however keen to support a viable plan for us to take it on.

We expect the county to put the building in good structural order and the community will need to form a Charitable Trust to run and maintain the building. There are several small businesses ready to hire the rooms and a café and I.T. hub are planned. It all looks very exciting and in future the building will be a useful and welcoming centre as it was in the past. With viable businesses renting the spaces

we expect that the old school will eventually be self-supporting. In order to apply for many of the Grants we are looking at, we have to prove that we have the backing of the local community and that we can raise funds ourselves, so we are looking for fund raising ideas. With so many voluntary jobs, generated by the BIG SOCIETY, there may be ways for some village fund raising projects to work together.

We are kicking off fund-raising in the village by organising our own Quiz Night and Auction of Promises in the Rose and Crown. The pub will generously provide food and space for 45 of us for a fun night out on 23rd May 7.00p.m! Tickets will be on sale via Sue 661910, or Bob and Carol 662267, or from the pub direct, at £10 each person who forms part of a team (max. size 5). May we auction your skills? We would like to offer an hour’s ironing, two hours gardening, CV or letter writing, a

painted portrait of a neighbour or something else more to your liking! What would you offer to help us raise much needed funds for SOS? Do let us know in advance so we can add you to offer to the publicity later on.

The processes involved in getting our old school back take time, but so far all is looking promising. There will be a need to expand the small team soon and form the Charitable Trust with the required officers of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, so all those who expressed an interest in keeping the school last summer, or who are inspired to be involved, please contact Carol and Bob again on 01296 662267, or thecorns@talk21.com   or come to a Monday meeting in the Rose and Crown. The pub will tell you when the next one will be.

There will be an open meeting in Ivinghoe Town Hall in May with a chance to look inside the Old School Building, do look at the flier that comes with this magazine, look in the Beacon or Pitstone Parish Post or check the village notice boards.

Alex Wynn and Sue Nicholls