Minutes:
There is £12,500 available for Blackheath ward and the maximum amount that you can apply for is £2,000. The Coordinating Group will consider applications higher than this amount if they deem the application to be ‘extraordinary’ and of real benefit to Blackheath ward. The money must be spent on one of these priorities:
• Environment and community
• Provision for older people, young people and children
• Parking, streets and waste
• Crime and anti-social behaviour
Details including an application form are now on the Blackheath web page. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 28 September 2016 at 9am.
Quaggy Luncheon Club – Simon Riley apologised that Angela Kadri from the Quaggy could not be at the assembly in person. The Quaggy Carnival is taking place on Saturday 2 July from 12.30 and will be at the Quaggy and Morden Mount School opposite here, this has been going for some years now and is a great community event.
The Lunch Club received money for 2 coach trips combined with the Darby and Joan Club, the first trip was to Eastbourne and everyone had a great time so thank you to the Blackheath Assembly.
A further trip is planned in September to Whitstable. We received some funding for further small / local trips and these are currently being planned. Once again a big thank you for your continued support.
Age Exchange Games Workshop Project written update - Communities at Play is a project based on running a series of workshops with educational charity ‘Universal Board Games’. The idea of the workshops is to promote the use of board games as an alternative to the modern hi tech world of on-line and computer games and to encourage intergenerational play. Getting young people and families to play together whether that is brother and sister, best friends or grandparents and grand-children.
Each workshop can take up to 25 people at any one time. The workshops were run in an open way where participants could drop in for a short period of time or the whole session. We had originally planned six workshops but the match funding we received from Royal Borough of Greenwich means we have been able to extend the programme to seven workshops. Four took place in the Easter holidays, then three more were planned for one Saturday in each month of May, June and July.
In the six workshops we have run over 113 people have attended from age 6 up to over 80 years of age. The feedback has been really positive. The most striking story was from how one mum used the session as a safe bonding place for her son and separated Dad in the first half and then with the new step dad in the second half, great idea and her son and both dads had a great time.
We also know that one Mum has since hired universal board games to run her son’s birthday party, we are so happy to hear that playing board games is catching on with those that attended.
Feedback from participants
“I just wanted to say a huge belated thanks for the games workshops you ran at Age exchange in Blackheath last week. The boys and I had such a great couple of days with you and we all loved mixing with different people and learning to play new games. Even the grandparents spoke positively about the workshop! Brilliant. The boys talk about it lots and it really was one of the highlights of their Easter holidays.
We have now bought our own copy of 'Sleeping Queens' and 'Othello' is on its way from eBay. We contacted the chess and bridge shop on Baker Street about 'Kamisado' but they don't stock it at the moment. We have been directed to the suppliers so that is next on our list! It was fab to meet you guys and to learn and be reminded how valuable and important it is to take time out to play games!”
“Amazing! Fantastic session with you this morning. Loved playing so many different games in succession. Even managed to beat the kids-that is amazing!!!.”
“So good I come back!”
“Great fun we will definitely come back to the Saturday sessions.”
“ A fabulous change from screens (TV, tablets, phones) –showed my girls the importance of tactile objects in games (building a 3D cube in Hexus for example). Lovely to meet new families. I would definitely come again!”