Hear from the applicants who have a project idea to help make a difference in Forest Hill:
1: Project 1: Forest Hill Society- Planting and environmental improvements in Forest Hill town centre and station - £600
Project 2: Colourful Street Trees for Forest Hill- £2240
Project 3: Picturing Christmas’ and ‘Picturing Easter’: Two Community Art Workshop & Publication Projects- £2410
Project 4: Devonshire Road Nature Reserve Visitors Centre- £2500
Project 5: Forest Hill Children’s Book Festival- £1550
Project 6: Book Nooks- £700
Project 7: Raiders Netball club - £2500
Minutes:
Project 1: Forest Hill Society- Planting and environmental improvements in Forest Hill town centre and station - £600
The Forest Hill Society has, for a number of years, taken responsibility for maintaining planters on the platforms and caring for the forecourt entrance at Forest Hill Station and providing planters in the town centre in an effort to make these areas more attractive to both people and wildlife.
The planting and maintaining of planters is done by volunteers on a needs basis but with working groups to accommodate the seasonal changes as these occur.
If you would like to get involved contact
www.foresthillsociety.com or michael@fhsoc.com
Project 2: Colourful Street Trees for Forest Hill- £2240
Funds are sought for the planting of 8 colourful trees in streets where there are already groups of volunteers who have demonstrated their commitment to tree planting. Some of these raised funds for their streets last year and have watered their trees successfully through the recent drought. Others have raised funds for the first time. Together, the 8 participating streets have raised funds for planting 19 trees this coming winter. This application is for funds one additional tree in each participating street.
Together, the 27 new trees will give our streets
• White or pink Spring blossom
• Yellow, orange and red Autumnal leaves
• In the case of Thorpewood Avenue, the Himalayan Birch will also bring the intense white of their bark to the road throughout the year.
The entire project has been coordinated by Street Trees for Living (STfL) which is a voluntary organisation that works with Lewisham Council to plant street trees. The standing of Street Trees for Living can be shown by its award of The Forestry Commissions London Community Tree Award in 2016.
The value of matched funds. Apart from the direct benefits of the additional 8 trees the fact that we were applying for assembly funds has made it easier to raise funds from local residents: donors always like to see their money going further than their funds can afford. Similarly the award of an Assembly grant this year will make it easier to raise funds from residents next year
Project 3: Picturing Christmas’ and ‘Picturing Easter’: Two Community Art Workshop & Publication Projects- £2410
These seasonal community workshop/publication projects, facilitated by the Ichthus Forest Hill Arts Forum and open to the local community, explore how Christmas (Workshop One) and Easter (Workshop Two) have been pictured in the art, craft and spiritual/religious traditions of diverse cultures around the world – many of which are represented in Forest Hill.
Inspired by this, and assisted by experienced artists and teachers, participants will then create personally meaningful Christmas and Easter cards. Sessions and projects aimed at developing design, print-making and photographic skills will be offered. A free home-cooked lunch with live music will be provided. People of all ages, backgrounds and ability levels are welcome (we hope that stories and experiences will be shared). Beautifully-designed post-workshop hardcopy/e-publications will be co-created for circulation and sale.
The Ichthus Forest Hill Arts Forum was started in 2013 by Walter Hayn, a local artist and art teacher, and Jorella Andrews, an art historian. At our monthly forums, artists attending Ichthus Forest Hill Church discuss, make art, and support each other. Our proposal is modelled after a successful community workshop/publication project (Reaching Beyond, 2015), and Easter exhibition (2016) which included talks and invited public participation; we would like to offer such projects more regularly.
Ichthus Forest Hill Arts Forum would like to offer two free community art workshop and publication projects (Picturing Christmas and Picturing Easter) for interested people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities
Project 4: Devonshire Road Nature Reserve Visitors Centre- £2500
The Friends of Devonshire Road Nature Reserve (FDRNR) took over the running of this idyllic local nature reserve in 2000 and have achieved amazing things in the last 17 years, building ponds and paths, new wrought iron gates and railings, signage and two magnificent green-oak timber garden buildings, one with a living roof, the other based on the oldest lychgate in the country and roofed in reclaimed Welsh slate, as well as restoring and enhancing many aspects of the wildlife habitat. They inherited a 30ft square temporary classroom which was installed in the 1970’s and has served them well for 40 years but is very close to the end of its life. Maintenance costs are now becoming a significant burden on LB Lewisham’s nature conservation budget.
They want to build a new visitors centre – a new sustainable, low energy building using timber, which can be partly constructed by volunteers and timber building enthusiasts. The activity of building the centre will itself bring the community together as a barn raising. The building will be used to support the Nature Reserve's environmental, educational and community and musical activities and events.
In Oct 2016, they were successful in their application to the Ward Assembly for seed funding to kick-start the planning of the new visitors centre. This has paid for an architect to work with them to draw up early stage concept plans and create two stunning new visuals of the new building
They are looking for £2500 to part fund a number of consultants’ reports (and specifically the biodiversity report) which are needed to make a planning application for the new building. They estimate that making a planning application and preparing a pack of information to go out to tender will cost approximately £25k
Project 5: Forest Hill Children’s Book Festival- £1550
The Forest Hill Children’s Book Festival (FHCBF) is a celebration of literacy and literature for and with children, young people and their carers. It aims to raise the profile of and leverage the significant children’s book and related assets we have in and around the Forest Hill town centre to get more children reading more and better book.
The FHCBF includes:
· a flagship festival of events and activities which will be held between Friday May 6 and Monday May 9, 2019.
· support for other literary events and activities at Forest Hill venues throughout the year, including reading promotion activities in schools and childcare centres and children’s book walks
· the promotion of Forest Hill as a children’s book hub, via promotion of our local network of book related assets, including the local library, specialist and general bookshops, the Horniman museum and Book Nooks.
the creation of an illustrated town centre map detailing these places which will be used to encourage people to visit Forest Hill and/or discover new places in Forest Hill to visit.
Project 6: Book Nooks- £700
Book Nooks are small collections of quality children’s books based in public locations which encourage book sharing and reading between children and their carers. Book Nooks are designed to enhance children’s access to reading material, broaden the type and number of books that are available to them and promote reading and book sharing as everyday activity that can happen anytime and anywhere.
Book Nooks support children at all ages and stages to develop and sustain a love of reading and secure the wider benefits of doing so.
This project will establish a network of no fewer than 30 Book Nooks throughout Forest Hill adding to the existing network of book related assets and ensuring that children who live, visit or go to school in the ward have easy access to high quality reading material and the support and encouragement to use the books available to them.
Business owners and site managers who agree to locating a Book Nook at their premise will receive an orientation to managing the book collection and in promoting book use, sharing and reading with customers and visitors.
Additional material on the benefits of reading, tips on sharing books with children and information on where to access more books and support will be produced, printed and made available where Book Nooks are established.
Project 7: Raiders Netball club - £2500
Coaching sessions will be held Thursday’s weekly for up to 30 juniors aged 10-16 from 18:00-19.20 and adult training sessions are also held Thursday’s weekly from 19.30-21.30 for up to 30 women. All training sessions are coached by professional coaches with UKCC qualifications level 2 (under 16's) and 3 (Adults). All participants are taught according to their ability and understanding of the netball rules. Each new member is buddied with a regular participant to ensure they feel fully welcomed and embraced by the teams. The weekly coaching session is offered at a subside fee to both children and adults to encourage them to continue participating in the weekly sessions and matches.
The weekly sessions offer the young teenager girls the ability to
grow, develop communication skills and build relationships with their
peers.
Both adults and children are encouraged to participate in fortnightly
matches hosted by a local league who works in partnership with Kent County Leaders. Raiders offers an environment where the participants
feel safe and free to enjoy the weekly training sessions. Raiders offer
an onsite Safe-Guarding Officer for children/adults to speak to
confidentially, the club also adhere to All England Safeguarding Policy. Once an individual applies to join/commit to Raiders they are then
affiliated to All England Netball Association via Kent County and other associated partners which provides weekly updates on the England
Netball Association and offers discount on netball