(Richmond) Environmental Groups' Forum
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The Open Spaces Forum has become the Environmental Groups' Forum. Why has it changed? The change reflects a need to provide networking and linking for the environmental sector in addition to just parks focused groups. Our role as advocate for the environmental sector is that we then represent the interests of the whole sector and we also think there is greater value in bringing together the whole environmental charitable sector. |
Future Forums
Richmond Council's Open Spaces Strategy
The Council will be writing a new Open Spaces Strategy over the next few months - May - June 2010. We will be providing an opportunity for local groups to work with the Council in this strategy's development and will be holding one of Environmental Groups' Forum to aid this process. If you are not already on our database then you can add yourself and will invite/remind you when the event date, time and location is decided. You can add yourself to our database here and filling-in a minimum of your name, email address and any group you are associated with and tick the relevant box.
Past Forums
10th November 2009, Environmental Groups’ Forum – Working with Children & Young People and Funding
At Richmond Council for Voluntary Services in Princes Street, Richmond TW9 1ED Maplink (opens in a new window/tab)
Speakers
Vetting and Barring – how this will affect groups working with children and young people, what groups need to consider and actually do – by Heather Matthew
Funding – funding streams managed by the Thames Community Foundation – by Nigel Hay
Questions and answers session with individual speakers
Vetting and Barring - Heather Matthew
Funding from Thames Community Foundation – Nigel Hay
General Q & A’s on funding – Colin Cooper
Parks & Opens Spaces Surgery – to be confirmed
The new Vetting and Barring laws will affect any group that works with children or young people. Heather Matthew will give a presentation on how this will affect groups and what they need to do and provide information on sources of support.
Funding
Nigel Hay, Director of the Thames Community Foundation (TCF) will give an overview of a number of grant schemes they manage that environmental groups can apply for. They are interested in increasing the number of applications from local groups to some of their grants schemes which can be under subscribed and also how the TCF can work with groups to set up legacies.
Following the speakers we will be holding smaller questions and answers session and additionally there will be sessions with Colin Cooper on general funding issues and hopefully a representative from the Parks & Open Spaces Department at the Council to answer any questions you might have for them.
Why have the meeting so soon? Well vetting and barring laws will come into force quite soon and the Thames Community Foundation wanted to start dialogue with groups ASAP around it’s funding streams and setting up legacies.
If you have questions about the Forum's please Contact Us.
Climate Change Strategy Consultation & Workshops 18th May 2009
This event is not a full forum, rather an opportunity for local groups to input into the development of the Council's Climate Change Strategy as well as participate in workshops around local delivery. The meeting will be in York House, Twickenham. Please confirm your attendence via the Contact Us form or an email if you have it.
The number of active "Friends" groups, community associations, and environmental volunteer groups in the borough highlights the passion that residents feel for their local parks, open spaces and the environmental value of the borough. These committed and highly informed organisations, many of which have been active for a long time, are the building blocks for consultation on parks and open spaces and on wider environmental issues, and it is recognised that there is the need to secure the involvement of these groups, as representatives of local communities, in decisions about the environment. The Environmental Groups' Forums, facilitated by REN, is one of the vehicles for groups to share information, good practice and network and for the Council to meet and jointly discuss plans and goals for the borough.
The Environmental Groups' Forum provides participants with a range of benefits, including better consultation between the council and other groups, a co-ordinated approach to the management of open spaces, the opportunity to share good practice, network with other groups, access to funding information, and a commitment from the council and the groups to ensure that the borough's open spaces are developed and maintained for all to enjoy.
The objectives of the Environmental Groups' Forum is to develop the existing network of "Friends" groups, conservation groups, and other environmental groups, and to encourage and support information and good practice sharing whilst also representing a cross-section of users and provide a communication mechanism between the groups, Richmond Environment Network and the Council.
