Friends of Shrewsbury Park

About Us

History of the Friends of Shrewsbury Park

• The group was formed on 13th March 2006 at a meeting held in Shrewsbury House.
• The Management Committee were elected at that meeting, and we have met regularly to discuss the issues concerning the Park.

Management Committee

The Management Committee consists of:

• Kathy Smith (Chair)
• Libby Agate (Secretary)
• Carol Farr, John Frankis, Kris Inglis, Tina Muddle, Sonya O'Sullivan, Ron Senkus

We were delighted that Tina and Sonya have joined the Management Committee.

We are still looking for a Treasurer. Do you have the skills to help us?  If so, please contact Kathy.

Our first meeting

The first meeting of the Friends of Shrewsbury Park (fsp) took place on 13th March 2006, when the Management Committee were elected, and the following issues were identified:

• Security (stopping vehicle access)
• Rubbish (need for more bins)

The Committee drew up an Action Plan to deal with these issues, and discussed ways of improving the Park. The Committee meet at each other’s houses during the year and keep people informed at Public meetings.

Achievements

• We met with the Council Parks Department and local Councillors and got six new benches
• We got four new rubbish bins
• We got aggregate laid on Dothill to make the path easier
• we organised an annual Summer Festival from 2008 - 2011.
• We organise regular clean-up days
• We organise public meetings
• We have actively recruited 217 members (have stalls at other events)
• We produce regular newsletters
• We dug a soakaway in Dothill to stop the large puddle that was causing access problems.

Members

We now have over 200 members. The geographical spread of our members indicates local interest and support as well as the bond felt by past residents, especially those who loved the park as children.  The majority give postal addresses in SE18, coming from Shooters Hill and Plumstead.

Not all members live in the local area, however, or even in London. Our membership’s geographical range has an impressive span from Australia to New York City. (See June Clark’s article “More than a Park” in newsletter no 3.) Modern technology has helped make this possible: over 100 members have given their email addresses, saving us much expense and time. If you have an email address and haven’t told Kathy, please let her know (fspdog@hotmail.com).

We want our membership to grow, and we invite you to join us. Subscriptions are now free and is open to everyone who appreciates and wants to preserve the wonderful treasure and beauty and peace that is Shrewsbury Park.

• You can download a membership form from this link (pdf, 108kb).

Friends of Shrewsbury Park Constitution

1. Name

The Friends of Shrewsbury Park

2. Aims

The aims of the group shall be:

• To support and encourage the use of Shrewsbury Park, Dallin Road and Nithdale Road Open Spaces and the appreciation of the Shrewsbury Tumulus. (‘The Park’, and adjacent open spaces, where appropriate)
• To support the development of facilities for recreation, education and amenities for local people and to encourage a sense of community around the area of the Park
• To promote harmony within the community and to actively work against all forms of discrimination within it so that no one is disadvantaged by reason of ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, class, income, employment status or religious belief
• To represent the interests of the users of the park in consultation with the local authority and other bodies
• The group shall have the power to affiliate to any Body whose objects may be of benefit to its membership
• To raise funds via grants/fundraising activities to support the running and use of the park
• To ensure that all members of ‘Friends of Shrewsbury Park’ are informed and consulted regularly, and that all park users are encouraged to join
• To provide a safe environment for the park users and wildlife and to promote such schemes as will benefit and nurture wildlife.

3. Membership

• Membership shall be open to any individual or organisation interested in supporting the group’s work
• There shall be one voting representative from each member organisation
• Each member shall on request be given a copy of the Constitution
• Members of the Management Group (‘Committee’) shall not make financial gain from their position. However reasonable out-of-pocket expenses may be made to members of the group, including of the Committee, for their work or duties undertaken on behalf of the group
• Members shall pay an annual subscription fee of £2, to be reviewed annually

4. Management

• The business of The Friends of Shrewsbury Park shall be managed by the Committee, made up of members of the group. As far as possible the Committee should represent the users of Shrewsbury Park and the population make-up of the area.
• The Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and other officers as necessary shall be elected at the first meeting of the Committee following the Annual General Meeting and at each subsequent Annual General Meeting
• The Committee shall have the authority to co-opt any member to fill any vacancy occurring in their number
• No two persons from the same household shall be elected officers of the Committee, nor any two persons from the same household act as signatories
• Members will automatically be taken off the Committee if they miss three consecutive meetings without giving apologies. This may be waived at the discretion of the Committee, who are charged with making sure that the member is informed of the situation before a decision is made. Members will be informed of decisions in writing.
• The election or removal of officers or members of the Committee may only be carried out at a General Meeting of the members.
• Officers shall hold their appointments for a maximum of three years. They may be elected for more than three years only if no other member stands for election.

5. Meetings

The Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year.

6. Annual General Meetings

The Committee shall call an Annual General Meeting of the members each year. Not less than 14 days notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members.

7. Special General Meetings

The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting at the request of a majority of the Committee, giving reasons for their request. The Secretary shall give not less than 5 days notice of the holding of a Special General Meeting, which shall take place within 21 days of the receipt of the request.

8. Quorum

The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be one third of its nominated membership or 3 members, whichever is the greater. The quorum for all General Meetings shall be one third of the membership.

9. Finance

• All monies raised by and on behalf of Friends of Shrewsbury Park shall be applied to further the aims of the group and for no other purpose
• The Treasurer shall open and maintain an account in the name of Friends of Shrewsbury Park. All cheques/withdrawals shall be signed by two of three signatories nominated by the Committee. One of these should be the Treasurer. No two members of the same household may be signatories.
• The accounts shall be audited once a year by a qualified accountant or a non-member of the Committee.

10. Conduct

It is a condition of membership that members shall conduct themselves in a reasonable manner. A member of the Committee or a general member may be suspended from the group for failure to observe this, or for any other conduct not in line with the aims of the group. Any member suspended has the right of appeal to the following Committee meeting. Language or behaviour that is in any way discriminatory on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, disability or ethnic or racial origin will not be tolerated and will constitute grounds for suspension.

11. Responsibilities of Officers

All of the Officers of the Committee have a duty to further the aims and objectives of the group, including the promotion of a multi-racial society and opposing all forms of discrimination.

• The Chair shall conduct the meetings of the Committee
• The Treasurer shall open and maintain a banking account in the name of Friends of Shrewsbury Park, keeping proper accounts of income and expenditure and report on them as required by the Committee or General Meeting.
• The Secretary shall be responsible for the convening of all meetings and the proper giving of notice to all members. S/he shall ensure that a proper record is kept of all meetings of the group, its Committee and any sub-committees in the form of Minutes and shall make these available as required by the Committee or General meeting.

Any member or officer delegated to represent the group with any other Body shall act on the instructions of the Committee and shall report back to the Committee or General Meeting. Only nominated representatives of the Committee shall be delegated to consult with the local authority or other agencies on its behalf.

12. Alterations to the Constitution

Any proposal to alter this constitution must be submitted to the Secretary of the Committee not less than 21 days before the meeting at which it is to be discussed. Not less than 7 day’s notice shall be given of such a meeting, together with the wording of the proposed alteration(s). Any alteration shall require the approval of two-thirds of those present and voting at the meeting.

13. Dissolution

If the Committee shall decide that the group should be dissolved, they give at least 14 days notice to those eligible for membership of a public meeting at which the matter shall be discussed. For the sole purpose of dissolution a quorum need not apply, and the group may be dissolved by a simple majority of those present. The assets, financial and otherwise, remaining when the group has satisfied its liabilities, shall be applied for such purposes of benefit to the community as the meeting shall decide.

You can also download a copy of the Friends' Constitution (Word document, 35kb)