Autumn Newsletter 2007

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SO MUCH GOING ON

We’ve produced the autumn newsletter earlier than normal because we have so much going on over the coming weeks and we hope you’ll be able to join us at one or more of our events.

We’ve got visits lined up to 19 Princelet Street and Clifton Lodge, as well as our annual participation in London Open House Weekend at Kilmorey Mausoleum and Grove Gardens Chapel – a great opportunity to see the Trust’s success stories in real life. In addition our monthly art picnics continue apace, introducing people of all ages and backgrounds to the delights of the borough.

The Twickenham River Centre project passed an important milestone this summer with a successful funding application to City Bridge Trust, which will support the project over the next three years. In addition, our established projects at Kilmorey Mausoleum, Vineyard Passage Burial Ground, St Helena Boathouse and Grove Gardens Chapel continue to flourish, as do our regular practical volunteering sessions at these locations and others along the riverside.

If you have have a little time on your hands and would like to get more involved in the Trust, we have several opportunities for volunteering highlighted in this newsletter. If you are interested in any of the positions or have other skills that you would like to share, just get in touch with us: 020 8891 5455, [email protected].

UPCOMING EVENTS

19 Princelet Street visit

Friday 14th September, 11 am (meet at the museum)

19 Princelet Street in Spitalfields, a Huguenot master silk weaver’s home, is Europe’s only museum dedicated to immigrants and asylum seekers. Visit www.19princeletstreet.org.uk for more details. We have arranged a special tour of the house for Trust members in the run-up to Open House Weekend. Tickets cost £7.50 including a donation to the museum. Contact the office to book your place and for help planning your journey.

Open House Weekend

Saturday 15th September, 1 to 5 pm

Kilmorey Mausoleum: find out more about this Egyptian-style mausoleum built in 1854 by the Earl of Kilmorey. The Mausoleum is located on St Margaret’s Road on the border of Twickenham and Isleworth (opposite the Ailsa Tavern). Free entry; no need to book.

Sunday 16th September, 1 to 5 pm

Grove Gardens Chapel: this grade II listed building was designed by Sir William Blomfield and rescued from ruin by the Trust in the 1990s. The Chapel is at the very top of Lower Grove Road (off Queens Road) in Richmond (look out for the Trust noticeboard). Free entry; no need to book.

Clifton Lodge and Violet Needham Chapel visit

Wednesday 17th October, 10.30 am

Visit to the home of the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance (www.rambertschool.org.uk). The School has restored the Lodge (a grade II listed building) and Chapel (a building of townscape merit), which were part of the Brunel University site and are located on the corner of Kilmorey Road and St Margaret’s Drive on the Twickenham–Isleworth border. Tickets cost £5. Contact the office for more information and to book your place.

Volunteer needed: Event organiser

We are looking for someone to organise a range of events, such as building visits, walks, talks and musical recitals, for our members. If you have a few hours a month to spare and like the idea of planning events and making them a success, then give us a call on 020 8891 5455 or e-mail [email protected].

ART AUCTION 2007

Our main fundraising event of the year, the 2007 Art Auction will be on Thursday 8th November 2007 in the Salon at York House. Come along and pick up a treasure!

We have already received several superb pictures generously donated by artists such as Mary Fedden (picture), Bernard Dunstan, Anne Swankie, Neil Pittaway, Colleen Farr and Chris Orr, with many more promised. Visit our website to see the pictures as we receive them: www.environmenttrust.co.uk/auction.html.

Or see the pictures in the flesh on the night: viewing starts at 7 pm, auction at 8 pm. Tickets cost £5 and include refreshments.

GREAT RIVER RACE 2007

Saturday 8th September 2007

Once again, the Trust is delighted to be involved in this annual celebration of the Thames Watermen, who for centuries provided the main form of transport up, down and across the river.

Come along to the start of the race at the riverside car park at Ham from around 1 pm and see Susan Kramer, MP, and the ‘River Centre Rowlocks’ crew, who will be rowing the 22 miles from Ham to Greenwich in aid of the Environment Trust.

SPONSORS NEEDED! Those of us who feel daunted by the physical exertion of taking part can still do our bit by sponsoring the rowers to complete the 22-mile course. All proceeds will go towards the Trust’s projects. Please return the enclosed sponsorship form or use our secure online donation facility at www.environment trust.co.uk/donate.html.

The boat is a Great River Race jolly boat, which was purpose-designed to be built by novice boat-builders for the race. This is the design of boat that young people will be able to construct in the Twickenham River Centre (see below) when it is up and running.

ART PICNICS

Our innovative Art Picnics series continues to be highly popular and attract new people to the Trust. We are already seeking funding for an expansion of the series in 2008 and 2009, which will enable us to offer more picnics and tailor tuition to participants’ needs, particularly to encourage more ‘beginners’ to take part.

There are still places on the rest of this year’s picnics so get in touch if you are interested in any of the following. Tickets cost £10 for individuals and £20 for families (25 percent discount for Trust members).

• Sunday 23rd September, Bridge House Gardens: extend your sketchbook skills with documentary drawings of people, plants and the river
• Sunday 14th October, Bushy Park Allotments: focusing on the different textures and colours of the varied plant life
• Sunday 11th November, Grove Gardens Chapel: learn the techniques of producing botanical watercolours
• Sunday 2nd December, Grove Gardens Chapel: all about home-made Christmas cards

For more details call the office on 020 8891 5455 or visit www.environmenttrust.co.uk/picnic.html.

ART PICNIC EXHIBITION

To celebrate the year’s creativity, Art Picnic alumni will be displaying their works at an end-of-year exhibition at the Vestry Hall in Richmond on Saturday 8th December.

Come along and see how the artists have portrayed each of the locations and made use of the different materials covered during the year’s classes.

TWICKENHAM RIVER CENTRE

Urban Practitioners, the consultants appointed to write the development brief for the Twickenham Riverside site, have been meeting with our River Centre team, the council and the many local groups, residents and businesses with an interest in the site. To help them in their work, they will be holding a workshop with interested parties in the next few weeks and a public consultation towards the end of the year. The finished development brief will then go to Cabinet, followed by an invitation to developers to tender.

During the summer we have been refining the details of our brief for the River Centre, which will influence Urban Practitioner’s overall brief. The project team (see below) has also been meeting with advisers Ethical Property Foundation and their legal consultants, developing a marketing strategy, visiting and making links with other river-based organisations and universities, attending fairs and events, and recruiting supporters.

We are continually looking for funding opportunities and writing bids to grant-making bodies to support the River Centre’s development costs. In July, we were delighted to hear that our bid to City Bridge Trust for core funding to support the River Centre project had been successful. We were awarded £91,000 over 3 years, allowing us to extend the hours of our office coordinator, Sara, and project manager, Angela, and to appoint a building project manager, Rob Gray, and an environmental educator, Joe Pecorelli. Joe will work on two fronts, to develop the borough’s schools’ capacity to run environmental projects and to develop the brief and the market for the River Centre. We are very encouraged by the City Bridge Trust assessor’s positive view of the project and are very grateful for their support.

THE PROJECT TEAM consists of Rob, Joe, Angela, Sara, Colin Cooper (Richmond Environment Network), Clive Chapman (architect), Yvonne Hewett (local resident, and communications support), Jason Debney (Thames Landscape Strategy), Peter Dolan (local fundraising), and Michael Doust (the council’s sustainability manager).

Vicky Phillips (lawyer and chair of Richmond Environment Network steering group) is also providing pro bono expert support, as are the Trust’s chairman, Paul Chamberlain, and secretary, Guy Cowley. The celebrated local poet Siriol Troup has started work as poet in residence. Thanks to everyone involved for willingly contributing their time and expertise to this project, which would not be possible without this valuable support.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE RIVER CENTRE

Our vision for the River Centre is to provide a place that reconnects town and river, where people of all ages can find out about the river, the environment, and sustainability, learn age-old river skills such as rowing, fishing or even boat-building, or simply meet up with friends and watch the world go by.

If you would like to help make this vision a reality, then please pledge your support using the card that can be downloaded from www.environ menttrust.co.uk/rivercentre.html.

We are looking for ‘street champions’ to organise local fundraising events, as well as ‘ambassadors’ to spread the word about the Trust’s plans for the River Centre (training will be provided). Any other offer of help is also gratefully received. Many thanks to those of you who have already completed a pledge card and shown your support for the project.

VOLUNTEER WANTED: RIVER DISPLAY CURATOR

We have been offered long-term loans of various river-related models and exhibits by some of our supporters, who don’t have the space themselves to organise a proper exhibition. We are therefore looking for someone to assess the exhibits, look for options for their temporary storage or display until the River Centre is open, and plan the final permanent exhibition.

ADOPT-A-GRAVE

The Environment Trust is working with Richmond council on an innovative project to care for the borough’s cemeteries. While council staff maintain the overall appearance of the cemeteries, it is hoped that local residents and groups can help look after individual graves or sponsor restoration projects. If you would like to find out more about the project then get in touch with us in the Trust office on 020 8891 5455 or e-mail [email protected].

RICHARD BURTON’S TOMB

A group of enthusiasts led by Barnes resident Yannick Banks is working to restore the tomb of Richard Burton in Mortlake Catholic cemetery and has asked the Trust for advice. Like Kilmorey Mausoleum, this is a remarkable and important Victorian tomb and one requiring urgent attention to halt its deterioration. Paul Velluet has kindly agreed to act as adviser for the Environment Trust.

ST HELENA BOATHOUSE

The boathouse group has started on a series of interior improvements to the boathouse, financed by savings from past years.

Externally, we have repainted and placed a new noticeboard on the doors of the boathouse, with news about the Environment Trust and the river generally. It currently advertises the sale of a Heron dinghy at present stored in the boathouse (07791 251 326), the small Thames information centre on the boat moored just above Richmond Bridge (020 8940 7500), and the services of our sign-writer for boats, homes etc. (020 8744 2267).

But most importantly it announces that there are two dinghy spaces available to rent at present in the boathouse (see below).

The project was originally set up to prevent the boathouse being used for other purposes, to encourage enjoyment of the river and also to encourage restoration and preservation of the row of listed boathouses (for instance, we obtained a grant to restore crumbling brickwork and the original period hinges along the row of 11 boathouses).

The project is run cooperatively, and sharers store their own boats but occasionally go together to riverside pubs for lunch and, once a year, to share an evening picnic and enjoy one of the Orleans House proms and fireworks from the river.

The river is a lovely opportunity to enjoy Richmond upon Thames, so store your boat with us! For enquiries, please telephone 020 8948 2323.

ENJOY THE RIVER?

Boat storage spaces (10 x 4 ft) available for dinghies and canoes in heritage boathouse near Richmond Bridge.

Phone 020 8948 2323 or 020 8948 1984 for details.

HIRE GROVE GARDENS CHAPEL

A great venue for community and family events

If you are looking for a venue for a regular event or one-off occasion, then the Chapel could be for you.

The building seats 60 people comfortably or has the capacity for 100 guests standing and is fully accessible for people with disabilities.

Rates:

• £30 for the first hour plus £10 for each subsequent hour
• Special rates Friday evenings & Saturdays
• Discounts for regular events and voluntary groups
• Sound system/projection facilities available for hire

Find out more by calling the office on 020 8891 5455, e-mailing [email protected] or visiting www.environmenttrust.co.uk/chapel.html.

You can visit the Chapel free of charge on Sunday 16th September as part of London Open House weekend.

KILMOREY MAUSOLEUM

One cub scout and one scout group visited the Kilmorey site during the spring. They were a lively and vigorous crowd who responded to hands-on activities, helping to weed out the alkanet and wheel-barrowing bark chips to maintain the paths.

For two story-telling sessions organised by the Richmond Library Service we created a special place in a far corner of the grounds, enclosed by greenery, under a horse chestnut tree, where the children sat on the ground on a colourful patchwork of rugs. Elsewhere Trust volunteers were on hand to talk about the mausoleum and wildlife features of the garden. It was noticeable that children were riveted by ‘ordinary’ wildlife such as ants, slugs and snails, as well as hunting for stag beetles.

The first session in late June was attended by 96 children from nearby St Stephen’s School and feedback was so enthusiastic that the teachers are contemplating an after-school ecology club at the site. Then, in August, came a family day open to any children. More than 70 children attended along with parents and other helpers, from Isleworth and Feltham as well as Richmond. Once again children responded to the natural beauty of this place. One young visitor, Kayleigh, devised a nature trail with clues which led to the fox holes on the site.

‘Could I say thank you to you and all the wonderful enthusiastic volunteers for the two days we spent working together over the summer with St Stephen’s School in June and last week with the public fun day. The Kilmorey Mausoleum site was wonderful and tied in beautifully with our summer theme. Everyone said how successful it was.’
Joss Green, Richmond Library Service

With a busier programme planned we were worried by the wind and rain of this disappointing summer, but the meadow sown in autumn 2004 in front of the mausoleum looked ravishing from June to August. Species included musk mallow, primroses and cowslips, wild carrot, Pyrenean geranium, field scabious, lady’s bedstraw, St John’s wort and ox-eye daisy. For the second year running we won a silver award in the environmental section of the Richmond in Bloom awards.

On this content-rich site the composting lavatory installed there last winter – a borough first – was also an endless source of fascination. This feature has also been welcomed by gardening volunteers who give their time on a weekly basis: check on 07955 172 940 for autumn and spring schedules. An urgent autumnal task will be to repeat last year’s collection of diseased horse chestnut leaves. Following similar efforts last year, the Kilmorey horse chestnuts have been pronounced to be currently in better shape than those elsewhere in the borough.

Come and see for yourself during the Open Day on Saturday 15th September between 1 and 5 pm. Admission is free and you will be able to see inside the mausoleum built in 1854 by the Earl of Kilmorey for his mistress Priscilla Hoste. The grade II* listed mausoleum is behind a long brick wall, roughly opposite the Ailsa Tavern, on St Margaret’s Road in East Twickenham.

VINEYARD PASSAGE BURIAL GROUND

The Cake Stall held in the Vineyard Passage on 14th July was again a success. Even with a regular stream of donated cakes and goodies, we sold out after two hours and raised nearly £500. What was apparent was how much the ambience of the Burial Ground is enjoyed by those who live round here, and their appreciation of the work put in to keep it so attractive.

We have for a long time had a detailed record of the inscriptions on gravestones and memorials before 1964, when what was then a small cemetery was turned into a lightly wooded Garden of Rest. In the course of that work, many gravestones were moved to a different part of the Burial Ground or removed entirely. Since then, natural deterioration has resulted in more inscriptions becoming illegible or disappearing entirely. One of our members is now applying his archival skills to putting this historical information into computerised form, so that it can be made more widely available and more easily referenced.

VOLUNTEER NEWS

Summer 2007 has been notable for the changeable weather but it has failed to discourage our band of hardy volunteers. At Grove Gardens Cemetery, we tidied up around the Chapel at the end of June despite torrential rain and even returned on a second occasion to finish the job. Overgrown shrubs and nettles were removed, the paths and areas around the gravestones were cleared, and the appearance of the Chapel was much improved for the benefit of existing and potential users. Special thanks go to Dave Willis for bringing his mower and trimming many of the paths.

The final project before the annual summer break was on Warren footpath close to Marble Hill Park where a new reedbed is being created on the foreshore. This area has previously provided a source of willow stakes or ‘spiles’ for hedge planting near Ham House. This time, the willow was harvested for a very different purpose – a weaving workshop at one of the Trust’s Art Picnics held at the Shot Tower in Crane Park. It is surely a sign of how the Trust has developed when this kind of creative activity can be supported by the work of volunteers!

Next on the agenda is a return to Richmond riverside on 22nd September when younger volunteers will be maintaining the nesting rafts they built last year and making some new ones. Bridge House Gardens is also in need of some maintenance so there will be plenty of work for older volunteers. The following month we will be returning to Kew Reach for further work on the riverbank. If you take a walk that way, look out for the willow spiles we planted there in March; they have all taken root and are growing beautifully. Further details of all events can be obtained from the office or via the website at www.environmenttrust.co.uk/volunteer.html.

Finally, did you know that our volunteering has captured the headlines? Visit June Sarpong’s blog at http://liveearthuk.spaces.live.com/ where we feature under the headline ‘Your planet needs YOU!’

MEMBERS MEETING AUTUMN 2007

Want to find out more about the Trust’s projects? Come along to our next Members Meeting on 8th October from 7 pm at Grove Gardens Chapel for updates and to put your questions to the Trustees.

2007 AGM: A LIVELY AFFAIR

This year’s well attended AGM included talks by the council’s Paul Chadwick on the Twickenham Riverside development and Zac Goldsmith on the wider issues of sustainability. Zac was impressed by the Trust’s River Centre plans and believes that, by highlighting global climate change and sustainability issues as well as educating people about their own local environment, this will be a showcase project. Susan Kramer, MP, emphasised the value of community and local authority working together and leading the way not just in the borough but around the whole country.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!!!

Would you be able to spare a few hours a month to help the Environment Trust? In return, we offer tea and biscuits whenever you’re in the office, as well as an opportunity to meet lots of new people and enhance your CV with valuable and highly appreciated experiences. If you’re interested in volunteering with us, please call 020 8891 5455 or e-mail [email protected].

Membership Secretary

We’re looking for someone to keep our membership database up to date, send out reminders when subscriptions are due for renewal and, time commitments allowing, to look at ways to build our membership and encourage members to get more involved. If you like meeting people, are methodical and organised, and know how to use Microsoft applications (especially Access) or are willing to learn, this could be a great project taking up as much or as little time each month as you choose.

Mail-out support

With an annual report, several newsletters and various other notices to send out each year and more than half our members not on e-mail, any help that we can get in hand-delivery can substantially reduce the Trust’s postage costs, and help stuffing envelopes takes the pressure of Jenny and Sara in the office. If you would be happy to be contacted every few months to help with mail-outs, then let us have your name and contact details and we’ll take it from there.

Planning application reviewer

The Environment Trust plays an important role in monitoring and advising on development plans in the borough and neighbouring areas such as Kingston. We are looking for people with an understanding of planning procedures who would like to get involved in reviewing planning applications and deciding whether there are issues that the Trust should be involved in.