Coming Events

The AGM on 16th June was a lively evening despite the gloomy weather. The Mayor of Richmond, Cllr Clare Head, was present and recorded her support for the Trust as the pre-eminent environmental group in the borough.

Jenny Pearce, the Chair, noted how well we have survived - so far - the various threats to our solvency last year and this, thanks to the Treasurer’s sound financial management and the hard work put in by trustees and supporters to raise extra funds at the Art Auction and the popular lecture events. Education and horticulture are the fields we are successfully developing to complement our traditional roles in historic building and landscape conservation, and to appeal to a ‘future audience’ of young people.

After the AGM, Andy Hawkins of the Thames Explorer Trust gave an exhilarating review of the TET’s work with schoolchildren and his own practical philosophy of environmental education.

For those of you who didn’t come to the AGM, you missed some terrific home-made canapés - now a well-established tradition, with Derrik’s wine selection, as an antidote to the compulsory legal business.

Following elections at the AGM, the Trust now has five new trustees, the result of open advertising of the vacancies. We are very pleased to welcome Martin Davis, David Gow (who is also our Honorary Secretary), Sally Gray, Joanne Merriweather, and Lynsey Stafford, who bring an infusion of new skills, and will also appreciably lower the average age and wrinkle-count of the board. Members received trustees’ statements with their AGM pack, but here is a brief resume:

Martin Davis has worked with a range of third sector organisations and has also managed local authority community-based services, including education activities and youth services, and grants programmes. He is an experienced former chair, vice-chair and trustee of registered charities.

David Gow has recently retired as a solicitor based in Dundee, where he also set up an arts charity; formerly a frequent visitor to Richmond, he has now moved to this borough.

Sally Gray’s speciality is Human Resources, and she has just set up her own company; she is also about to start an MSc in Sustainability and Change. She has personal experience of fund-raising as a regular Triathlon participant.

Joanne Merriweather’s field is Public Relations; she has worked as a journalist and as PR Manager for The Body Shop, and in a variety of fund-raising and event-management roles with charities and not-for-profit organisations. (One of her clients has been the London Duathlon in Richmond Park - with Joanne and Sally on the board, it can’t be long before we’re forced to consider an Environment Trust Triathlon. Dust off your wetsuits now.)

Lynsey Stafford will be familiar to some of you as our former Volunteer Coordinator; with a degree in Environmental Science, and now working as Biodiversity & Landscape Administrator at Kingston University, she strengthens our expertise in that field and our links with further education. You will be able to meet the new trustees at our next members’ meeting.