Penhill in particular:

To find out what groups and what is going on in Penhill go to www.thisispenhill.co.uk

enhill Forum Meeting

Meeting 14^th November 2011

John Moulton Hall

Present: Bob Elwood – Orchard, Marilyn Beale –Orchard, CLIP, , John Saunders – Church Community Worker, Ingrid Bernáthová – Fair Share Community Worker CLIP, resident. Chris Wallis, Sure start. Mel Bond, Health Ambassador.

Apologies: Ian Bickerton – SBC North Central Cluster Lead. Cllr Andy Harrison, Marilyn Lamude – Penhill Media Group – Carnival Committee, Glynis Hales, Carnival Committee, Cllr Paul Baker. Lorna Breslin – Penhill News

Minutes of the Last Meeting: Agreed.

We welcomed Trevor Smith from Pinnacle People, http://www.pinnaclepeople.co.uk/

Pinnacle was a Housing Association then set up a training arm.

Trevor told us about himself and his interests which include presenting on Swindon 105.5fm and volunteers for several other things. He has a background in Education and training. He deals with long term unemployed people and he explained a little of the history of getting people back to work including how New Deal worked and in some cases hoe those programmes were abused. Now they undertake a Mandatory Work Assessment, which involves finding people placements, but these must now be in non profit making organisations. The placements must be for 4 weeks and 30 hours per week, properly supervised. At the end of that time, which is treated as the assessment, if the person has not found a job, there will be an identified course of action and needs to help the person get back into employment. A condition of this is that people MUST turn up or their benefits are immediately stopped, currently 50% are not turning up. Having four weeks of work, does give them a recent work experience and hopefully a reference. During the Period of assessment people get job seekers allowance and their travel expenses. Trevor pointed out that it is thought for every month out of work it takes a year to get a job. There are 3000 signing on each week and 420 job vacancies.

There was a discussion about how the community might help provide placements. CRB checks would be a big stumbling block. We were keen to try and help, but without further discussion and problem solving and huge extra commitment from our workers, we could not come to a conclusion. Trevor was thanks for coming.

Chris Hitchens from Forward Swindon is now unable to attend until after Christmas.

Dave Potts of the new charity Horizons Well-being Centre.

Contact details for Dave were requested. Phone 432031 swindonmind@btconnect .com

Connecting People, Connecting Places: There will be a Cluster Meeting at Seven Fields School on Tuesday 29^th November, 4 -6pm. Agenda items Policing and Boundary changes. Followed by a Questions and answers. Cluster Councillors and police will be present.

Ward boundaries: Reminder that when the boundaries change we will be in Penhill and Upper Stratton Ward. And that we would make contact invite people including Councillors from the other part of the new ward to let them know what was going on here.

Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers: Ingrid has been meeting potential volunteers and matching them up with vacancies, and offering ongoing support and training as required and requested. This role has recently been clarified – once ‘matched up’ the volunteers are then the ‘responsibility’ of the groups concerned but Ingrid can be approached to find training etc. ‘

Academy: No report.

Transport: Bus services: No changes, having only one Valley bus and hour and ergo Tesco’s is still a pain in the neck!!.

Road Safety Issues:

Grafton Road and a part of Penhill Drive from Alton Close to Everleigh Road would be closed for resurfacing on two Sundays.

Paths: Some paths seem to be getting new patches of tarmac, and we hear that more dropped kerbs are being put in – slowly – very slowly. Marilyn reported that all dropped kerbs around the shops are next to useless, due to inconsiderate parking, which is either across the kerbs or so close to them that they cannot be seen past, the recycling bins prevent the use of the ordinary dropped kerbs because traffic coming from behind simply can’t be seen.

Traffic calming: “At our April meeting we discussed the Grafton Road, the parking with no ‘bolt holes and subsequent narrowing of the road and the speed of the cars coming off Cricklade Road.”

Also heavy lorries using Corsham Road. An email had been sent about these two issues to our two councillors, but as far as we know, no action had been taken. Marilyn to contact highways direct. Still no action so try again.

Stronger Communities Forum: No SCF this month. Explanation about this end of August minutes. Find out if his meeting has been dropped now.

Old Uplands/the Meadow. Now home to the Children’s multi agency team.

Sure start: Sure start is celebrating it first ten years and invite you to celebrate with them on Saturday 3^rd December between 12 noon and 2pm at The Meadow (next to Seven Fields School in Leigh road). Chris reported that they are getting a new re-structured team in place and will have a family outreach and activities worker. Chris reported that staff at the Meadow are saying they very much enjoy working in one place and it should be effective in giving better service.

Penhill News: Reminder that: The deadline for news was the 16^th of every month. Items of news concerning PENHILL should be sent to E-mail: penhillnews@hotmail.co.uk. And that there is a facebook page

Penhill Web Pages: www.thisispenhill.co.uk is being regularly updated, and has been up graded; the Penhill News and Foru7m minutes will be published on it. Recommendation to try it out, ways are being explored of getting better links to groups and organisations web pages.

Penhill Radio Group: Penhill 105.5fm project is now meeting regularly at the Monday Café and is out interviewing etc the regular Penhill piece will be on one Friday a month but there is a ‘Lighter side of life’ programme immediately before it, hosted by Penhill people, so it’s worth tuning in anyway. The first programme is ready to go, but has been held up due to a last minute change in programming by the radio station.

Backlands: No update

Braydon Court: As above – pathways.

Penhill Banner: The ideas are now with the artist. He has been given all the time he needs to do the creative bit. Ingrid reported that she had contacted the College etc but they showed no interest.

Police/NeST/ASBO issues: Bob reported that there did not appear to be anything new at the NeST last week, but there is talk of discontinuing it. We felt that it had been useful inasmuch as a it enable us to meet the Police etc. but felt this could be done just as well perhaps via a sub group of the forum, but we would need a commitment from the police and officers to come to the meetings of it. There was a reminder that this was not the place to report individual crimes and nuisance but to take an over all community view.

Police 101 number, there have been a couple of real successes for local people ringing this number. Sometimes still takes a while to be answered, but the response to the reports seem quicker.

Fair Share Panel meeting: Tuesday meeting. Coming to the end of the Fair share funding, so trying to ensure that efforts made through that fund do not die out.

Voluntary and Community Forum: No meeting.

Penhill Community Association: Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 23^rd November at 7.30pm at Chippenham Close. Any resident welcome. Quorum of 21 needed.

Bingo has restarted.

CLIP: Annual General Meeting went well although there is now a smaller committee, trying to recruit people to the board of trustees.

Splash Play Park: Still on hold.

@Penhill Park/Friends of Seven Fields: Still on the drawing board, though should be a priority as above.

Finances: When John asked for a cheque towards Penhill News costs, Marilyn discovered that an award for £500 towards carnival expenses, due to be paid into the account at the end of July had not gone through. WSCF have now paid it in. Another part of the funding for PN goes in the bank in February. We overspent by £33 on the carnival, this came out of the general fund. Very little has been spent out of our general fund – but it is getting low and we should try to find funding for that and to start the process of the next ten years community plan.

Penhill Lunch Club: at JMH – busy will be advertising for new diners to join them.

Friday Lunch Club: at St. Peters Church. No report.

SBC community engagement worker: None.

Cricklade Road development scheme: No news on the latest planning applications.

Penhill Royal British Legion: The branch committee held a Remembrance Day Service which was well attended.

Play and Youth: No news, wondered how many youth workers there were and where they are based.

Clivey Twist: Report noticed in the Pinehurst Forum minutes.

“The Clivey is still operating four evenings per week. They continue the process of merging with

TWIST (group for 6-12 year olds) who’s funded ended. The plan is to have a portacabin on the

TWIST play area site (Seven fields) so that the organisation can work out of there with 6-19 year

olds – BUT they will need more volunteers, more staff and more funding! They will be called

Clivey and TWIST – Children’s activity project”.

Discussion that we would much rather they investigate a building already there – i.e. the Lodge

Penhill Orchard: All trees have been strimmed around and the pruning is well underway. Mel reported that during ’healthy’ walks she had taken people to the Orchard and explained its purpose.

Seven Fields Nature Reserve: the rangers and volunteers had cleared overhanging pathways, but he one from the top of the dumps to the Reserve is badly overgrowing and all but as 1 ft of the lime dust path has disappeared, as the other side of that path is steep, it means there is very little space to walk. The volunteers in the Orchard notice that this way is well used by people walking to Asda etc and they can pick up the proper cycle route further on. 7f’s looking good at present.

St. Peters Church: Regarding the regular window breaking at the Church, we have heard that the police have offered advice which has not been taken up. John said he would investigate that comment.

Penhill History Project. There has been an invitation to join in a town library event on Penhill on Friday 24^th February.

Gardening Club: Still hoping that something can be done with this.

Carnival: Group is meeting next Thursday 24^{th 5.30pm,} John Moulton Hall, to start planning next year’s event.

Penhill Arts and Social Club: At present meeting in someone’s home.

Health Ambassador: Mel reported that apart from the walking group she comes to the Monday Café and is available there for anyone who needs advice on a healthier lifestyle.

Marilyn offered to accompany some of the walks; once people know more about the area it very much enhances that walk.

SBC Community Assets Transfer Policy: No news

Swindon Core Strategy: No news.

SBC Housing Matters: Housing Stock Transfer discussions, consultation, questions still going on. The council is not to meet to agree whether to go ahead with the ballot or not. They cannot sell off council housing without the ballot.

Swindon Strategic Partnership Conference is on 22^nd November, Marilyn B, And Mick O’Brien will be attending. The plan is to have speakers from the voluntary sector, National Trust (because they have thousands of volunteers nationwide) Great Western Hospital (because they have 900 volunteers) and Swindon Carers (because they keep getting volunteers and train them up, then they leave – how do they try to keep them?) there will be 25 tables at which partic8ipants can visit to answer questions about the why how etc of attracting volunteers and community participation.

Discussion on the differences between the organisation the speakers come from and grassroots community volunteering. Generally accepted that they are oceans apart and really shows the gulf in understanding how and what a community volunteer needs.

Next meeting of the Forum: No meeting in December – Monday 9th January 2011 at John Moulton Hall. 7pm