Greenfingers at the ready - it’s competition time in the Park district

Every year the Forum holds a gardening competition, which is free to enter. This year we have been asked to include back yards and gardens.

As we have to arrange a time to view we need residents to enter by telephoning 839579 and leave a name, address and telephone number. We will then let you know the date they will be judged (if you are not in unfortunately the judges will not be able to come back).

The Community Forum hopes to have lots of entries and displays on the front of the houses, let’s make this year the best yet!

THE evening group for “Can’t sing….neither can we” is now meeting regularly on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7pm. i.e. May 10 and 24.

IN the recent newsletter sent to all the homes in the Park district in one of the adverts for Techniques of Park Street the price for the Manicure Express was quoted as £38, this should be £8 what a bargain. Apologies to those concerned.

OUR congratulations go to Cynthia Riggs for her Good Citizen’s Award.

She has always worked so hard for the Community Forum over the years.

OVER 25 young people attended the first night of the new youth club.

Ours thanks to Dorset Youth Service who provided the youth leaders Antonnia and Dave, along with assistance from Nikki.

We have other volunteers waiting to help once all the CRB checks are completed, so we look forward to another successful activity in the Park Community Centre.

THE Waterside Weymouth Community Forum held its AGM last Monday.

The following were elected to serve for 2010 – 2011: Chairman Ken Whatley, treasurer Dave Burchill, members of the committee re-elected Genny Burchill, Rose Brooks, Marlene Hendrich, John Hutton, Penny Inglehart, Marguerite Ingram, Gordon Lake, Laurie Lloyd, Derek Model, John Morse, Eileen Scutter, and the following new members Ray Banham, Carole McEwen and Joy Stanley

Regrettably the meeting was only attended by the committee and committed regular residents. What do we have to do to get more interested people, are residents really not that bothered or it is it the case of someone else will do it syndrome?

Please note the someone else’s are getting older and may not be around for ever. See the Chairman’s report as follows:- This year has been a very difficult one for the Community Forum, as it has been for all local charities. In April 2009 Grants were not forthcoming and the rental on the Park Community Centre could not cover all our costs and the committee made a unanimous decision that we could no longer afford the salary of the Community Centre Manager and he departed in May 2009. It was decided that the committee would take over the duties and have worked really hard to do so. All the user groups have been very co-operative in running the centre.

With the help of Julie Hursthouse, Weymouth & Portland Community Development Officer we have recently received various grants for the youth club, ‘Can’t sing… neither can we’ and the dance mats. These grants can only be spent on these projects they were obtained for. We have been able to obtain extra rent for the centre on a regular basis and we are just about covering our costs.

Unfortunately, all this means extra work for the committee, and it has to be said we as a group are not getting any younger, so it is important that we bring in fresh, younger people.

Please consider helping, even if you do not want to join the committee, anything you can do, will be very helpful.

Ideally I would like some one to come forward to shadow myself enabling them to take over next year, as after sixteen plus years I will be retiring at the end of March 2011.

So much has been achieved in our area over the past 16 years and we really need residents to come forward and continue this work as the Park District really is a great place to live, as we have said many times before.

Thank you all for helping to make it such a great place, but we must make plans to continue this.

PLEASE HELP