INVITED
All Committee members: Neill (Treasurer), Lynn (Communications Officer), Jules , Helen , Fiona (Secretary), Allen
Others invited: Sue , Philip , Jane , Laurie
PRESENT
Lynn (Communications Officer), Jules, Fiona (Secretary)
1. To appoint a chair for the meeting
As three members of the committee were present the meeting was quorate. Lynn was appointed as chair for the meeting.
2. Apologies
The Secretary reported that apologies had been received from Neill.
3. Matters Arising
The Secretary had received the Community Land Trust membership forms and was asked to complete them on behalf of TDEG.
Action: Fiona to complete TDEG’s CLT membership forms.
4. Hon. officers' reports
The position of chair is vacant.
Action: Fiona to post an advert on facebook
The Secretary reported that the number of facebook followers had increased to 544.
The Treasurer was not present but his report had been circulated. The accounts had sufficient funds for new, as yet unidentified, projects which the committee agreed should be sought and undertaken soon. There had been some issues with TDEG’s submissions to Village Voice magazine. The committee agreed that the first submission had been published satisfactorily and so the first invoice should be paid, but payment of the second invoice should be withheld until Village Voice had reported back to TDEG on our concerns.
Action: Neill to pay first Village Voice invoice
Action: All Committee members to seek new project ideas (and volunteers).
The Communications Officer reported that the email list had been transferred from mailchimp to WordPress. Text and images for the newsletter needed to be with Lynn by 4 May.
5. Project progress and permissions
a. Cycling Helen was working with Peak Tri Store on some ideas for later in spring and in summer.
b. Jules reported that the Library of Things had already recruited 19 members and received 100 donations of items. 68 had been made available to borrow. It had bought storage cabinets. More volunteers to help issue and receive loans (on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays) were needed. The Sports Association had advised that their insurance covered the LoT, who also had comprehensive loan agreements with borrowers. Eight loans had been made. The Committee congratulated the Library of Things team on achieving their first loans.
Buying for Good membership had increased to 22. The Repair Cafe volunteers’ lunch went well. 92 MPs had attended a repair cafes event in Parliament.
c. The butterfly surveys in Tideswell Dale were underway for the sixth year and a Butterfly Picnic would be held in Tideswell on Wednesday 1 July. Jane had done a great job setting up the project and continued to monitor the emails, but had stepped back a bit due to family illness. 30 people have reported hedgehog sightings. The project ran an event with the cubs, including a rescued hedgehog who has now been released into a local garden. TDEG has been working with Derbyshire Swift Conservation Group to identify local hotspots and put up nesting boxes.
d. The Rivers & Brooks group was still without a leader. Invertebrate ID training had been completed, and the volunteers were waiting for the field training so surveying could begin.
6. Whole Group Meetings
A report of the meeting with Severn Trent on 18 February had been published online. Need a project leader to keep up the pressure and take next steps.
Action: All to seek a leader for the Rivers & Brooks group
The next talk would be from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on Sunday 17 May. A room had been booked.
Action Fiona to create an event checklist and circulate.
7. Tideswell Food Festival
The committee reviewed the Risk Assessment for the TDEG stall and agreed it without amendment. The committee was grateful to Suzanne for her help with designing a game for visitors to play at the stall, highlighting the simple swaps people can make with their food choices to reduce the negative impacts of food production on the environment, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and soil and water degradation. the stall would also include a display about the hedgehog project and leaflets about other TDEG projects.
8.Terracycle
The committee agreed in principle to establish a terracycle waste collection facility in Tideswell for recycling hadrer to recycle items. It need not be for blister packs or soft plastic which could be recycled at Boots/Superdrug and supermarkets. Pens and marker recycling at schools might be a place to start. Further thought needed to be given to who would oversee the project and where the put the recycling bins.
9. Charitable Incorporated Organisation status
The committee considered advice from friends of the earth and decided that it should not pursue CIO status for the time being.
10. Any Other Business
The committee considered whether to show the National Emergency Briefing film in Tideswell. As the MP had already been booked for a showing in Bakewell in June, it was decided to wait and see how that event went before booking another showing in the same constituency.
Action: Fiona to advertise the Bakewell event eg on Eventbrite and facilitate car sharing.
11. Dates of future meetings
The AGM 2026 must be held within 15 months of last years on 25 June 2025. Date sin July and August were discussed.
Action: Fiona to canvass all the committee members for dates for the AGM
Action: All committee members to come up with ideas for speakers for the AGM
