Councillors, Officers and members of the community to provide feedback on the following items:
· Community Centre / Library Managers Update
· Events
· Volunteering Opportunities
· Local Developments
Minutes:
Eyres Monsell Community Centre:
Tracey Inchley, Manager for the Community Centre, was present to provide an update on Community Centre related issues, which included the following points:
· A discussion about local activity groups ensued, noting that the number of members in the Gardening Group had reduced and a new for new members was high to start activities once more.
· A discussion will be held with ward Councillors to discuss potential activities in celebration of the King’s Coronation.
· A car boot sale was being looked into to be held regularly in the car park of the Community Centre.
· The Community Centre was raising funds to re-decorate the garden, with the idea of a small pond with frogs being raised. Funds raised if a car boot sale was held would be going towards any potential refurbishment alongside current sales of donated books. A plastic greenhouse would be purchased and built with local children.
· The Community Centre suggested creating a Friends of Eyres Monsell Community Group, so smaller groups could apply for funding using the Community Centre bank account.
A member of the public suggested a local bingo group session. It was noted that the suggestion would be looked into with the possibility of applying for ward community budget for prizes.
Members of the public raised concern about other groups in the ward conducting similar activities and the need to contact and communicate between isolated groups. The Community Centre Manager encourage members of the public to email any ideas about possible forms of communication, such as a ward forum.
The Chair commended the environmental improvements at the Eyres Monsell Community Centre and Willows Bank School and thanked officers and members of the public for their help.
Events:
The Chair thanked members of the public and staff involved with the events over the Christmas Period, which included the Light Up event, Christmas Fayre, Southfields Treasure Hunt and Memory Heart Event. All events were noted to be well attended, including by the local MP and Lord Mayor.
Councillors noted that a member of the public had received a nomination for a good will award as they had given an item to someone at the Christmas Fayre despite not having the money to purchase it.
Local Developments:
Councillors noted the results of the Eyres Monsell Community Award that had 52 nominations for an award. Three nominations were noted for being a good neighbour, in which the need for a Good neighbour award was noted. Between 7 and 8 young people had been nominated for the Younger Peoples Award, in hopes in generate more young people involvement in the community
Councillors noted the date of the awards session, Friday, 10th March at 7pm, and would include live music and a buffet by Thelmas Café.
Community Arts:
A member of Vehicle Arts was present at the meeting to provide an update on Community Arts in the ward, which included the following points:
· Vehicle Arts was noted to be a non-profit based in Leicester, that promoted and assisted artists development in the community.
· Vehicle Arts visited local communities to develop artwork that best reflected and celebrated the diverse local communities.
· “Up Your Street” was a project in which two pieces of art would be created, one collaboratively made with members of the community, one by the artist from Vehicle Arts. ACTION: Manager of the Community Centre to discuss methods of relaying feedback to the Vehicle Arts member.
· Volunteers from the local community were being sought for collaboration on the group art piece.
· A second project, Leicester Textiles Festival, was being conducted in the near future, to work with communities to show the connection between communities and textiles, and volunteers interested in representing the Eyres Monsell ward were being sought to make a textiles piece.
· The goal was to increase community cohesion and engagement through creativity and art.