Elizabeth Day
I would like to remain on the Trustee board in order to provide continuity as BPCG expands and fundraises for improved premises. With increasing demands on our enterprise, I wish to influence our strategic development to hold on to our key purpose, and use my considerable knowledge of the local community to continue to achieve our excellent results and thriving partnerships. It is inspiring to be involved with such a positive organisation.
Antonia Gross
I’m standing for re-election as a Trustee for BPCG.
The developments and improvements made in the last year (both in the planting and building) are inspiring so I would love to continue my involvement with the charity. As before, the ambitious plans over the next few years will throw up many challenges – I aim to help and support staff and volunteers navigate these by providing a realistic, pragmatic and common sense approach, gained from my experience in buildings, project and facilities management.
Derek Hoare
The proposal to create a new work space and educational facility as part of our five year plan is vital to our future if we are to meet our community and educational objectives. I will use my past skills in architecture and project management to support and assist the chair through the next stages of its development.
We operate in the middle of a public park. How it is managed and the way we engage with the wider park community is important to us. The Brockwell Community Partners represents the stakeholders and community groups in the development and management of the park. As a key stakeholder it gives us the opportunity to play a part – especially important after this summers disruption. I will promote the BPCG in playing a full and active part in park management and working with the wider park community.
Alice Noakes
I am standing for re-election as a member of the board.
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses is a wonderful charity that I’m proud to serve and support as a volunteer and trustee. In 2018-19 I’ve been involved in planning and delivering our community consultation to Raise The Barn, our new space for learning growth and play. The consultation has seen a fantastic positive response from local people. We need to maintain our engagement with the local community and volunteers as we deliver our plans and I intend to continue my support of the charity through the coming year as we grow and develop.
Andrew Oxley
I have been a Trustee/Treasurer since January 2018 and offer myself for a further year in this role. I am a retired Management Accountant and shall continue to use my professional experience for the Charities benefit in the two aspects of the role.
I shall assist the Director with the production of timely and accurate financial information on the Charities operations, while ensuring compliance with the legal framework surrounding Charity and its operations.
I shall assist the Board providing a more strategic financial viewpoint as it considers the Charity’s future development including the ‘Barn’ and acknowledging changes in the grant giving environment.
Josh Piercey
I’ve been a weekly volunteer at BPCG since March of 2019, and I’ve just begun an Advanced Technical Diploma in Horticulture at Capel Manor in Gunnersbury Park. I’m standing as a Trustee for the first time. As well as helping out at the Greenhouses, I’ve also designed and created promotional materials for BPCG in aid of the Barn project, was hopefully instrumental in gathering the required 2000 votes in our public consultation on the project and having taken over the daily updating of BPCG social media. I hope to use my communications skills and experience to communicate with more visitors and volunteers and expand/improve our digital footprint. When I’m not thinking about digital growth I like to write my own fiction and read other people’s.
David Roy
I have been a regular volunteer at the BPCG since 2016. In the last 12 months, as a volunteer and trustee, my work has included: Leading the conversion a shipping container into a much needed secure and well-insulated office space for staff and volunteers; membership of the buildings sub-committee, inputting to the “the Barn” project; organising for the manufacture of missing parts for the upper and lower greenhouses; sharing my experience of growing cacti and succulents with volunteers and staff, adding to the propagation and re-potting activities of the Better Fridays group; and leading the construction of the new apiary including managing corporate volunteers. Over the next 12 months, I will continue to work with volunteer colleagues, staff, and trustees at a strategic, governance, and practical level to achieve the aims and objectives of the charity and the updated 5 year plan. I intend to continue to apply my technical knowledge, project management and problem solving skills where needed as member of the buildings sub-committee, focussing on finishing the construction of the apiary in time to relocate our bees during winter and continuing the renovation of the upper and lower greenhouses.
Chris Smith
I am standing again as chair.
Thank you to everybody who has volunteered at the greenhouses this year and helped with all of our projects. During the past year I have supported all the teams, both staff and volunteers, implementing the first year of our five year plan. I intend to continue that support in the coming year. We have a busy programme next year including a renovation of the upper greenhouse over the course of 2020. Whilst last year’s results show the impact of limited core funding support, the charity has continued to grow its direct revenues from charitable activities and is now covering a larger share of its current core costs. We aim to improve this position again in the coming year.
Whilst our financial and beneficiary results for the year 2019/20 paint a rosy picture and we gained planning consent to build the Barn, the six months from April have been very difficult for the charity. But with the help of our Covid volunteers and an emerging cohort of new and mostly young volunteers we have maintained the garden as a delightful and productive haven. Our staff have responded to the tactical challenges and this has in some cases advanced our strategic position. The winter ahead will present more challenges and I will support our tactical response to these.
We have had no schools visits since March and our families activities are curtailed by the need for social distancing. It is still not clear when it will be possible to restart these activities although trustees hope that the 2021 summer term will see the return of school visits. Once we have a better view of the future I will support trustees to have a realistic review of our current 5 year plan.
The other enormous task for the charity during 2021 will be to raise the remaining £150k we will need to actually build the Barn.We must raise this by June otherwise our GLA funding will expire. I intend to work urgently with trustees, staff and contractors to find ways of financing this sum.
Sarah Wales
I would like to stand for re-election as BPCG Trustee and continue my role as Secretary.
The recent consultation shows tremendous support for Raise The Barn and emphasises the need for a new space to benefit the surrounding community, including volunteers. I will provide support to the Chair as the first phase develops over the coming year. BPCG is a very special organisation and I hope to support the Charity’s objectives as well as being an active volunteer.
