DMTrust Newsletter Winter 2006

You will notice that we have a new name “Dukes Meadows Trust”. Members voted unanimously at a special meeting in October to change the name on the recommendation of the Trustees. The old name, though it had served us well, was less appropriate as we grew and started to manage facilities on the Meadows such as the water play area. We found that it was misleading to outside bodies such as funders.

It has been a very busy year, July saw the completion of the new water play area, our biggest project to date. Unfortunately the building work was slightly delayed so it was finished at the end rather than the start of July, August was then very wet, but despite that we had some really busy days and the general feedback from people was terrific. We opened before the work was completely finished and signed off, so over the winter the final snagging will be completed ready for opening next year.

The creation of the water play area is a terrific achievement and the fulfilment of a long-term aim. Re creating the paddling pools was identified as the priority by local people in the consultation carried out for us by the BTCV back in 1999. It has taken a while, but there were numerous hurdles to clear not to mention raising the £380,000 needed. We are very grateful to all the organisations who supported the project; the London Marathon Trust, Brett Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Living Spaces, Hounslow Council, Stanhope PLC and local solicitors Solnick & Co.

We are hoping to run a series of events at the pool starting on Easter Sunday 8th April and are in course of planning these and seeking sponsorship

to fund them. They will be advertised in the park and local papers so look out

for details in the New Year.

We are now responsible for maintaining the whole of the water play area and

are very grateful to the Masonian Bowls Club in particular Barry who is doing

a terrific job keeping the grass looking good.

Our regular volunteering days have continued and we are very grateful to everyone who has helped with maintaining the community garden, clearing Promenade Approach, maintaining the trees on the Plateau and by Thames Crescent and the mammoth task of watering all the new trees over the summer.

Next year we would like to introduce some mid week volunteering as this may suit some people better and would enable us to get more done, if you would like to take part in this please give me call or drop me an email to Kathleen@dukesmeadowstrust.org

Our corporate volunteer days continued with the BBC coming out on two occasions and Bovis Lend Lease again volunteering with us to overhaul and re plant the community garden. Sabre Holdings, a Hounslow based firm, volunteered with us for the first time in September. We had our biggest volunteer day yet when, through our partner Thames21, over 100 people from Timberland came out to help plant up the play area, paint the Promenade Gates, plant new hedging along the river, prune the trees along the river and paint the balustrade near the Band Stand.

We are applying to Breathing Spaces, a Lottery fund, for a small grant to help fill and re landscape the old paddling pools to create a wildlife garden. We have also got through the first stage of a bid to Playful Ideas, another Lottery fund, for a £200,000 grant to create a new play area for older children. We will be involving local children in designing the new play ground and are also hoping to work with the Croft Centre in Kew, which provides services to disabled children

Bridge House Trust has just confirmed a grant of £10,000 a year for two years to help fund the Development Managers post, we are very grateful to them for their continued support.

We are awaiting confirmation of a grant of £10,000 from Euro clear to repair the structural fault in the Band Stand. We have been advised that the grant has been awarded, but that it needs sign off by the grants committee. We are hoping that work can commence earlier in the New Year so that the Band Stand is back in use by Boat Race day.

Many thanks for your continued support and hope to see you at one of our events next year.

Yours sincerely

Kathleen Healy

Development Manager

SPACE TO PLAY EVERYONE NEEDS IT

Winter 2006 Newsletter

Dukes Meadows Trust Winter 2006 Newsletter