During 2019 we were holding relatively informal physical meetings in the Town Hall. They were on the 3rd Thursday of the month, started at 7.30 and lasted around 2 hours.
We also hosted occasional talks that were promoted around the town and brought more people in. Bit more structure. Often also on a Thursday but we've used other nights.
And then last year, just a year ago, everything changed. On 12th March we hosted a talk in the Town Hall by someone from the Dorset Waste Partnership. One week later on 19th March we had an online meeting on Zoom.
Since then there have been short, relatively informal Zoom meetings almost every Thursday. The number of people joining in has been perhaps half the number coming to the Town Hall on a regular basis - but as with those physical meetings, people vary from week to week.
Although lots of things seem to have stood still, there has been much change over the past year. There's a greater sense of urgency around responding to climate breakdown and the threats to nature. We've not remained inactive. We've kept in touch with one another in a variety of ways; some new people have joined in; there have been occasional carefully distanced events. And now we can start to think about how we want meetings to be when we can make them happen.
At some point we could restart the monthly meetings in the Town Hall. When?
We could arrange more public talks in the Town Hall ... or online? When?
We could keep the Zoom meetings going - weekly? Or occasionally? Or in weeks when there wasn't a Town Hall meeting?
We could have regular other meetings. A pub night - 'green drinks'? A cafe session - 'green teas'? A walk?
At last night's Zoom meeting we bandied these questions around without reaching any conclusions. What do you think? What would work best for you? Do you want to help to host / convene / facilitate / or otherwise support any of these? Let's assemble ideas over the next few weeks and take time to adjust slowly! Please comment here ...
Rachel
Thanks Rachel and sorry to be slow to comment.
I agree with all points and particularly glad we are not trying to restructure. PS works beautifully! And the monthly F2F and zoom meetings good. With specific roles to welcome new people.
In terms of engaging young people I wonder if we could consider 1) engaging schools 2) scouts group? Happy to chat further.
COP is a key moment/ opportunity. Some links to "practical things you can do" would be good.
Engaging town council: getting the balance right between being a partner/ collaborating and scrutiny/ constructive criticism can be tricky ; so the various approaches suggested are all important.
Thanks, and sorry I couldnt be there.
Lucy
Here's a note of the meeting that took place last Sunday afternoon - in a sunny garden, with cake! Thank you to Christina Strickland & Richard Foreman for their notes which have been combined here, and to Christina & John Nelson for the garden & cake.
We started by refreshing our ambition for Planet Shaftesbury to make a difference (post pandemic, in light of changes in public/gov’t/corporate view of climate emergency, biodiversity crisis etc.). We touched on the different groups we may have an impact on:
1. The general public in/around Shaftesbury - in making lifestyle changes, becoming involved in green activities and, according to personal choice, activism.
Suggestions:
i. ‘Buddying’;
ii. Annual competition
2. As a partner of the Town Council with its Action Plan on Climate Emergency, encouraging them to broaden their scope to encourage greening of people’s homes, local businesses to develop more sustainably etc. Possible ways to do this:
i. joint working group involving PS and councillors;
ii. developing relationships with individual councillors open to supporting green initiatives;
iii. publicising plans, activities, & progress against plans, on PS website - thus exposing the council and the rest of us to more scrutiny. (Shaftesbury Town Council’s action plan is now on the website under Resources);
iv. inviting councillors to attend PS meetings on regular basis;
3. Make links with business people
a. Chamber of Commerce (some links already established by plastics group.
b. suggest ‘better business’ style town events;
4. Engage young people
a. Schools
b. Youth Council (which is on town council wish list)
We noted that ‘This is Alfred’ is an invaluable resource. We could offer regular input perhaps in form of a monthly PS programme. We returned to this topic later*.
After this we talked in turn about the ‘tools’ we use and what we can do better
Meetings (in-person & online):
If first meeting is possible in July, combine it with hedgehog meeting at Town Hall on 22nd July.
Thereafter, resume 3rd Thurs of month regular in-person meetings. Have ‘greeters’ on door to welcome new people, introduce them to others. Include informal refreshment time & have a theme/speaker for these meetings. Set up list of practical roles needed and ask volunteers to sign up.
have a monthly Zoom meeting in between (this leaves space for other events between meetings).
Green teas/drinks – appealing additional ways of meeting informally if hosts come forward.
Information Stall/ Display, Posters etc:
Discussion centred on Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show where we (& Greener Gillingham) will have a stand.
Can hang banners, etc on gazebo
Additional ground or table-mounted display panels/boards needed (eg. Room divider?)
Eye-catching activities required to engage people: eco-lucky-dip type things. Quiz. Children’s games, block printing ‘tattoo like’ badges?
Can invite PS network (and those with particular expertise or knowledge) to offer information for the displays, people to join in at event.
Material and boards assembled for G&S Show will remain as resource, to be used in events such as Fringe 'Sustainable Living' event in Town Hall, at other public talks, and we'll try them out at the July (hedgehog) meeting.
Engaging Events / Public Talks:
Tree Celebration in Sept (support offered to compile programme). Promotes related events …..
Resumption of community tree planting.
Participate in Dorset Climate Action Network (Dorset CAN) proposed ‘Open Greener Homes’ event (Oct 2-3). All details to be discussed via Zoom etc in due course.
Later this year (around time of COP26?), town-wide survey to establish a baseline and engage population in thinking about changes needed in homes/lifestyle in response to Climate Emergency. Include collecting info on potential for electric car power point sharing initiatives.
For future: annual review of progress with town council & lifestyle changes.
Pick up on public talks when possible including those cancelled last year (Charles Dowding, Gillingham Royal Forest etc.)
Re-visit skills and interest list from PS network to supply support teams for events
Use all media extensively! Blackmore Vale Magazine events diary. Offer reports on PS activities.
Structure of PS: Doesn’t need to change. Minimal formality (As a legacy of the Transition Town we have a constitution and officers, currently: Chair Robin Walter, Treasurer Karen Wimhurst, Secretary Richard Foreman). We noted the difference from Planet Purbeck membership structure. Projects are autonomous and different structures may be appropriate there.
Any partnership with town council & others (eg. to encourage change across the town in response to CEE) could appear on the website as a project. If it needs its own budget & fund-raising capability then it may need its own formal structure.
Newsletter/Website: Both recognised as fit for purpose as we go forward.
Newsletter will inform a monthly recording made available to Alfred* and on the website. Ed Bersey & Karen Wimhurst will use material generated for the newsletter (currently by Rachel Bodle) .
This will be central to an in-person meeting that has now been arranged in a private garden for May 30th - weather permitting. Subject to the limit on numbers (max 30, which we're very unlikely to come anywhere close to) this is open to everyone interested. Please email me for details rachel.bodle@gmail.com
Keep coming back to this Rachel, and as ever I’d prefer to discuss it live. Is this something for discussion at the meeting you’re looking to arrange on Doodle, or should we have something prepared at a Zoom meeting before then.
Thanks Rachel. I would certainly appreciate a continuation of Zoom meetings perhaps once a month. I would be happy for these to include occasional talks or question and answer sessions by remote speakers we would otherwise not get a chance to hear from. I would support these meetings in some way given that they would be less frequent that they currently are. I am delighted by the potential of my friends getting to meet and laugh together again in person, thanks to scientific ingenuity and dedicated healthcare workers. Excited for a new phase of community engagement.