Easton Community Garden Centre
Minutes from meeting 14th December 2006 at Jen's

Present: Jen, Adele, Jo, Maddie and Alex

• Meeting earlier (14/12/06) with Network Rail (Jen, Sarah
Pugh and Paul attended) – ongoing issues, nothing definite for
agreeing to let us use the land next to Stapleton Road station but
First Great Western (who lease the land from NR) sounded positive
about our plans. Future meetings will discuss it further.

In the meantime………….we'll carry on at the Trinity and exist as we
would want to when we transfer to Stapleton Road.

Possibly grow at the Trinity and sell at Stapleton Road??

• Email from Co-op Development Agency re: registering as co-op
Considering what we want to be it seems that a worker's co-op would
be better rather than a community co-op.

CDA suggested appointing 2 contacts (1 for registering – Jen & 1 or
2 for business side ?Jo and Alex). This is to minimise confusion.

Serine to attend next meeting and discuss it further

• BRAVE are running ½ day free courses re: business start-up
3 dates: thurs 11/01/07 or fri 19/11/07 9.30-12.30 or
fri 26/01/07 2-5.30pm

Anyone to attend – Maddie/ Jen to ring and book.

• Monday work days at the Trinity
Jen reported average of 5 people attend but it depends on the
weather - no-one this week!
Its going well – lots to do, tidying and finishing off the poly
tunnel (it needs doors!!) at present.
Also Jen made a blackboard so that what's happening on workdays can
be displayed at the entrance to the Trinity.

It was going to cost £500 to attach a pipe to the water pipe of the
building next door (Kings Sturge) to save water. We wont be doing
that then!!
Maybe we could attach a pipe from the Vickerage instead.



• General discussion re: Easton Community Garden Centre
We need to change our name – very similar to Easton Community
Allotments – confusion recently.

We also need a logo – any ideas? To be discussed

We need to design posters re: work days & ? where to put them

Also need a banner to flap over the fence at the Trinity. Jen has
been researching prices and ethical places.

Decided that we will hold a PR meeting to discuss all these on Jan
9th 2007 – meeting open to all and to be posted on BPG and Garden of
Easton – venue to be confirmed - ?upstairs in the greenbank (Alex to
arrange)

• Open Day for early next year at Trinity
It was decided that we need to hold an open day to raise local
awareness and to make some money!
?late jan/ early feb

We could co-incide it with a trip to HDRA near Rugby to buy potatoes
in bulk to sell pick `n' mix style at the open day.

HDRA potato day is Sunday Jan 28th – as many people to go as want.
To discuss at next meeting ?transport. Some money left from the
Scarman Trust ?£400.

Alex to email BPG to let them know we are buying in bulk ready to
sell in early feb 2007

• Ideas for future open days
A fundraiser – plants/ seeds to sell in the day outside, Nature walk
open, cafι open and then bands inside in the evening.

What to sell: grow seedlings and sell in pack of nodules e.g various
salad leaves, mixed onion sets, pick `n' spuds.

It was suggested that to encourage people to grow their own veg who
are maybe `put off' by the effort required/ having limited knowledge
etc we could make it easier by starting them off and giving a range
of things rather than lots of one thing!

We could give out the HDRA factsheets to accompany packs.

• Finance
Jen has been sorting this side of things since the project began.
It might be time to appoint a person in charge of this.
?Mark from the Better Food Company

It would be lovely to be completely sustainable eventually.
For now – need fundraising until this time.

Cafι – maybe have a rota where we take it in turns to buy
ingredients, cook and get money back and pool profits fot the garden
centre.

We could maybe all chip in now and aging to front things e.g £5 each
for the spuds.

• Future workshops/ open days

Nick (BTCV) to run a compost loo workshop ? in Jan – to be arranged.

Ali to run a pruning workshop at present 1/02/07 - maybe to change
to a w/e so more people to attend – Alex to ring.

Make your own hanging basket workshop – open to all – to be arranged

Visit to Hulme Community Garden Centre (Manchester) soon.

Visit to Bath Community Garden Centre ?based at allotments

• Any other business
Jen is away for the first 2 weeks of feb

• Date for next meetings

Tues 9th Jan PR meeting – venue to be confirmed
Mon 15th Jan usual meeting at Edele's house 33 Gads Hill Road,
Eastville (just by Greenbank Cemetery – the house next to the car
park! Edele tel: 9519712