Home
All about us
About the Woods
Flora and Fauna
News and Events
Just for Fun
Contact us
Guest Book
Site Map
Credits
Links

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter
Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
All About Us

< Go back to Minutes menu

Minutes of Core Group Meeting
26th August 2004

Present: Martin Calvert (Chair), Joan & Mervyn Clayton, Adam & Carol Bull, Graeme Ashton, Brenda Lancaster, Iris Abbis, Adrian Coltman

  1. Apologies
  2. Minutes of the Meeting Held 15th July 2004
  3. Matters Arising
  4. Action Mornings
  1. Ponds Trust
  2. AOB
  3. Dates of Next Meetings

1. Apologies

Peter Foulston, Paul Ellis, Mike Betteridge.

2. Minutes of the Meeting Held 15th July 2004

Agreed as a true record.

3. Matters Arising

  • Bath House
    The Group thanks John Casey and Graeme Ashton for the work they have done on the Bath House and tidying up the area around it.

  • Grant On It's Way
    The Grant for the wood used in the Funday is on its way.

  • Action Morning
    The extra Action Morning on 14th August was used to cut the meadow grass. A small number of people worked hard to cut and rake up the grass ready for collection.

  • Meadow
    Some of the meadow has been churned up by a digger than had been used to unblock the grates following the recent floods. The Group expect the meadow to recover over the winter.

  • Bat Walk
    A Bat Walk has been arranged by Graeme for 9th September at 7pm. The walk will start from the old car park on Gledhow Valley Road opposite Gledhow Park Drive.

  • Risk Assessment
    Peter has been asked to provide comments on the risk assessment work that has been done.

  • Green Leeds Grant
    - Some of the grant has been spent on wood and sand/gravel. The Group thanked Mervyn for sorting out the order and delivery. 15 people from BTCV have worked two days so far with a further two days to do. They are putting wood down and building the pathwork. The next Action Morning will be used to put the sand and gravel down to complete the path.
    - The last of the three benches have been delivered. They will be put in the woods at a future Action Morning to be arranged.
    - Martin and Adrian are going to write to the Lord Mayor's Secretary to ask if the Lord Mayor is able to officially open the path when it is completed. Brenda has supplied the contact details.

4. Action Mornings

The next Action Morning is Sunday 29th August and will be used for path maintenance and litter picking although there will be no skip available.

The following Action Morning will be on Saturday 18th September. The volunteers will meet at the meadow below the lake as wild flower planting will take place in the meadow. Martin has agreed to order the plants.

Next Action Mornings

Sunday 29 August
Saturday 18 September
Saturday 16 October

5. Ponds Trust

Peter is filling the form in.

The lake comes under the responsibility of Parks and Countryside so Graeme has agreed to be the representative that meets with the Ponds Trust when a site meeting can be arranged. This is to discuss what the Group can and can't do with the lake.

The lake is inspected twice a year to check it is still operating efficiently as a balancing lake and is not silted up. The last inspection report stated that the lake was OK however Joan does not believe that this is still the case, especially after the recent flooding in the valley. The Group has decided to look into this matter further. Mervyn has spoken to a council representative tonight who claimed that the water course needed cleaning.

Joan also highlighted the potential danger of the 20ft drop in the weir area. The Group expressed concern and agreed to look into some sort of barrier.

6. AOB

  • Grant to Spend
    The Group have a £726 grant that needs to be spent on tools. A list was submitted to obtain the grant however Martin to check if the list can be modified slightly before the tools are bought.

  • Photocopier Donated
    Bob and Doreen Ward have donated a photocopier to the Group. Elaine has agreed that it can be kept in her office. Martin is to arrange collection.

  • Possible Conservation Area
    A resident who has been active in opposing the building of flats at the top of Little Switzerland has contacted the Group to see if we want to be involved in turning the woods into a conservation area to prevent inappropriate building being done again. The Group agreed that Martin should meet with him to discuss further and find out more information.

  • Recent Flooding in the Valley
    Joan and Mervyn took pictures of the recent flooding in the valley and have contacted Land Drainage and the Council as the flood water contained raw sewage. The culvert near the horses' field had become blocked and flooded. The CSOs also failed to work properly - they got blocked, filled with water and sewage poured over the top. The Becks Inspector videod the sewage and flooding to analyse. The Council has repaired the damage caused by the floods to Gledhow Valley Road. Land Drainage need to clean the culvert. A contractor has said that the cause of the flooding could be due to the grids used in the CSOs. Martin agreed to contact Yorkshire Water to get an update on the CSOs and to arrange a meeting.

  • Bath House Investigations
    - Joan has also been investigating the Bath House. She has phoned Sue Halliday at the Lands Records Department. She confirmed that it is a Grade II listed building. Diane also confirmed that the land the Bath House stands on was sold to the Council by Robert Battersby for £50 on 2 July 1926. The Council had already been given the Bath House in the 1700's. Michelle Kelly of Property Services is going to look into the Bath House further and after contacting Simon Frosdick at Parks and Countryside will get back in contact with Joan.
    - There is a Heritage weekend on 11/12 September organised by the Civic Trust. The Group thought that the Bath House may be included in future events like this provided it could be made safe.
    - Brenda has agreed to contact the Legal Department to find out who is legally responsible for the building.

  • Children's Fund Grant
    The Group has £100 left over from the Children's Fund Grant. This was going to be used to buy trees for the schools in the poster competition. However, the grant was not used within the deadline due to being the incorrect time of year for planting trees. The £100 has to be returned to the Children's Fund.

7. Dates of Next Meetings

  • Action Morning - Sunday 29 August.
  • Core Group Meeting - Thursday 16 September 2004 at the Police Club, Gledhow Lane.
  • Action Morning - Saturday 18 September.
  • Action Morning - Saturday 16 October.

Top of Page | Home | About Us | Woods | Flora & Fauna | News & Events | Just for Fun | Contact Us | Guest Book | Site Map | Credits | Links
This page was last updated 01 Sep 2004. © FGVW. Legal Stuff | Help! Site designed & built by Adam Bull (Bodytronix)