A whole host of new information and updates on our exciting Riverbank project is now available here. This includes information about two volunteering days on October 18th and November 15th. Can you help us? Or can you pass on the information do someone you know?

The Riverbank Project Management group has been meeting for several months now. We have run a very successful consultation exercise at the Castle Green Midsummer Fayre. Most of the feedback we received was tremendously encouraging. Ideas included: more views of the river, places to sit where you can see the river, design the bank to maximise wildlife habitat, linking the lower riverside path to make it a circular route, but in general, everybody was very positive about the project.

How to employ the work team has been one of the main items for discussion at the management group meetings and we think we have found the answer. There is a pilot project being set up in Herefordshire called Micro Enterprise (Mi Enterprise), a social enterprise aimed at helping people who are disadvantaged in the employment market set up as self-employed workers. After some long discussions, we have found a way forward for the project, which should start just as the leaves begin to fall this autumn. I have been very excited by discussions we have had, as I believe we are developing a completely new approach for community groups to engage with disadvantaged people and create positive opportunities for change in their lives.

We are still keen to hold monthly volunteer days to help the work team get to grips with the task ahead, so if you are interested please keep an eye on the local papers & our notice board for the date of our first riverbank volunteer day.

The in-house café was a great success again – we just need to make ten times as much egg mayonnaise next time…..

We are still very pleased with our marquee, and, after the slight (!) difficulties we experienced putting it up at Christmas, it went up alike a dream this time. So we made a tremendous saving not having to hire a marquee this time. Which leads me nicely on to the finances….. this was the first summer fayre we have run without the support of a grant of any kind. Doing the preparatory budget for the day was grim reading and we expected to make a loss of £200. But, with the saving on the marquee, running our own café and the highly successful raffle, we actually made an £800 profit. This will sit comfortably in our bank account ready for the next time it rains.

But of course the biggest thing that made the Fayre work so well was YOU. So thank-you to everyone for coming out and sharing the lovely sunny day with us and supporting us so wholeheartedly.

It’s our green, let’s keep using it.

Rebecca Saunders, Events Secretary

The Friends of Castle Green are proud to announce our first theatre event on Castle Green – “Much Ado About Nothing” performed by Oddsocks Theatre Company starting at 7.30pm on Friday 29th August 2008. Tickets are priced at £12 (with a chair), £10 (bring your own chair/rug) & £8 (concessions) and are available for sale from Outback (19a Church St), the Tourist Information Office (King St.) or on-line at: www.oddsocks.co.uk

Oddsocks are a hugely popular touring theatre company and, reading the reviews of their current production, it is clear that we are set for a great evening’s entertainment of fun and laughter. The Friends will be running a small bar for the evening and please feel free to bring a picnic supper along.

The Friends have decided that this year’s summer fayre will differ from last year, in that it will NOT rain!..... the sun will shine and, like 2006, people will flock in their hundreds to a sun drenched Castle Green, buzzing with activity.

Market – our fantastic outdoor market, showcasing the best of Herefordshire craft and produce, will again be out in force. Mr Tudge will be selling his rare breed pork sausages (cooked on the spot), with locally produced ceramics, jewellery, clothes, cards, strawberries, children’s toys, Indian snacks and woodcraft being only a proportion of what will be on offer. Many of these small local producers rely on events like our summer fayre to make their living and it is always incredibly heartening to see how well you all support them.

Food & Drink – The Friends will be running a vegetarian café during the day to ensure that everyone is well catered for – with more meaty people being catered for by our local producers. Yet again, the Barrels will be there in force to serve adults with locally produced beer and cider.

Puppet show – Local lad, Rob Ashman from Sealegs Puppet Theatre will be whisking us off to Russian forests and encounters with a duck-eating hungry wolf in his 50minute production of “Peter and the Wolf” which starts at 2pm – all children welcome!

Music – The fayre will run from 10am – 9.30pm and throughout the day we will have entertainment from local musicians, with the ever popular Hereford Big Band at 3pm.

More & more! – with two bouncy castles (one exclusively for really little ones), the Museum on the Move coming to show how to dig up old bones, nature activities for families being provided by “Wildplay” from Herefordshire Nature Trust and the inevitable face painting all go together to complete what will be a fantastic day out for the whole family.

A ceidlih for the evening – we thought it would be good to do something a bit special in the evening for the whole family. So we are having a ceidlih, led by the hugely popular Bandemonium under the able leadership of Rob Strawson, starting at 6.30pm. Our local butcher, Ogleby’s, will be doing a pig roast to keep the dancers well fuelled throughout the evening, with all his proceeds going to support a local scout group. So bring your dancing shoes and prepare to “swing your partner by the hands….”

Free! - Yes, and best of all it’s free. So bring your family & friends and come & help us celebrate the summer on our lovely Castle Green!

A helping hand – Anyone interested in booking a stall, playing some music or, most importantly, helping out on the day, please phone Rebecca Saunders on 01432 272605. As the fayre has grown we need more & more help to run things – its your community so please offer a couple of hours of your time to help with keeping this day a free event for all.

This year’s Christmas Fayre will be held on Sunday 9th December from 10am – 4.30pm. There will be dozens of stalls selling all sorts of locally made products, an in-house café (hot soup and rolls, cakes, mince pies and drinks), plenty of mulled wine as usual and local schools providing some seasonal entertainment rounded off by local group Bandemonium.

There are lots of jobs to do in the run up to the fayre – making decorations for the tents in the afternoon on Saturday 8th December is a great thing for kids to get involved with and happens on the lawn at Castle Cliffe. Anyone willing to help set up and take down on the day is also really welcome – please get in touch! Anyone wanting to book a stall or volunteer for the day should contact Rebecca Saunders on 01432 272605.

We shall be running a bottle stall as our fundraiser again this year. All donations of bottles gratefully received – look out for the local flyer telling you how to donate or bring your bottle with you on the day! The better the bottle the more we make!

This is such an exciting new project for the Friends and the biggest one we have run to date. We expect to start in a couple of months. Please read the project proposal here and then let us know what you think by email. Your opinions are vital to show our funders that we are consulting our membership.

Firstly I should apologise. It is 7 months since our last newsletter – far too big a gap to keep people informed of what is happening. I blame my own decision to stand for election to Herefordshire Council in May this year and the deluge of duties, committee meetings and paperwork I have had to keep up with ever since winning! We have also lost our Membership Secretary, Lara Latcham, who was appointed as Manager of the new Kindle Centre in South Wye. We wish her all the best in this all consuming role and many thanks for all the support she has given the Friends over the years. Anyone interested in filling her shoes, please get in contact!

You will notice our new logo at the top of the page – it is much better in colour! Keeping costs down necessitates a black ink only newsletter, but the committee were extremely pleased with the result (and the cost!). Paid for by our Awards for All grant and designed by Southpaw Designs, we feel it encapsulates the green, the community approach and the River Wye all in one little logo. The colour version will soon be on display on the Friends’ notice board in Quay Street.

Problems with vandals have meant that the notice board has been very difficult to keep up to date – it can take up to 40 minutes just to get it open. New doors have been delivered and they will soon be fitted by a willing volunteer – many thanks to him. We also have a local Friend who has offered to be “notice board monitor” again many thanks.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter and feel able to respond to the various projects and pleas for help contained within. Don’t hesitate to get in touch about anything.

Mark Hubbard, Chair of FOCG.
Mark can be contacted on 01432 272684 or email him here.

At 7.30pm on November 6th 2007 the Friends held their Annual General Meeting at the WRVS Centre in Vicarage Road. 24 people braved the dark evening to listen to the Chair’s report of the past year:

Hogg’s Mount Steps

Finally underway after much consultation and wrangling, the steps from Mill St to Hogg’s Mount will include a new handrail, anti-vandal bulkhead lighting to light up the new steps and a retaining wall beautifully finished in red sandstone. The handrail will be in keeping with its surroundings and the workmen will re-use the lovely old stone from the old steps where they can. The whole project should be finished by Xmas and should be of really good quality.

The Riverbank Project – please see this article.

Elections

The committee was re-elected en bloc, with the exception of Keith James, our fantastic photographer and hardworking member. Although Keith has stepped down, he has offered to carry on taking photographs for us. Many thanks Keith for all your hard work – past & future!

Money Matters

Our Treasurer’s report showed our income was still healthy at around £5,000 for the year. The small loss taken on the two fairs pleased the committee, particularly as the summer event only lost £96.78 and was held on the same day as a severe weather warning – particular thanks to everyone for coming & supporting this event. At least we now know we can do a wet one! The committee have decided to buy a small marquee which is needed for extra space at the Christmas Fayre. It will also mean there will be no need to rent one in the summer, so it should pay for itself within 12 months. Membership fees will remain at £5 per household (donations welcome), but we shall be encouraging the use of standing orders and eventually move to an annual renewal date for all members.

Motions

2 motions gained unanimous approval from the AGM. Firstly the committee decision to pursue the registration of the FOCG as a not for profit company limited by guarantee was ratified. This will make little difference to the actual running of the Friends, but will provide some protection for the committee from being personally liable should anything go wrong. It also ensures that we are more open to public scrutiny, have to maintain certain financial standards and should aid future fundraising.

Secondly, the Treasurer was given permission to change the bank account for the Friends to a high street bank of her choosing – she is finding working with the Abbey a nightmare.

Membership will remain at £5 (donations always welcome) but we shall be encouraging the use of standing orders and eventually have one renewal date.

We are somewhat down on the renewal of membership fees – probably due to the smaller turnout at the very wet summer fayre when most people pay their subs. If you don’t know your renewal date please phone Lisa on 01432 352287. Although membership is still very cheap at £5 per household per year, it is a valuable income for the group. We have been very lenient, but once we are registered as a company we will have to police the books a little more thoroughly.

Having been told the bowlers were leaving Castle Green for Aylestone Park the committee have discovered that they would really rather stay. We have decided that we should give them our full support, not least because next year they will celebrate their centenary! 100 years of bowling on the green is something to celebrate and we will do all we can to help them to stay. We shall shortly be talking to their committee about the problems they face and how we can help resolve them collectively – watch this space.

The Riverbank Project is gaining great support from the City Council, Herefordshire Council and English Heritage so we hope the project will soon be underway.

Come and help clear the brambles!  Our small team of part-time employees will soon be in place to begin the gentle maintenance of the Riverbank, but for the project to be truly successful we need a crowd of people to give them and hand once a month – especially in the first few months to get some undergrowth clearance done before the nesting season starts.  If you are interested in plants – come and find out what’s there!  Volunteer days once a month with the team working one day per week – come and lend a hand (or your expertise) – all welcome!

Let the Friends know you are interested using this online form, and we will keep you informed.