Minutes:  3-March-2010 (Jess’ house, 127 York Rd.)

Present: Ed, Shiona, Dan, Jess, Caroline, Jane, Sally Ciaran, Bron, Richard, Jon Gulson (Simon quick visit at beginning with apols)

REPORTS:

TransMont. Open Meeting (Dan) – very good , positive responses from many people.  The “sub-group” plan seemed to work well.

Energy group (Dan) – next meeting Wednesday ??10-March??.  Loads of newcomers from all over Bristol.

Green Spaces and Food Groups (Shiona and Sally): both went well with committed, enthusiastic residents.  Significant overlap between groups means they have joined forces, and held first meeting on 25th Feb. Next meeting 25 March at Fairfield School (Dan to confirm) to discuss outcome from Mapping Day on Sunday 21 March. Montpelier Park Group AGM on night of Open Meeting went smoothly, achieved elections and approved constitution.”
The community support officer (Sustainability officer at Bristol City Council) for groups like ours, is Mark Leach.

PAST EVENTS – accounts reconciliation:

Winter Fayre (Sally) – We made a profit of £303 (acc’t from Simon).

Bean Feast (September) (Sally) – We made a profit of +/- £455, if all income is received.   There is about £40 wine still in Sally’s house.

• ACTION: Sally to chase Thali for £75.
• ACTION: Sally to chase Simon to chase Mella for £35.
• ACTION: Sally and Shiona to chase £100 invoice to Bristol City Council.
• ACTION: Dan to chase Jameel+Herberts for £120.

The marquee dilemma (Sally) – a full report was made about all the different viewpoints, Sally presenting Simon’s opinions. On voting, all but Jane agreed to accept Simon’s compromise proposal, as stated by Sally, which was to purchase the marquee from Richard, providing the hire fee of £80 was waived. Jane felt a reduced price was needed. The group agreed to buy the marquee at full cost of £400, which is serviceable for future community events.

• ACTION:  Sally and Simon to write a cheque to “Radford Mill” for the cost of the marquee (£406?), as soon as possible.  Richard will waive the marquee hire charge.
• ACTION: Sally and Simon to write a cheque to Simon for (£190?) for Christmas Fayre expenses.

MISCELLANEOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ACTIONS:

• ACTION: ??Ed “Fallen Fruit” – point to the food group??
• ACTION: Ed will arrange dates for the next video evening.  “Yes Men” is looking likely
• ACTION: Dan will introduce “Chris” (the new bookkeeper) to Richard.
• ACTION: Ciaran will draw up a “mission statement” for the Constitution.
• ACTION: Ciaran and Bron and Jess are now a sub-committee to work on the constitution.
• ACTION: Sally will email Bean Feast constitution to Ciaran.
• ACTION: Sally will circulate “Power of Communities”.
• ACTION: Sally will contribute to the Montpelier Arts Trail (24-25-April), and do an “Art-swap” and a “Seedling-swap” stall.
• ACTION:  Richard will assist in setting up “Transition” display boards and taking them down.
• ACTION: Richard to produce template for events bookkeeping, and a suggested scheme for simple annual accounts.

DECISIONS:
“Other” campaigns – may be aired on our website if three core group members agree, and there are at least two “yes” votes more than “no” votes. But we will not use the mailing list to campaign for others as it goes into people’s inboxes and is intrusive. But we will include them in newsletters.

• ACTION: Ed will change the admin of the mailing list, and will inform others.  Non-urgent issues can be presented via a blog post.
• ACTION: Richard will write a statement about why Trans.Mont. should support the anti-Tesco campaign.

Neighbourhood Partnerships (NP) – the first meeting was a bit of a shambles: poor venue, poor acoustics, inadequate supply of agenda notes, inadequate preparation of information, poor or no criteria for taking decisions, etc.  But this was their first event, the organiser was unwell and all suspected that she was fully aware of the predicament. This is worth sticking with, and provides all with an opportunity to influence some local spending, and to present ideas for future agendas.  The next meeting is 30-June.
NEXT MEETING: core group – 17-March, Sally’s house 7pm to eat, 8->10pm for talk.

• Next meeting agenda:  discuss suggestions for NP agenda items.
• Next meeting agenda: we will fix a date for our AGM (needs 21 days’ notice).
• Next meeting agenda:  Ed and Dan to devise a “Year-plan”.

Click on this link to download the minutes:
Transition Montpelier core meeting Minutes 20-1-10

Agenda:

Transition Montpelier core team agenda January 2010

Actions and Agreements:

1. Actions from last meeting
   1. Ciaran only one still to complete.
2. Report back from Events meeting
   1. Clearer roles, project manager, realistic ambition, community fund all needed at future events
   2. Sally to compile a lessons learnt document, summarising this.
   3. Simon to go and ask Peter Watts for support with project management of events
   4. Sally, Richard and Ed to go through budget spreadsheets
   5. Book keepers for every event
   6. Both Bean Feast and Winter Fayre to be repeated in 2010.
   7. Sally only willing to be major player in Bean Feast and Simon happy to help
   8. By June to have group together for Bean F; Winter F by October
3. Accounts
   1. Richard to look at clear and standardised accounting structure, possible treasurer and ask council for advice
   2. Bron. to find out the person in the council who supports community events
   3. All to find out who from the community can help with accounts (at Open Meeting/with newsletter)
   4. All -Money needs raising for group fund
   5. Dan and Bron to look at community fund from council and finalising constitution so TM can have bank account
   6. Shona to look at accounting software (like her school)
   7. Sally to send all articles mentioning TM’s events to Ed who will put on web
4. Announcements
   1. Open Meeting 10^th February
   2. Dan to advertise for more people for energy training
   3. Dan to organise Climate Change investment slot at Open Meeting
   4. Dan to organise printing TM-related subjects at one of events & Ed to find out more
   5. Bron to find out how to support Severn Beach Railway
   6. Shona (&others?)-24^th February Neighbourhoods Partnership Meeting at Police station-funding from Ashley Ward and another route for working with Council
   7. Dan to organise F Resource Centre painting on 6/7 March
   8. Montpelier Art Trail 24/25^th April
   9. Bron had news of Bristol University to support community energy project research. Dan and Jess to look at help from Totnes who got funding for similar project
5. Open Meeting 10^th Feb
   1. To focus on proper discussion, commitment, action points and real action
   2. Doors 7.15, ‘start 7.30’, Park AGM 7.30, start 8pm
   3. Dan to look at energy
   4. Sally to look at food
   5. Simon to look at livable streetscapes
   6. Shona and Jane to put Park Group and Albany Green in touch
   7. Ciaran organising Miquel to do keynote speech on grants for domestic PV in SW
6. Group Dynamics
   1. Meeting at Ed’s house, 92 Richmond Rd,7pm, 25^th Jan
7. AOB
   1. Jess to put together notes from Low Carbon Communities Conference
   2. ? to link with Facebook Bristol Energy Network- Paul Adams
   3. All-Organise more informal core group meetings
   4. TM to link/support Richard’s (wind?) energy co-op at Radford Mill

It’s not like that at all – we are open, welcoming, keen and happy for people to help us out co-ordinating Transition Montpelier.

In fact there are lots of things that need doing so drop us a line if you’re interested. And maybe think of it as an ‘initiating’ group, or a ‘co-ordination’ group. We’re thinking along those lines.

Click on this link to download the minutes directly

And for you in the meeting – you know who you are – these minutes are full of action points for all of us, so get busy!

Here’s a photo of us:

Transition Montpelier 'core' team

(Richard, Janie, Sally, Dan, Ciaran – Ed taking photo, Simon, Ralph and Bronwen not there)

The Agenda:

TT Montpelier core team agenda 16/12/09

The minutes from the meeting:

Transition Montpelier
Core team meeting
16/12, 20:30 – 23:00
Dan’s kitchen

Attendees:

• Dan (DW)
• Simon (SL)
• Sally (SJ)
• Ralph (Ralph)
• Janie (JD)
• Ciaran (CM)
• Ed (EM)

(apols: Bronwen)

1. Winter Fayre:

• TT Mont to host stall at Winter Fayre from 12 – 6/7 with soup, wish tree, chestnuts, host
• Wish tree to represent TT Mont and the project groups that are emerging
• Host will explain TT Montpelier, encourage people to make baubles and add them to the tree
• Will need some protection for bbq for chestnuts

Rota:

• 11:30 DW set up
• 14:00 CM
• 16:00 EM
• Others: Bronwen, Jess, John…?

Actions:

• DW: build wish tree for stall
• CM: make soup: incl. pots, cups et.c
• JD: produce nuts, protective gloves etc.
• DW: produce barbeque
• EM: produce two ring cooker for soup
• EM: contact Bron, Jess, John about hosting stall
• SL: produce bbq protection (sheets of ply)
• SL: pass Scrapstore card to DW!
• DW: get some scrapstore stuff for bauble making

2. Bean Feast

• Marquee needs repair following Bean Feast
• Organising was a significant job – also for Winter Fayre – need buddies to help with events – burn out risk
• Bean Feast needs separate de-brief
• ‘Events’ team need a meet to share on events work, agree budgetsGood to publish all budgets/accounts for transparency and ‘transferability’ to other initiatives
• ‘Events’ team to organise open meet in January – 1. BF de-brief, 2, General

Actions:

• SJ: working on marquee repair
• SJ/SL: organise events meetup in January

3. Group dynamics

• Core/initiating group meets now officially regular – every 3rd Wednesday
• Open meetings need to be regular and in a cycle of 1. projects work, 2. open space, 3. awareness raising
• TT Mont isn’t quite at ‘constitution’ stage but we see it as future goal
• Could we think of the current ‘core’ group as an ‘initiating’ group?
• Need to think about group dynamics: decision-making, ‘core’ and working groups
• TT Mont provides: connections, advice, knowledge, support, events, awareness, web, lists
• TT Mont has value set and philosophy in line with TT movement
• TT Mont does not look for ownership of local activism – more the social glue for groups
• Need a short clear purpose and position statement to work outward from (toward constitution)
• Role and relationship between ‘core/initiating’ and working groups needs more clarity
• Need to avoid burnout with buddying up with partners, clarifying roles and responsibilities, bringing activists in
• TT training discussed – group facilitation, TT training
• TT theory and training in general – need more discussion on what is TT

Actions:

• ALL: think about the ‘constitution’ track – our purpose, structure and dynamics for next meet discussion
• EM: organise ‘what is TT and its training’ meetup: January – interest: SJ, SL for starters
• ALL: regular core/initiating groups: every 3rd Wednesday.

4. Energy:

• Clearly identifiable and action-able stuff can be done around energy – it’s good for money, ethics, education
• Range of energy projects from adding insulation to rented house to co-owing a wind turbine
• Set up energy group proper – start small – start brainstorming
• Other neighbourhoods doing similar stuff – need connections
• Idea: Energy action team – voluntary group help out house dweller with insulation, heating tips etc. focus on one street – like a pilot
• Idea: we have deal with good energy, what can eco-tricity do?

Actions:

• DW, RRM, Ralph: clear leaders for energy group – get heads around how to proceed
• RRM, Ralph: email/share with DW thoughts on group
• DW: collate and form in preparation for communications
• EM: find Bath TT group reps and connect with Mont energy group
• CM: contact Bristol City Council sustainability team to open conversation

5. Announcements:

• Park Project: underway – AGM coming up – Fences going up soon – constitution underway
• Food project idea: food growing everywhere – like distributed allotment share – raised beds around hood
• Road Feature group idea following Thali Cafe corner success: council looking for connections
• Richard knows where to get railway sleepers cheap
• Bristol City Museum research project for TT groups: RRM, Bron going in
• Bristol Free shop on Stokes Croft: offer space for reps

Actions:

• EM: connect RRM, Bron with Museum people
• SJ: likely to be championing the food workings

6. ‘Widening’ TT Montpelier

• How to reach out and make TT Mont more ‘diverse’ (class, ethnicity, climate change deniers)?
• Projects provide approachable front to do stuff
• Film was very inclusive
• Good meetings are vital – use of Open Space – people want to ‘be heard’
• Knocking on doors and introducing selves is direct
• Target one street with (e.g.) energy project and go help out as a pilot
• Action tracking: displaying what you’ve done – online or at events – map of activity
• For those who don’t own houses: list of things you can do to keep costs down
• Keep looking for contacts in religious groups

Actions:

• DW: connect EM with web guy in Easton
• EM: researching mapping tools – noise map, other activist maps
• ALL: every meeting: clear purpose and big call out

7. Next open meeting:

• Purpose – action, workgroups, projects – encourage all to get onboard with some project work
• Key question – from ‘how is TT Mont supporting me’ to ‘how can I support TT Mont?’
• Also to have some introductions – and a talk from another initiative? Easton offered a while back?
• Flyers needed
• Meeting owner needed: DW with support – EM? Can we call for another?
• Group leaders needed: DW/RRM: energy, SJ: food…
• Meeting summary needed
• Date: either 03/02 or 10/02
• Also discussed setting regular patterns for open meets: 1: projects and action, 2: Open Space, 3: Awareness raising

Actions:

• ALL: do doodle on Open meet date
• ?: Write newsletter update week commencing 03/01 – 2009 summary, call for volunteers, open meeting date

8. Close and what can we do better next time?

• Meeting design and facilitation good
• Next meet 8 – 10
• Food at first is good
• Venue different – Ed’s house