Ways to take part include:
performance (music, spoken word, walkabout)
making decorations
hosting a craft stall
running a skills sharing workshop
sharing your homegrown produce
being a candidate for Montpelier Mayor or Queen Bean in the mock elections
helping to run silly games and craft activities
help to organise a ‘heritage lunch’ for older residents of Montpelier

On the day, we need volunteers to help with stewarding, putting up decorations, assisting with cake/bean/tea stalls and clearing up afterwards.

If you’re able to join this happy team, please get in touch!  You can see the ‘get involved’ flyer here
Sally Jenkins
Event Coordinator
montpelierbeanfeast@yahoo.co.uk
07866 748193

About the event
This community street festival is a resurrection of an annual event from the eighteenth century, which historical accounts say originally featured mock elections of a Mayor and Sheriff, ‘delighted spectators’ and ‘various high jinks’. It is now a celebration of local heritage, local harvest and local genius and features music, mock elections, crafts workshops and procession, local produce exchange, ‘homemade’ stalls and lots of neighbours getting to know each other.
The event takes place in St Andrews Road and Montpelier Park. It is free to attend, although donations towards costs are much appreciated.  All organisers are unpaid volunteers from the local area.

Can you help out with this year's Bean Feast? We need lots of people to make it a success!

Planning permission has been applied for the whole Park, and is currently being considered. The plan submitted is here. It is due to be decided upon by the end of April. The work has been put out to tender, and prices are due to come back in the first week of April.

BT have now removed the telephone kiosk, and we plan to infill the hole and match the wall to the surrounding when funds allow.

The Community Cashback fencing is now installed, and as the tendering prices came in below budget, the £10,000 has also funded new drop bollards at the entrance and new self-closing gates at the pavement to prevent children running out on the road, and dog signs for the playground.

The fence is not as high as we would have liked, so we are working with the council to raise it; the funding had to be spent by March, so they ran out of time to get planning permission for a higher fence.

We met with the Council this week to discuss progress, and may have made a breakthrough on the issue of the land strip within the Park that is not owned by BCC. As this land has been untended for 9 years, BCC legal department had been advising that we do not contact the owner and wait for a further 3 years to enable them to apply for possession. BCC have now changed their stance, and we are hoping to meet with the owner of the strip soon. We aim to secure their permission for work on their land, which will enable us to secure the Biffaward £50,000, and enable us to continue applying for further grants. Without their permission, grant funds cannot be spent on their land.

We are currently working hard on the Lottery bid to reclaim the rear wasteground, which is due in on May 12th. This is a standalone project on council land, so will go ahead regardless of whether we manage to resolve the ownership / permission issue of the land strip.

We are still waiting for a reply to our letter from Jon Rogers about the chronic underfunding of Montpelier’s parks. Hugh Holden of the Bristol Parks Forum also raised the issue with Tracey Morgan, the new manager of the Parks department. If you feel like dropping them your own note about it, their email addresses are: jon.rogers@bristol.gov.uk and tracey.morgan@bristol.gov.uk.

Happy Easter!

Simon, Shiona, Will and Piers

The Mapping Day on Sunday went very well, with about 30 people in attendance and everyone enjoying the walk and cakes.  Many people felt uncomfortable identifying gardens as ‘untended’.

ACTION:  Pete to compile an overall map of Montpelier from the individual ones we walked with, to be published here, excluding the untended gardens as we felt this was more subjective and potentially insulting.

ACTION: Sally, Ingrid and Claudia to design a community gardening space in the grafitti wall / bench corner of Montpelier Park for the Lottery funding bid.  Andy Spargo (park landscape architect) is happy to draw this up formally for us, but needs to have it by end April.

Six potential ‘hotspots’ were identified:

1. Station (platform, embankment and approach)

2. Rainbow Bridge (Fairfield and Hurlingham sides)

3. Picton Square (between Bells and Gallifords)

4. Coburg Corner (meeting Ashley Hill)

5. Rosa Parks Lane (at Albany Green)

6. Magpie (Picton St / Ashley Road)

The issues for each hotspot were briefly discussed, and it was agreed to focus on those where there were clear ‘adopters’ taking responsibility for the area to ensure we don’t spread ourselves too thinly in the early days.  The first three hotspots were chosen by the group.  If someone wants to take responsibility for any of the other hotspots (or indeed, any other area – we were short on attendees from around Albany Green), we will be happy to support them too.

We then split off into hotspot groups according to our interests, and discussed how to get things moving.

Station: (Sally, Lucy, Steve) Holding two action afternoons to initiate planting w/c 26  April or w/c 3 May.  Lucy to contact Period Fireplaces regarding triangular strip.  Shiona to contact Miles Harris to establish land ownership and block grass cutting.  Sally to contact Eastside roots re Network Rail.

Square: (Shiona, Ingrid, Karen, Simon, Esther) Holding a May Day consultation and planting event, with a waterbutt installation workshop, planter building session and inviting design ideas for the space.  Esther identifying cost savings to businesses if recycle waste.  Meeting Fri 26 to speak with business owners re bin issues.

Rainbow: (Chris, David, Claudia, Danny, Mima)  to make contact with Mary Bright and discuss her plans and the best way to work together.  Sally/Claudia to approach Fairfield School to initiate work in playground.  Shiona to contact Miles Harris to establish land ownership and block grass cutting.

ACTION: Shiona to send round an email regarding a group name.

Steve’s leaf image was liked by everyone and picked for use on posters and signs.  ACTION Steve to forward blank leaf image to group for use in posters etc.

ACTION: Shiona, Danny and Karen to look for funding, with Quartet, Network Rail and greenspaces as a starting point.

As well as our most valuable resource – people power (!) – we are also in need of materials to transform these spaces. If you have anything to offer, or know of a great place to get things (either for free or at good value) then please let us know by posting a comment below or emailing shiona_macp@hotmail.com.  The most obvious items we will need are:

• Compost
• Well rotted manure
• Top Soil
• Wood and other materials to make raised beds
• Screws/nails etc
• Water butts (or equivalent)
• Seeds
• Plants
• Trees for replanting
• Organic plant food (eg comfrey tea, seaweed extracts)

Any ideas on sources of funding for these items would also be extremely welcome!

Many thanks, the Growing Team

The meeting opened with Miguel Mendonca’s talk following intros and welcomes from two Dans. Miguel presented some key points from his work which has contributed to the incoming feed-in tariffs. Miguel has worked for many years on ways of developing the green economy and has presented his findings to many places around the world and can now add Montpelier to the list that includes Brussels and Capitol Hill in Washington DC!

Basically the feed in tariff will encourage the take up of Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels which produce electricity that when not used in the home, feeds into the national grid for which the owner will be paid a premium rate. As such, with a healthy take up it provides an excellent way for individuals and community groups to influence government economic policy to be more sustainably oriented. A feed-in tariff for solar thermal (hot water) will come in next year.

Click here for a link to a spreadsheet provided by Montpelier’s solar company, 1World Solar run by Jon Walker which calculates the return you can make on solar PV. (If you can book up a system before April you are possibly still eligible to a £2000+ grant.)

Project group sand notices were next and following a short summary of Monday’s Tescos meeting, brief presentations were then made by individuals keen to get projects going on Food (Sally), Open Spaces (Shiona) and Energy (Dan). The meeting then broke up into smaller groups to start work on the projects.

Details of all these can be seen if you scroll down or click on each group below for a direct link.

Energy

Food

Open Spaces

The March 6^th painting of the Resource Centre room has been postponed. Thanks to all who have said they would help do this. We will keep you informed.

The Parks Department have been dragging their heels and giving both groups the run around.  We have written this letter to Jon Rogers to get him to try to provoke some action from them.

We will update here when we hear back.

Please check out the following by clicking on the title:

Food Discussion Intro Presentation Slides

Open Meeting 10feb Food Discussion

As there (predictably) turned out to be quite an overlap with the concerns and suggestions from the Green Spaces group, we think it would be a good idea to join forces for a while, at least until more specific projects emerge.  So both groups aim to meet together in the week commencing 22nd Feb – I will update this post with the exact time and place when confirmed!  Meanwhile, please do get in touch with a comment below, or a call to 07866 748193, if you’d like to be involved and we don’t already have your contact details.

Thanks and looking forward to more developments!  Sally

Welcome to 2010.  Over the past few weeks with the disappointment of Copenhagen (grrr), the importance of a grass roots response to climate change and peak oil is even clearer. If you couple the very cold winter (brrr), which highlighted both vulnerabilities in national food supply as well as uninsulated lofts on our streets (faster melting snow on the roofs is the clue), you can see why we feel so strongly about what we are doing.

This newsletter has a highlights of 2009; you can download the whole thing here.

It includes details of our next meeting, some thoughtful stuff and requests for specific help that is needed. Here’s poster for our next meeting on Wednesday February 10th – click on it to download it and stick in your window:

Click on image to download poster

So what now?

First a brief reflection as 2009 was our birthing year and what a year it was!

Organising the Montpelier Spring Clean; our room and exhibition at the Montpelier Art Trail; the website; two very well attended open meetings; the Bean Feast; a sold out showing of The Age of Stupid; supporting the 20mph successful speed limit campaign; supporting home improvement workshops; the Good Energy link up; the Winter Fair. Yippee!

What will 2010 be like for Transition Montpelier?

We have had one core group meeting already (see the website for minutes) and we are very keen to translate the momentum we have built through the one-off events last year into themed projects this year relating to Energy, Food, Green spaces and Streets. All of these are summarised very briefly below or (if appropriate) give them a click for further detail. And remember if there is an idea that you have, let us know and come and present it.

Next meeting:

Feb 10th – 7.30 Fairfield Resource Centre opp’ 26 Fairfield Rd

The aim of our next open meeting is to share and develop workable ideas around the themes and create groups who will be able to carry out some responses. Some ideas are already being progressed others are in their infancy. We will use the space available to enable project groups to develop ideas.

Energy – Lower our homes emissions and start working towards a community renewable energy project

Green Spaces – Improve the parks, abandoned land and verges, planting fruit orchard in containers etc

Food – Sharing suggestions for sourcing our food more sustainably, including the presentation of an innovative ‘growing streets’ idea.

Streets – Building on from Thali cafe bike stands and Picton Square feedback

Guest Speaker – We are thrilled that the meeting will open with a talk by Miguel Mendonca who is a Research Manager for the World Future Council. His background is in horticulture, geography, history, journalism, social science and environmental ethics and has recently published a book on renewable energy policy entitled “Powering the Green Economy: The Feed-in Tariff Handbook”. For more info on Miguel and WFC see here.

It should be another stimulating night. We will be putting posters up, can you put one in your window? It really helps. (download poster here)

Success

Getting these projects moving throughout the neighbourhood is reliant on people coming forward and contributing in the same brilliant way they did for the Bean Feast and Winter Fayre. Just over a longer period of time! We hope that in highlighting these projects now, you work out how you can play your part over the next year or so. One of the great things about Transition is working with others who share the same concerns as you. We know there will be time constraints but we assume you are interested in what Transition Montpelier is doing because you believe that it can make a difference here, as it is over hundreds of other areas around Britain and increasingly the world! So if there’s a theme that interests you there are bound to be a variety of ways in which you could undertake to contribute to its progress. Please come along and find out. Just a few hours of your time could make a big difference.

Cake

As ever refreshments will be provided but if you are coming could you bring something to share too? Bake a cake, bring some fruit whatever. We all like a bit of fuel to keep us going.

Constitution and Situations Vacant

Following the two major public events and the expanding influence of the council’s Neighbourhood Partnership scheme, we are extremely aware of the importance of formalising our existence as a group. Thanks to Bronwen we have a constitution underway, and to realise our aims of keeping everyone aware of our financial situation we will need a now treasurer as well as bookkeepers for the big events. Could you do this for us? If it interests you get in touch.

Painters. We get to use the Resource Centre for nothing. It is fantastic and they are very supportive. They have asked us to paint one room which is currently black and though great for films, not the best colour for a pupil referral unit! We have agreed to do it over 4 sessions on the weekend March 6th with Sat a.m as a prepping session with three coats of paint to get rid of the black. With music, tea and biscuits, it will be fun and straight forward. Who would be up for this? The FNCG will also help.

The Winter Fayre

The Fayre was great. Held on Saturday 19th December it ran throughout the day and early evening. We hoped it would bring many, many Montpelier people out and appreciate the strengths of our neighbourhood. The feedback has suggested that it did. For pics and a write up click here

Montpelier Park Group

Will be holding a very brief AGM in the Resource Centre before our meeting on Feb 10^th at 7.30pm sharp!

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting or receiving your comments via the website.

Bronwen, Ciaran, Dan, Ed, Jane, Jess, Ralph, Richard, Sally, Shiona, Simon, Steve, Tim – The Transition Montpelier core team

First, some good news.  Montpelier Park has been accepted through to the second round of another grant application, for a further £50k from Biffaward.  If successful, this would give us a total of £157k.  The work on the Park fencing is due to start in March, and the telephone box should also be removed by then.

Next, the more tedious news.  In order to qualify for the £100k in grants from Biffaward and the Lottery, the Park Group has to submit some formal documents.  These include a constitution, details of elected officials and evidence of an AGM.  We NEED to have these to get the grants.

This is where we need you!

I’m afraid AGMs fill me with fear and loathing, so unless you object (and please do feel free to), can I suggest we keep the formalities to an absolute minimum?

Transition Montpelier are holding an open meeting on Wednesday 10 February at 8pm in the old Fairfield School on Fairfield Road.  They have kindly let us meet here at 7.30pm to hold our AGM, elect officials, pass the constitution and briefly discuss what else needs to be done. This way, we guarantee to finish by 8pm, and we fulfil a large part of our responsibilities for these two grants.  If you would like a more involved discussion, you are welcome to stay on for the TM meeting where an hour has been set aside for the Green Spaces group to break off and we can spend more time on the interesting things.

Here is a draft consitution for you to comment on below; this has been drawn up to comply with the funding bodies’ requirements and is currently being checked by them too.  If you are interested in standing for a post or have AOB please let me know; we will be electing Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and up to three Executive Officers.

I can’t emphasise enough how useful it will be to have you there.  We really need your support and if you can come it would be fantastic.

Cheers,
Shiona

The main criterion that needs to be fulfilled is planning permission for the design, which will hopefully be submitted in January.  Work could then be completed on this phase by Autumn 2010.  The Lottery requires Montpelier Park Group to draw up a formal constitution and hold an AGM, which we are hoping to do in January; date to follow as soon as possible.