PECDT Annual Report 2009

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PECDT Projects and ActivitiesPECDT’s Annual General MeetingsThe Annual General Meeting held within thedates covered by this report took place in June2009, in Vincent House. There were two guestspeakers at the meeting: Michael Lavender,Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for PlaceShaping and Enterprise and Anja Beinroth, GrantMaking Officer for East London CommunityFoundation.Michael Lavender updated the participants onthe Place Shaping developments and outlinedfurther plans for the area, while Anja gave thelatest details about the criteria for future funding.Then it was back to the normal business of theAGM. Many aspects of the work of the Trustthroughout the year were debated and futureplans discussed. The current Directors resignedtheir positions, as stipulated in the PECDTConstitution. Many however put themselvesforward for re-election and secured a further two-year tenure in office. The Chair, EmmanuelAhanonu, and the Treasurer, Martine Drake,were selected at a subsequent Directors’meeting. The Trust has nine Directors at present.The number of Directors is capped at 10.

Community Meetings/Open ForumsWe have re-started the Open Forums. They areusually held in Vincent House and deal with therelevant local issues, such as communitypremises or funding. Dates for the PECDT OpenForums are advertised in The PEN and on ourwebsite. There is also an extensive mailing list ofthose who are informed of events and meetingdirectly via emails or letters.

Residents who are unable to attend the meetingsare always invited to submit their comments andsuggestions via the office.As its latest task the Trust aims to review whichlocal buildings are, or could be, available forlocal activities and what will be needed in futureto support and benefit our community. PECDT Allotment

The Trust continues to rent a plot on the FalconFields Allotment site in Church Road. The plothas water supply and a shed with basic toolsand enough room to shelter from the weather.The 2008 report described how the plot hadbeen divided into mini plots for allotmentapprentices to use to decide whether or not totrade up to renting plots of their own. Thisinitiative kept the plot fully cultivated in 2009, atno financial cost to the Trust. The Trust waslucky to secure a dedicated long-term volunteerwho inducts new recruits and acts anintermediary between them, the Trust and thesite managers.At the time of writing the arrangements for the2010 season are still being finalised. However, itis hoped that six people will be cultivating mini-plots this year.The Trust can also offer expert advice to anyonewho wants guidance on what to grow and/orhow.PECDT FestivalsIn December the Trust delivered its ChristmasLights Festival to celebrate the Winter season.The money was secured from the LBE/SSCB

Ponders End High Street. Lots of changes areplanned for Ponders End this year

Know your onions! Open Day at the Falcon FieldsAllotments

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The aims of PECDT Membershipare:

• to promote the interests, growth and theawareness of the Ponders EndCommunity Development Trust

• to represent the views and, wherenecessary, negotiate on behalf of theManagement and other Members indealings with individuals, statutory andnon-statutory organisations

• to provide the Trust with a forum foragreeing policy matters of commoninterest

• to provide information to otherMembers, volunteers and residents ofPonders End.Martine Drake judges the Biscuit Competition at the

Christmas Lights Festival

Small Grants Programme, with some financialassistance from the London Borough of Enfield’sPlace Shaping Team. The Council has alsoprovided a Christmas tree with festive lights,which they mounted on the pavement outside theLibrary.The event, held in United Reformed Church, wasopened by the Mayor of Enfield E. Savva. Insidethe hall, creativity was much in evidence aschildren made Christmas decorations and icedtheir biscuits for the competition, while DebbieDean of ArtStart led the very popular lantern-making activity. Enfield’s Pippin Puppets put on afabulous puppet show, which kept the kids gluedto their seats for an hour and the local SaferNeighbourhoods Police Team members werevery much in evidence too, making sureeverything ran smoothly. The slight drizzle didn’t dampen the spirits, asthe children walked with their lanterns down tothe High Street and back towards the tree. Theywere led by tall angels, walking on stilts, theirwings brightly lit. The walk was accompanied bythe Enfield Brass Band, who played rousingChristmas carols, contributing to the festiveatmosphere.The evening culminated in the turning-on of thelights on the Christmas tree, positioned justoutside Ponders End Library. Councillor DougTaylor (deputising for Andy Love, MP, who fellvictim to the winter flu) led the count-down. Healso drew the winning ticket for the ChristmasHamper and announced the winner of thechildren’s Decorate your Biscuit Competition.The parents were entertained by the StreetDancing Group, which was so flamboyant that anencore was requested, with many attendeesjoining in the fun. A performance by Turkishdancers from the local Turkish School was alsoincluded. During the breaks delicious multi-

PECDT Membership SchemeAt the 2007 AGM the Trustees approved theintroduction of the PECDT Membership scheme.The structure of the proposed scheme and itsadministration was outlined in the last AnnualReport. Staff shortage contributed to the scheme notbeing fully implemented during the year. But thestructure of the membership and its forms wereredefined and the project is now recruiting.Induction and training will be organised in thenear future. The new members were invited toattend a Directors meeting in May. It wasdecided to recruit representatives from thePonders End Turkish community, and groupswhich are not represented.For information on how you, or yourorganisation, can become the members ofPonders End Community Development Trustcontact the PECDT Office, c/o Ponders EndLibrary, College Court, High Street, EN3 4EY.Tel: 020 8805 0412.

cultural food, prepared by representatives fromBritish, Sri Lankan, Turkish and Bangladeshicommunities, was served and was very muchenjoyed by all.More music from the Brass Band made for afitting finale to a jolly and entertaining afternoon.The Christmas tree remained outside the Libraryfor Ponders End residents to enjoy throughoutthe festive season.

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Marketing and PublicityThe PENThe magazine continues to inform and entertainits readers, producing four issues per year. Itsmain function is to inform local residents ofeverything that is going on in Ponders End, fromactivities, plans, learning and training, andworking opportunities. Following some financialassistance from the LBE, the number of printedcopies of the newsletter was increased from3,000 to 6,000 to enable the Trust to reach everyhousehold in Ponders End.It is now an established vehicle, used often bycommunity and statutory groups, to provide up-to-date information, promote their activities andrecruit participants. The July issue outlined thework of the Fair Share Trust and its new fundingpriorities. The Enfield Council is a regularcontributor to the pages of the magazine withupdates and information for the community as isPonders End Youth Club and Enfield BangladeshWelfare Association. Councillor Choudhury Anwar, PECDT Director, Enfield

Mayor E. Savva and Nick Johnson of EBRA joining inthe celebrations at Christmas Lights Festival

We aim to print relevant local news, highlightvarious cultural differences often encountered byour readers and offer a taste of culinary dishesfrom other countries by printing a recipe suppliedby readers from different corners of the world.We reported on topics as diverse as the fire inthe offices of Community Aid and the BoundaryBrook’s bird population. Occasionally included isForeigner’s Viewpoint, a personal opinion on thelife in the UK by those who have grown up in adifferent culture or country. Frequently, we highlight local concerns, such astraffic or infestation, as well as promote theCouncil’s initiatives for the area. Through thepages of the magazine we also keep in touchwith our volunteers new and old. Last year ourreaders were eagerly following a volunteer whowent to Africa on a year long trip to work on anature reserve. From time to time we want to find out whetherour work is relevant to the people who are themain recipients, so we conducted a Readers’Survey. This gave the Editorial Group a valuableinsight of what our readers expect and whetherthese expectations are met. To encourageparticipation we have offered a prize. We weregratified that, on average, The PEN is thought tobe good and is read thoroughly. Most localpeople get every edition delivered to theirhomes. Revealingly, most would not want to payfor a copy, or receive it by email. As always,there was room for improvement andsuggestions included a fun section, with puzzles,and quiz competitions. There are plans to make the magazine self-financing by taking in paid advertisements fromlocal businesses. The Editorial Board hadidentified priorities and concerns and will presentthem to the Directors for approval. Once theproposal is accepted preliminary research will becarried out by nominated volunteers and, ifsuccessful, a pilot scheme put in place.

Vincent House Building - Community RoomHireThe Trust has an office in Vincent House inexchange for the promotion and theadministration of the room hire to the communityand local groups. There are two communityrooms available: one spacious meeting room onthe ground floor, and the other much smaller onein the basement. Due to its position and the size,the use of the basement room is limited, and thisis reflected in booking.Over the past few months the contract betweenCAHA and PECDT was refined and the free useof the rooms confirmed for the two organisations(CAB and Age Concern) based therez.

Vincent House on Nags Head Road

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Bangla Mela in the local Recreation Ground

PECDT WebsiteThe continuation with the existing arrangementsfor the PECDT Website had proved impossibledue to financial constraints. It was decided tomake use of one of the free website servicesavailable to community and not-for-profit groupsas it has an easily navigated template.The basic design was carried out by the Trust’sMarketing Officer and the original informationwas added by the PECDT Treasurer.Subsequently the Trust engaged a volunteer,who works from the Trust’s office one day perweek. This proved to be very successful and theTrust has now a functioning website which isregularly updated and has the most recentcopies of the PEN and Annual Reports. Ourpromotional leaflet is also included as arephotographs in our picture gallery, a selection ofuseful information on local groups, their activitiesand contact points.

External EventsThe Trust members continue to take activeinterest in the organisational matters of otherorganisations, both local and regional. Wecontinue to participate as their Board Members,supporting their work and sharing good practice.In addition to attending various meetings, likeArea Forums, CAPE and Friends of the Parks,and being committee members of many localorganisations, the Trust holds its own regularmeetings to which members of partnershiporganisations and guest speakers are invited.These include Annual General Meetings, OpenForum, occasional Directors and ManagementGroup meetings, Editorial Group, FestivalWorking Group, Membership Group and others.

Our new Website address ispondersendcommunity@btik.com

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The Trust has a core of dedicated volunteerswho help with its work and actively participate inits projects. A number of volunteers are involvedin the production of The PEN, the Trust’squarterly newsletter. Their much valuedcontribution includes gathering relevantinformation, writing, supplying suitableillustrations and photographs and helping withthe delivery. This, with 6,000 copies hand-delivered to every letterbox in the area, is nomean achievement.This year the Trust worked closely with EVA todevelop its volunteer policies and codes of goodpractice. A member of the EVA visited the officesof the PECDT on a number of occasions,developing our interviewing and selectionguidelines and helping us to secure appropriatevolunteers for the appropriate tasks. The Trustgained an invaluable knowledge in recruitmentand selection procedures, devised working withvolunteers guidelines and, through theirrecruitment process, secured a number ofdependable and enthusiastic people to assistwith our work. New volunteers have ensured thatour book-keeping is up-to-date, helped with thewriting and delivery of The PEN, and providedregular maintenance and updates of the PECDTwebsite.

Working withVolunteers

Working with VolunteersWorking with the volunteers is a two-wayprocess. In return for practical help theTrust can offer:

• An opportunity:- to have your say- to make new friends- to help your community- to improve your environment

• Basic work experience• Access to IT equipment• New skills• A sense of belonging• An opportunity to influence the policies

of the Trust.

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Supporting Local OrganisationsA place where there exists a flourishing, vibrantcommunity is easily recognisable. It ischaracterised by a large number of activecommunity groups, well-used local green spacesand well-attended community events. It usuallyhas a multi-use community centre with activitiesfor people of all ages, from education, health andfitness, to social gatherings. Community groups are vital for the well-being ofthe area. Ponders End is a multi-racial, multi-cultural place, with a core of long-term residentsand many immigrants. The new settlers are oftenin need of assisitance due to ther poor languageskills and unfamiliarity with the legal system. Thelocal community groups, often the first point ofcontact, fulfill these needs in an informal, non-threatening way. They provide opportunities forpeople to engage and work together. The Trust, as an umbrella body for local groups,works in partnerships with them, providing auseful network. Local groups are informed aboutthe work already being done in the area, whichhelps to avoid duplication and save resourceswhich could be better spent on other activities. Through links with local groups the Trust canreach a wider section of hard-to-reach individualsand deliver their own and our objectives.Ponders End CDT has been working with EnfieldCouncil staff, exploring choices and options forimproving Ponders End. We facilitate localmeetings and act as a mediator between thegroups and the Council, taking their concerns tothe appropriate departments.As part of our continuing partnership work, weoffer support and help for community groupsbased in or working in and near Ponders EndWard. Local groups have many ideas for newactivities for people of all ages and there are

many funders keen to support them. PECDTaims to help to bring everyone together andmake the best of the opportunities. We can helpwith setting-up of new groups, preparation of thegoverning documents and constitutions, planningand managing, fund-raising, quality systems andquality control, training and volunteering.Occasionally, we may assist with fundingapplications and banking.We keep a regularly updated database of alllocal groups, to facilitate information gatheringand dissemination and offer the groups theopportunity to include their details and createlinks on our website.Working with EBWAThe Trust took part in the annual festivitiesorganised by the Enfield Bangladesh WelfareAssociation and promoted the event through ournewsletter. The gazebos used by theorganisation were supplied through the PondersEnd Community Development Trust.Working with Community AidWhen Community Aid run its Food and Hygieneproject the PECDT encouraged its volunteers toparticipate and, subsequently, used the courseparticipants to prepare food for one of itscommunity events.Working with Other Organisations

Other organisations with whom the PECDTworks closely include ArtStart, which continues toparticipate at our events, providing activities forchildren. The PECDT also supports Ponders EndJob Brokerage project by making its VincentHouse Office available on a one-day per weekbasis to the Broker, Karen Taylor, It offers asimilar arrangement to Enfield’s Polish SaturdaySchool and the Fair Share Trust.Ponders End Library which houses the PECDT Office

Polish Saturday School children