AGM update

On the 27th April, the Friends of Gipton Wood met for their Annual General Meeting. It was lovely to see so many there to discuss and set our plans for the next year. You can find the minutes here. We also watched the wonderful short film, ‘The Joy of Gipton Wood’, which is available on Youtube for all to view.

Elections

Danny was re-elected unanimously as our Treasurer for another three year term, and other Officers were reconfirmed in their roles.

Heather, who has served on the Committee for the last year in a co-opted role after stepping back from her previous role as Secretary, stood down. Heather has made a huge contribution to the group over the last eight years, keeping the group running during Covid and helping to build it back up again afterwards. We wouldn’t be here without her and are very grateful for all she has done in that time.

Annual Report

The group looked back over the last 12 months and the extent of work completed, from dad hedging to bramble pulling, sapling thinning to litter picking. A huge thank you to all our volunteers for everything they have contributed this year. Four Rhythm of Nature family events have been held and a Bluebell walk and Fungi walk. We’ve launched this website, commissioned an ecology survey, and won over £8,000 in funding. Added to which we’ve seen the plans developed for Gipton Wood 2050 and held a community consultation on them.

Our list of Friends now stands at 111 and we have over 600 followers on Facebook, giving us a fantastic reach.

Our total income was £8,816 from grants and donations, and our expenditure was £9,362. Big thank you to our funders and supporters this year, REAP, Morley Glass, Wades Charity, Roundhay Councillors, Oakwood Solicitors, and of course our community for their generous donations.

While we have run a deficit, we’ve been drawing down on grants and donations from previous years, so our balance is still healthy and we are well above our Reserves policy.

Gipton Wood 2050 Consultation response

The group reviewed the feedback from the Gipton Wood 2050 consultation and determined our response.

93% of respondents support the plans (66% entirely, 27% mostly, 6% some, 1% none) and there is a majority of support for all the proposals listed. There was no significant difference in response by age, ethnicity, gender or disability.

There were four areas of concern raised during the consultation and these were the elements that the AGM considered responses to.

First, there was a concern expressed that the plans were too focused on infrastructure and not enough on nature. Those expressing these concerns particularly mentioned their enjoyment of plants growing right up to the paths. The AGM agreed that actually nature is at the heart of these proposals – currently paths are getting wider, cutting into the native wildflowers. Better surfaced paths will prevent this, meaning that more flowers and nature will be able to get up close to the paths – indeed the paths which have plants and flowers closest to them are the tarmac paths because no one ever has to skirt off them to avoid any mud. Tree works proposed are also about improving the age diversity and canopy structure of the Wood to improve its health and regeneration.

Second, there was some feedback on the entrances and access controls. A suggestion was made that the proposed new entrance at the bottom corner of Oakwood Boundary Road (next to Rico’s) should exit both onto that road and Roundhay Road to give exit directly onto the pavement. This was heartily supported by the AGM and agreed to be adopted. There were some concerns about accessibility, and the AGM was content that the designs provided by Leeds City Council meet all accessibility requirements. There was some concern expressed about the aesthetic of the proposed chicane design. The AGM agreed that more architectural designs should be explored, and colour used to blend metalwork into the woodland background.

Finally, there was discussion about the potential increase of anti-social noise or behaviour. It was clarified that the bench near the exit out to Oakwood Boundary Road/the Nook would only be being moved by a matter of feet to the edge of the resurfaced path rather than metres up the path closer to the houses. Discussion was had about the proposed seating around the ‘plaza’ at the green arch entrance off Gipton Wood Road and it was agreed that this seating would be removed from the design.

These adjustments are all listed in full on the Gipton Wood 2050 page of this website.

Work plan and volunteering

Lastly, the AGM considered the workplan for the upcoming year. It was agreed that this would consist of:

• Rhythm of Nature Series (June, September, December
  and March)
• Dead hedging (April, May and October)
• Bramble pulling (July)
• Sapling thinning (November and February)
• Invasive/non-native clearance (June, December and January)
• Bird boxes (January)
• Spring clean / Autumn tidy (March/August)
• Litter picking – throughout the year

Recognising that some volunteers are happy to help out more formally, but without wanting to join the Committee, the Committee introduced two new groups of volunteers that will be set up this year – the ‘Events Team’ and ‘Project Support’.

The Events Team will be a group of volunteers more closely involved in running Volunteer Action Mornings and Rhythm of Nature events helping things run smoothly on the
day; setting up and packing down; welcoming people; looking after the tea break and donations (at family events); taking photos and capturing the day, including
covering issues around consent for image capture/use; and having a nice walk around the wood putting up /pulling down posters.

Project Support will be group more closely involved in the upcoming project work associated with Gipton Wood 2050. It will allow volunteers to get involved in small practical ways as the work happens. Projects will be short term and clearly defined and will support specific tasks, working alongside others. Work
could involve preparing areas ahead of work; helping with lighter tasks; planting and habitat work; and tidying up or finishing off areas. Where needed, training will be
given.

Many thanks to all those who joined the AGM to help make these important decisions. Here’s to another fantastic year in the Wood!