The Gardens Community Garden (GRA) receives prestigious Community Award 2011

Haringey community green space is one of the best in the country

The Gardens Community Garden (GRA) at Doncaster Gardens, off Green Lanes N4 is one of the best community-run green spaces in the country – and that’s official!

Today, The Gardens Community Garden (GRA) will receive the Community Award, a sign that the site is a well- managed and welcoming place, central to the local community and is a high-quality green space in Haringey which is run and managed completely by unpaid volunteers through the local residents association.

The Gardens Community Garden (GRA) is one of a record number of parks and green spaces receiving the Community Award this year, ensuring that even more of us now have access to well-managed, high-quality green spaces.

In 2011, 1,288 parks and green spaces will fly either the Green Flag or Community Award, a sign that the value of green space is widely acknowledged as vital to our communities.

Andy Newman - The Gardens Community Garden Co-ordinator who is also the Vice Chair of the Gardens Residents Association is truly over the moon with this years award as this is the 6^th time in a row that the Gardens Residents Association (GRA) have won the award since 2006 – “We were recently awarded funding from the Big Lottery to commission local willow artist “Angela Baker” to produce willow artwork incorporating bird boxes, which have made an fantastic visual impact in the garden this year.

We try to fundraise and install something different into the community garden every year so it’s constantly evolving and growing”. The garden is like the “Oasis of the Gardens” in Harringay and the garden is used like a Community Centre without a Roof, for birthday parties, outdoor films, Easter egg hunts, Halloween events, even christenings and once was used for a funeral.

Phil Barton, Green Flag Plus Partnership chairman said: “I would like to congratulate this year’s winners, who have worked hard throughout the year to keep their parks and green spaces at a high standard and ensure they are pleasant and enjoyable spaces for the whole community.

“The Green Flag Award Scheme, and its growth, is essential in driving up the standards of our parks and green spaces. Access to quality green space is something we all desire and the scheme plays a key role in providing it.

“In these challenging financial times it is heartening that the number of Community Awards continue to grow. As the value of green space and the role it plays in our communities strengthens, we must ensure these high standards remain.”

Gardens Residents Association AGM - Monday 9 May 7.30pm

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Gardens Residents Association will take place on Monday 9 May from 7.30 – 9.30pm, at the Kurdish Community Centre, Portland Gardens N4 IHU (off Stanhope Gardens).

The Gardens Residents Association (GRA) exists to represent the views of all the residents in the Gardens roads (Warwick, Stanhope, Rutland, Roseberry, Chesterfield, Kimberley, Cleveland, Doncaster and Portland Gardens) whether you are tenants or owner-occupiers, whether you live in a house or a block of flats, whether you have just moved in or have lived here for many years. We work closely with our local councillors, council officers, community safety team (police) and other local organisations and community groups to improve the environment for local residents. The Gardens Residents Association created and maintains the award-winning Community Garden in Doncaster Gardens (off Stanhope Gardens), and holds a number of community events throughout the year, such as the recent spring event (seed planting, willow workshop and Easter egg hunt) which took place on 9 April and attracted at least 50 local families.

The theme of this year’s meeting is: Let’s get involved!

The Gardens Residents Association is a busy, thriving organisation and the more people who get involved, the more we can do. We will spend some time at this meeting discussing the best ways to encourage more people to play an active role. We have also invited our 3 councillors to come along and address the meeting and take questions from the floor.

We will also be electing our officers for the coming year. This year two positions have become vacant as both the Chair and the Secretary, who have each served for two years, are stepping down due to other commitments. So we are looking for some new volunteers to take on these roles. The Vice Chair is happy to stay on and other members of the committee will give lots of support to the new officers.

Each of these roles could be undertaken on a job-share basis between two people. The tasks that are involved are as follows:

Chair of GRA

§ To represent the GRA locally

§ To attend and chair the monthly meetings of the GRA, and other meetings which may be arranged from time to time

§ To draw up agendas for GRA meetings

§ To make sure all residents have an equal chance to voice their views at meetings

§ To encourage community involvement in meetings and GRA activities

§ To contribute to GRA decision-making, planning and carrying out GRA activities.

Secretary of GRA

§ To attend and take minutes of all GRA meetings

§ To type up the minutes and circulate them to the members

§ To send out reminder notices of meetings

§ To invite councillors and other local representatives and council officers to our meetings as required

§ To check the GRA email inbox regularly and action as appropriate

§ To write letters and emails on behalf of the GRA as agreed at meetings

§ To contribute to GRA decision-making, planning and carrying out GRA activities.

Several people have expressed an interest so far, but nothing is decided as yet, so do get in touch before the meeting if you are interested in taking on one of these positions. Email gardensresidents@gmail.com or phone 020 8374 7721.

There are also many other voluntary roles, including looking after: Membership, Website and E-Group, Fundraising, Planning Issues, Community Garden, Trees, Newsletter, Children’s Activities, Waste management, Traffic, Neighbourhood Watch, Safer Neighbourhoods Ward Panel etc. This is your chance to get involved and do your bit to help improve the local neighbourhood, so do let us know if you are interested in taking on one of these roles.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

GRA Meeting Dates for 2011

Wed 2nd March 2011
Thurs 7th April 2011

Mon 9th May 2011 - AGM
(Annual General Meeting)

Tues 7th June 2011
Wed 6th July 2011
No meeting in August
Thurs 8th Sept 2011
Mon 3rd Oct 2011
Tues 8th Nov 2011
Thurs 8th Dec 2011

Held at the;
Kurdish Community Centre Fairfax Hall,
Portland Gardens, off Stanhope Gardens,
Harringay, N4 1HU.

Between 7.30pm & 9pm

Xmas Tree Recycling 1-16 January 2011