GreenSpace South West

New Forum Manager now in post
Roger Gates is the new Forum Manager for the South West region. Roger is currently finishing an Msc in Climate Change and Risk Management along side running the regional forum. Previous to this Roger gained a number of years experience working for Ealing Council.

Roger Gates
Development Manager, GreenSpace South West
GreenSpace South West
T: 07838 584617
E: rgates@green-space.org.uk

June GreenSpace South West Open Meeting Presentations online
June's open saw a good turnout for a presentation from Jane Stoneham on Access and Equal Inclusion. View Presentation

New web resource for different sections of the sector
CABE Space have recently updated their website to make it easier for different sections of the sector, including green space managers and community groups, to find information and resources.

Love Parks Week 2009
This years Love Parks Week takes place between Saturday 25 July and Sunday 2 August. The national campaign, run by GreenSpace, aims to raise awareness of the importance of Britain's parks and green spaces and the central role that parks play in communities across the country. Since launching in April over 200 events have been registered on the Love Parks Week website, from bug hunts and nature walks to family fun days and live music performances. Click for more information.. or visit www.loveparksweek.org.uk

Successful funding bid for full-time post
The Forum has successfully bid for DCLG funds to appoint a full-time Forum Manager. It is planned to appoint someone as soon as possible after April. The person's main role will be to manage the implementation of the Forum's three year business plan which will mean working closely with members of the Forum to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals.

Forum membership doubles and campaign seeks futher increases
The membership of GreenSpace has doubled over the last year or so, with members also taking an increasingly active role in its running. This increase in membership and activity has laid down a good foundation from which the Forum can push forward its own agenda over the coming years. However even with this significant increase, the percentage of local authorities who are members of the Regional Forum stands at 33% and it remains a priority for the Forum to increase the membership over the next couple of years to around 66%.
Forum Chair, Peter Wilkinson, says: “Whilst the injection of Central Government funding is to be welcomed, the Forum members would rather that other local authorities and organisations join us in order to provide enough core funding to safeguard our future. The funding we have recently secured here in the south west has to be seen as an opportunity to grow our membership and take action ourselves to further the many benefits of green spaces and parks. Please join us.”

Online forum for community groups
The GreenSpace Community Network Online Forum allows park-based community group to communicate with one another online... For more archive news please visit the news
section of the website .