July 2022 Newsletter
Jubilee Party!
The Jubilee party took place over the first weekend of June, and we know those who went along had a wonderful time as we have had several thank you notes telling us so! One person wrote ‘the planning and careful thought put into the day to include all age groups was exceptional’.
Thanks to the committee members who put so much effort into making the day happen.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM took place on the 12th of July. It was a hot summer evening, so we were very pleased to be quorate without needing to reconvene. Thanks to all those members who were able to come along. We would like to apologise for the quality of the audio, which was down to new technology and old technology failing to communicate adequately. This will be resolved by the next meeting, and we thank everyone present for their patience. Despite the gremlins, we managed to get through the agenda and have now signed off the 20-21 accounts, approved building works and agreed to try a new cleaning company.
IMAGE: Party organisers, Co-op Treasurer Janet and Secretary Maureen at the Jubilee party on the estate in early June. Look out for more images on the website gallery soon.
Chair’s report
New Committee Member
- The summer Jubilee party was a huge success – a big thank you to Maureen and any others that helped
- No major problems on the estate at present – a few outstanding things i.e. pigeons & pavements which we are working towards getting resolved
- The next Borough Forum meeting (October) will be held in the Co-op’s meeting room as members prefer to have face-to-face meetings
- Going forward, all Convent meetings will be held in the meeting room alongside the option to Zoom. This will give residents a chance to meet the committee in person and each other
- Costs of all services and works have greatly increased – this will be reflected in the Service Charges.
- Our rates are some of the lowest in Wandsworth and we will work hard to keep it this way
- We are still looking for a regular handyman who is reliable and will not charge us extortionate prices
- Thank you all very much, have a lovely summer and keep safe
We welcomed new member, Lydia Thompson who joined the management committee and very much look forward to working with her in the future.
As there are now only nine committee members, we are eager to recruit more shareholders to join. Five is the absolute minimum number needed to continue. Recruiting more members will ensure the Co-op’s survival, along with its relatively low service charges and on hands management. If the Co-op cannot attract new committee members, we may have no choice but to turn the Co-op over to the council in the future. So do, please consider joining us. You can join a committee any time and the workload is not onerous, with a maximum of six management meetings per year or two sub-committee meetings.
Drains and car parking
We have recently had several incidences of blocked drains. We would like to remind all residents that they should only be putting loo roll down the loo. Nappies, sanitary products, wipes or anything else that isn’t loo roll needs to be thrown in the bin. Fat and grease should not be poured down the drain. Please look at the video about fatbergs on YouTube to see what happens when fat builds up. If you’ve not seen this before, you will soon realise why it’s so important to follow the instructions.
Thames Water has produced the following advice which begins. “We clear around 75,000 blockages from our sewers each year. Many of these are caused by items like wet wipes, sanitary items and cotton pads that can’t break down. When they’re flushed down the loo, they combine with cooking fats and oils, eventually blocking pipes. This can force raw sewage back up drains, plugholes, and toilets and into homes.” See here for more information here.
While we have been dealing with blocked drains, we noticed that some residents have been parking over the manhole covers. These covers should always be accessible, and residents should only park in the allotted spaces.
It would be wonderful if we could support Janet’s amazing level of commitment with a few new committee members, which could ensure the future of the Co-op. We’d like to thank Janet for her support, and for contributing during her years of good governance.
Interview with committee member Janet Raffety – Treasurer, Management and Finance Committees
Janet has lived on the estate for 36 years and has been a committee member for around 35 of those. Janet initially got involved in helping to run the Co-op because she wanted to ensure the Estate remained a safe and friendly place to live. She told us she is proud and delighted to have witnessed children growing up and remaining here as adults with families of their own. She has also met a lot of new people and made a few lifelong friends along the way! Janet’s working life is in accounts (which, she says, is a surprise, as she hated maths at school). It, therefore, made sense for her to have been the Treasurer, although she also had a spell as Secretary in the early days. Janet would really like to see younger residents get more involved. She said, “It was lovely to see so many residents at the Jubilee extravaganza – and a big thank you to Nick and the ‘A Team’ for helping with the preparations on the day.”