Loughborough in Bloom

Working Group Agenda

10th March 2015

Meeting Room 12, Southfields 10.00am

Agenda

1. Welcome and Apologies (SR) – 2mins

Present CBC = Cherry Foster, Eleanor Montgomery, Kelly Baker-Adams, Serco = Jo De Roeck, Quadron = Nicola Clarke, Martin Botham

Apologies CBC = Hiron Miah, Sarah Ritchie, Julie-Ann Byrne

a. Actions from Previous Minutes

Key points of improvement are: Types of waste and recycling, tonnages etc. Information about Community Champions and Street Sweeping information. The presence of our information leaflets about Serco and their role etc. Information about Street Management and enforcement. Fines, campaigns etc. Information about Enviro Detectives.

Defra – Big Spring Tidy Up (Keep Britain Tidy)

Bandstand – It is Victorian, however unsure about its listing.

Benches in Queens Park – Quadron will paint as near to Bloom judging as possible (beginning of June). MB said they are in good condition but will need sanding down and painting.

Purple poles in Town Centre – This is a no starter. There will be 3 hanging basket trees (each with 20 baskets) with guards surrounding. They will be manufactured by a local company and made from wood and brushed steel. Planning permission has been sought for all locations. 2. Criteria & this year’s theme (SR) – 10 mins

New judging criteria will be piloted (EMIB) but judges will use the old criteria for judging overall. NC thinks groups could end up dropping medals as a result.

Theme – green streets, better lives. This was mentioned at the seminar CF and NC attended. Urban pollinators are to be considered and the health effects/benefits on people (reduces stress etc). NC said that this year the flowers that Quadron has already ordered cannot be changed as they were ordered in September 2014 for this year, however they can be considered for next year as the theme runs over the next few years. Sustainable planting should be considered for both the environment and financial perspectives.

3. Bloom Route (SR) – 20 mins

Route has still not been decided, unsure of the exact locations to be included. CF and SR are going out with Mike Jones today to discuss the route further and the timings.

There has been a discussion about not too many community groups will be included this year which has led to disagreements with the Bloom Board.

Judges have felt rushed in the past when judging us and therefore the timings of our route need to be changed.

LIB key changes:  Timings  Dog fouling information  Waste and Recycling information

Bloom board have agreed to not show the Cemetery this year and are currently discussing the Mosque on King Street.

We have had problems getting a representative from LCC to attend the Bloom Board; we don’t even have a named contact. JDR suggested contacting Tarmac who is the sublet contractor that LCC use. She suggested speaking to them and inviting them along to speed up the process.

4. A.O.B (ALL) – 10 mins

NC – Evenly spaced comfort breaks need to be considered as a comfort break at 3 Close Tenants is too late as right at end of tour. Needs to be half way through either in Town Centre or Loughborough Uni as it is not fair on the judges.

NC – Timings – children need to be given enough time to talk. The Museum is extensive and therefore enough time will need to be provided in order to appreciate it. JDR – Queens Park litter bins were full on judging day last year. Quadron advised this would not be the case this year.

CF – Queens Park litter bins need to be washed by Quadron the day before judging day.

NC – Bus Shelters will need to be cleaned prior to judging day.

CF – What are the Queens Park sculptures for this year? NC said that the board had decided from 3 students using the Ladybird Books 100th Anniversary and the entries were as follows:  A sofa made out of ladybird books (1500) to be used as an outside interactive story telling area and cost £2K.  What do ladybird books mean to me? A colourful, exciting tunnel made from coloured resin. Inside the tunnel there are objects from various ladybird books set into the resin.  Child reading a book – a 3 or 4 year old boy on stomach with legs bent in the air reading a book. It will be made from clay cast into hard resin and cost £700. NC said that the board have decided on the sofa but there may be a copyright issue. The tunnel was deemed a H&S concern and the child reading was thought to be too small. NC and Quadron have been liaising with Sylvia Wright over this project as she already has dealings with Ladybird.

KBA – Video – last year £1K was spent on its production. This year would be the same. Design of Portfolio cost a total of £780 last year; this could be changed. This figure is based on printing 200 copies on 350gsm cover and 130 gsm interior. Total spent last year was £2,344. KBA said she asked the Bloom Board to scrap the video this year and use the money saved for display boards for Community groups, however the answer she received from the Board was no.

NC – Coventry Council have gone paperless for their portfolio. They asked judges if their portfolio could be in electronic format and then can be played on a tablet on judging day. This will go ahead and the judges will receive the electronic copy prior to judging. NC said this was a good initiative and a sustainable way forward for the future.

Next Meeting – 12th May 2015, Meeting Room 12