MINUTES

Sussex Roots 08.10.08 meeting, 18:00-20:00, Training Room 2, Falmer House

Key people in attendance:

Mischa, Chairperson

Ben Smeaton-Russel, 08/09 Sussex Roots Secretary & 07/08 committed member

Charlotte Brown, Sussex Roots 07/08 committed member & 08/09 committee member

River Jones, Sussex University (Community Dev. Worker & Community Outreach Officer)

Lists of tasks:

• Notice board – purchase blackboard paint & paint blackboard & update blackboard with important info. on what daily/weekly/monthly tasks need doing concerning the allotment

• Deweeding/Soil-management

• Compost heap / system of composting redeveloped

Photographing/documenting the site – Dominic to contact Badger photographer (Sarah) – so she can take some ‘before’ shots for our before & after montage of photos plus help us encourage more badger reading people to help out + contact the media department and propose to the department that the Sussex Roots project be a perfect project for an undergraduate media student wanting to produce a video-documentary

• General promotion - The Badger (Dolsy? One of the volunteers who’ll write articles under the Societies Column) & Community Base Magazine (Jamal to make contact & register us)

• Sign onto freecycle / gumtree / etc (Dominic was one of the people who said they would keep their eyes our on this front as they’re already registered with Freecycle at least)

• Organising the fundraising night (contact Robbie on rg84@sussex.ac.uk if interested in helping out and if you haven’t already contacted him)

• East Slope bar fundraising (food) - who is organising this sorry ?

• Water supply development - mini water pumps to be purchased

• Greenhouse plans need to be drawn-up

• Fencing/hurdling workshop times to be arranged - by Mischa - River knows of some copicing material that could be useful as fencing material - Wattle & daub w/shops to be run to confront the issue of poor fencing at the allotment in an interesting way perhaps

• More Art in Garden! - Chase up installation from Stanmer Organics (River Jones to check on the one in which she suggested would be ideal if relocated at the Sussex Roots alottment)

Mischa reporting:

Staff inclusion

The allotment is in a pretty poor state at present due to real absent of gardeners over the summer and the project failing as yet to attract the involvement of staff who are often around over the summer months when students are away. Staff-liason student member of Sussex Roots needed (Jamal Maxey volunteered)

Funding:

Funding Sussex Roots & its potential large-scale expansion

• Some funding avenues are known, but need further exploiting and others need finding

• 4-5k perhaps available for development of a forest garden project behind the allotment

  Reggae-based fundraising night – DJs within the gardening team + Robbie (rg84) @ Cowley Club, m’ship required + they have an empty calendar + venue needs saving

Developments:

• More of the meadow up behind Brighthelm and at the top of Eastslope can be utilised say the Estates Management as well as no permanent-type structures are built on the land

• Turning the site into a recreational/retreat area will mean more emotive opposition if carpark is to be built - artistic installations in the garden (River mentioned that there is an available installation that needs repairing/relocating somewhere notable and the Sussex Roots could be argued to be ideal), the building of a roundhouse and even a clay oven / rocket stove

• Composting on campus + developing compost storage onsite

• Water collection / supply to allotment

• Water bucket already purchased. Purchasing/installing pumps to come next

• Field trip(s): Earth Ship, Moulsecomb Village Garden Project or even the Centre for Alternative Technology (in Wales)

General Promoting Sussex Roots

• Website - Mischa needs some help with this

• Exploiting Epicentre

• Community Base magazine/website (to find of similar CBOs & register us on their d/base)

• Video equipment - approach media department on SR being an attractive student project

• Fortnightly film-showings on ethical living + debating (cont. to be organised by Mischa?)

Partnerships with other student societies / Brighton & Hove Community Based Organisations

• Link up with SIFE Sussex-Falmer High School Inspir8 Project that works with 14-15 year old students at high risk of exclusion on personal success skills (i.e. teamwork w/shops)

• Moulsecomb Forest Garden Project

• Brighton & Hove Food Partnerships

• Others ? (Jamal / River to check Community base website/publications for community groups we could link up with)

Society Communication

Subscribe to the mailing list on the external society website: http://www.sussexroots.org.uk/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

It is possible that USSU sub-mailing-lists can be created, i.e. promotion@sussexroots.ussu.info (Jamal to discuss with Jo Walters/Dave Owen on this being a way to help those keen on society management, promotion and/or event-organisation stay in contact easier and limit the extent that unwanted emails are received)

Next meeting is scheduled for Sunday at 12 midday and the one after next for 12 midday on Wednesdays – these times are fixed for the week for group work, but volunteers can work the allotment at any time during the week

Minutes taken by Jamal Maxey, new 08/09 member of Sussex Roots