November 2024 - Newsletter

West Garth Area Residents Association Newsletter 

November 2024 

Following a vote at the last AGM, the Resident’s Association lives on! 

Meet the Committee 

Founded in 2020 by Sam White, Cathy Partington, Cliff Cane and Leone Ellis, our purpose is: 

• To represent and promote the interests of all residents in the area 

• To improve conditions for the residents 

• To work in partnership with the council and other agencies to achieve our aims and to represent the interest of residents to the council and any other local authorities/bodies 

• To be non-party political and non-sectarian 

There’s been a change of faces over the years, our current committee members are: 

Ben & Kerrell Blyth Des Atkinson Clifford Cane 

Huge thanks go to Sam and Cathy, who are planning to support the committee from the sidelines for a while – they’ve been actively involved in a smooth handover. 

So far, the committee has: 

• Secured funding for a community garden in the park 

• Established a Neighbourhood Watch scheme 

• Arranged community events including a Redcoat tour, several “tea in the park” events, Christmas Carols and Advent Windows,  

• Established Community Speedwatch 

Our future plans include more of the above, and we’ll regularly consult with you to see what you want.  

Membership 

The Residents Association belongs to the residents. We need households to become members to strengthen our standing in the wider community.  

Why sign up? 

• In the Duryard & St James Ward our area represents the largest voting proportion so our voice matters. 

• A collective voice is greater than individuals when it comes to council matters, planning concerns, the University’s pipeline, HMOs and other local concerns 

• Collectively, we can access significant funding for improvements and community initiatives, such as park upgrades, investment in a community centre. 

• All members can enrol in the Neighbourhood Watch scheme which reduces your home insurance! 

It’s simple to sign up, you can email, WhatsApp/text 07772 672816, sign up online at www.wgara.co.uk or through our Facebook page. Membership is free although we do ask for a voluntary donation of £5 per household to help us continue to run events and put back into the community. We are not for profit, our committee members are all volunteers. 

Community Speedwatch 

The really good news is that our Community Speedwatch group is now up and running. We have five volunteers in total and we ran our first session on the afternoon of Wednesday 6th November on Wrefords Lane. We spent the first half-hour near the Farm Shop recording traffic coming up the hill (70 vehicles in total). Our second half-hour was down near Greenacres recording traffic coming downhill (128 vehicles in total). Our radar device detected a number of those vehicles travelling at 35mph or above, and the registered owners will be receiving letters from the Devon & Cornwall Police seeking to educate them about obeying the speed limit.  

For our next session on Wrefords Lane we hope to do an early session one weekday as the morning commuter traffic can be a real problem. If anybody would like to join us, then please let us know via WhatsApp or send an email at contact@wgara.co.uk. Full training and equipment are provided, and we hope to make our neighbourhood a safer and more pleasant place to live.  

Coming up 

This year we are going bigger than Advent Windows and want to see the most Christmassy House!! So, deck those halls and trim those trees, you the residents can vote on your favourite house on our new website, head to www.wgara.co.uk or scan the QR code below to vote! Voting closes 22nd December, the house with the most votes will win a hamper full of goodies! 

The Duryard solar fields are slowly re-opening – take care out there, the soil is all churned up and loose so this winter will be a muddy one. Hopefully, it will all have bedded in by Spring and we can enjoy the fields again. 

Save the date! 

Community Carols and the park tree decoration will take place at the bottom of Ridgeway on Sunday 15/12/24 at 3PM. We will be selling mulled wine and hot chocolate – we hope to see you in the park with your festive jumpers! 

In the Spring we have another Redcoat tour in the pipeline – the last one was hugely successful thanks to Mike Richard’s impressive knowledge, and we can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us for the next tour!  

Sponsorship opportunities 

We are offering local businesses the opportunity to sponsor the newsletter. Sponsorship will be limited to one company per letter, you’ll have the opportunity to showcase your business to over 400 homes. Contact details below if you’d like to be involved. 

And finally… 

Thanks to everyone who gets involved with keeping the committee going. From serving cups of tea at the park events to attending the meetings and speaking up for you and your neighbours. If anyone would like to be involved in any future events, please email the committee on contact@wgara.co.uk, WhatsApp or text Kerrell on 07772 672816 or attend the next Residents meeting. 

The next Resident’s Meeting will be held at Thomas Hall School, 7PM on Thursday 30th January 

Check out our new website! Scan the QR code