RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LIVES TO SEE ANOTHER DAY
by Annie Rayson, outgoing Treasurer, HHRA
GREAT NEWS! ! !
Against all the odds, Hockley Heath Residents Association
IS CONTINUINGwith a new team, its first meeting being held on
WEDNESDAY, 14 JULY,commencing at 8.15pm,at the Pavilion in the Recreation Ground off Old Warwick Road (the time and venue for subsequent meetings is yet to be agreed).
Please go along and offer your support. The Residents Association is evolving, readdressing its role within the community and its links with other organisations, such as the Parish Council. Be an active part of your community, make a difference, join in, voice your opinion, help reshape the association into an even better forum for your village.
Background:You will all have heard that there was a real threat of the Residents Association disbanding at this year’s AGM, which was held at the Pavilion in the Recreation Ground on Thursday, 10th June. This was due to 3 officers and one committee member standing down. It was not thought that we would be able to recruit sufficient members to fill all the officer posts and hence maintain a full committee.
Posters were placed around the village, leaflets dropped to most houses in the village and an article appeared in the Solihull News.
The AGM: It seems that many villagers may have assumed the disbanding of the association was a foregone conclusion and as a result the AGM had a surprisingly low turnout. Those attending included a former chairman of the association and three new villagers, along with some longstanding villagers. The outgoing committee members thought our fears were to be realised.
New beginnings:The new villagers in particular were determined not to let the association disband and rallied round, offering to join the committee and stand as officers. Having no experience of chairing a committee before, one new villager has joined us as Vice Chairman and another new villager is joining us as Treasurer, with existing committee member Janice Adams staying on as secretary. Furthermore, longstanding villager, Ann Curtis is joining the committee and is keen to work on reinstating the Hooter at some time in the future.
Lacking a Chair was still going to be a problem and the new villager would need help learning the ropes. Despite already being heavily committed with work, family and village issues, former chair of the association Andy Vine has kindly offered to return as Chair to support the new team. Andy was also previously a parish councillor for the old Hockley Heath Parish Council before it split last year and is currently governor at Hockley Heath School.
MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE AGM AND TO THE OUTGOING COMMITTEE MEMBERS. WELL DONE AND GOOD LUCK TO THE NEW COMMITTEE.