Moving the AGM to the lighter evenings of mid-September more than doubled the attendance of the previous year. The meeting amended the rules to extend the scope of the Association to Summerfield Gardens. Ray George in his report mentioned the formation of the Southampton North Neighbourhoods Partnership. At present the Association is not represented on this bodyand is missing out on an opportunity to push for local improvements.
Steve Mackenzie reported on repair work to Ethelburt Avenue (see below).
The agenda item on ‘Damage to trees’ produced a lively discussion. Although a contrary view was expressed, the prevailing view of the meeting was that swings should not be set up in trees, because of the potential damage to the tree and also the destruction of the bulbs planted beneath the tree. (Contributions on this subject are invited for the next Newsletter.)
Only half-an-hour was left for an informative talk by Jane Davies on ‘Conservation – Illustrations from the New Forest’. She showed real feeling and sensitivity for the built environment.