Transition Town Tooting

Tag: AGM

  • ACE 2019 – A celebration of Transition in Tooting and looking forward…

    On Saturday 2nd March, we held our Annual Celebratory Extravaganza! at Mushkil Aasaan on Tooting High Street. 75 people came from diverse backgrounds, some close to Transition Town Tooting, some coming for the first time, some young, some not so young, all very welcome!
    75 people joined us to celebrate! And look forward together

    It was fun looking back at our activity and seeing how we have worked.

    7 themes of our endeavours emerged:

    Local Food Growing and Cooking

    Outdoor Learning

    Urban Nature and Biodiversity

    Good Change Locally

    Creativity and Imagination

    Low Carbon Living

    Wellbeing and Community Inclusion

    Do you Jellybrella?

    Mushkil Aasaan was decorated in true TTT style with a  displays highlighting specific projects and partners: folks sitting on the Talk / Not Talk bench made by CARAS and TTT; the Community Garden and a partnership project with Gatton School; the Foodival annual community food festival; the buzzing presence of crocheted honeybees illustrated the community & CARAS getting together. We shared the extraordinary Jellybrella – happening now and during the Wandsworth Arts Fringe.

     Looking back

    We celebrated over 20 projects ranging across local food, urban outdoors, outdoor learning, creativity and imagination, wellbeing and community inclusion, good change locally, low carbon living and how all that sits within wider networks. 17 people spoke of these projects, painting a vivid picture of what Transition Town Tooting does, and does in partnership with such a rich array of organisations, just some examples of project partners are the London Beekeepers’ Association, Ravenstone Primary School, CARAS, Wandsworth Oasis, Work and Play Scrapstore, J4Y Scouts and  Furzedown Low Carbon Zone.

    This idea of network and collaboration has grown deeper in recent years and gives context to our work locally as part of a wider movement for change, touched on at the Annual Celebration when Lucy gave us the background on Extinction Rebellion, a growing number of Councils declaring a climate emergency and school children striking for climate. Coupled with that are events such as the CTRLshift Emergency Summit for Change, happening 8th to 10th of May in Stoke, that looks to provide a platform for connection and collaboration across all actors working towards a more sustainable and regenerative future.

    After listening for AGES, we looked forward together…

    Looking forward…

    Richard, Sharon and Chuck,
    TTT’s Acting Secretary
    and Co-Chairs
    The business of the AGM took place, with Richard Couldrey being sworn in as TTT Acting Secretary and Sharon Gray and Chuck Whitehead as Acting Co-Chairs. David Thorne volunteered to continue as TTT’s Treasurer. 
    Why “Acting”, well, we’re changing the way we do things and moving from the Co-Chair model of governance to a “Governance Circle”, including more people, sharing the workload and, hopefully, making it more accessible for YOU to join in!

    How we design together…

    Chuck led us through a simple and fun activity to look forward, as a group, involving pairing up with someone you didn’t know very well and answering 2 questions: What could Transition Town Tooting do in 2019? + What could Foodival look like in 2019?

    Feedback from ACE diverse participants about activities in 2019.

    Even as raw feedback, it’s very interesting and valuable what dozens of people care about and wanted to say at short notice – the activity only lasted 15 minutes or so. It was noticeable that ‘social sustainability’ is very strongly represented. It was also noticeable that the responders were culturally diverse: reflecting Tooting. Read the ideas here.

    Time to enjoy some cake before pack away and look forward to great projects together in 2019…

    Many thanks to Sharon, Chuck, Richard, Eleanor and Hilary for photos!
    The “Talk, not talk” bench makes its way home…
    Turning heads as it goes! 

  • Time for New Leaders – Could It Be You?

    Transition Town Tooting is looking for new leaders ready for the AGM in February 2019 as the current leadership team will have completed their two year terms and we will be voting in new role holders. Do you fancy getting involved?

    If you do you could be joining an evolving and collaborative team making change in how we live, where we live, in light of climate change. There’s a spirit of celebration and creativity in everything we do, be it south London’s biggest sustainable food festival, urban growing in the community garden, carbon reduction workshops or neighbourhood planning. We open up spaces for local people to connect with each other, imagine possibilities and make positive changes for the community and the environment.


    We have evolved a system where 2 people share being chair of the group for a two year period and both of these spots are up for grabs in 2019.  We are also interested in hearing from anyone who would like to try their hand at being Treasurer or Secretary and help shape and re-imagine our activities and impact over the next two years.

    You’ll be joining a great team of volunteers and core members who coordinate projects. There are also other ways to volunteer with us from just attending events, leading a specific event or perhaps you would like to try being the newsletter Editor.  

    For more information about these roles click here.  

    We would love to hear from anyone who is interested.  Even if you are not sure but want to find out more do please CONTACT US and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have, or alternatively come along to the next meeting on Tuesday 13th November at the Antelope in Tooting to find out more about these opportunities.

  • Annual general meeting and celebrations

    Annual general meeting and celebrations

    Here at Transition Town Tooting we love a chance to celebrate – and we don’t mind a good birthday cake either!
    Last month was our annual general meeting and party, the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past year, look forward to the future and celebrate the now.
    We had feedback from some of our main events and projects of the last year and it was lovely to hear from some new faces.

    The projects represented were: Foodival (Mal), Future Tooting (Eleanor), Restart/Sewstart (Jeni), Vegetanuary (Sharon), Tooting Twirl (Lucy & Richard), Carbon Conversations (Peter), Caras (Jeni & Egle), Outdoor Learning (Sharon), Tooting Community Garden (Christine) and Green Drinks (Richard).

    This list shows the diversity of our community activities – some long standing partnerships, some one-off events – and of course covers just a snapshot of the many things TTT is involved with.

    We then moved to the formal part of the evening – reports from the treasurer, secretary and co-chairs and the reelection of the officers. Your chief officers remain: Sharon Gray & Jeni Walker, co-chairs; Eleanor Glen, secretary; and David Thorne, treasurer. We look forward to hearing from you!

    Time for a fun activity – we asked everyone present to write down some ideas for future TTT projects or wishes for Tooting on a ‘cookie’ and these will be stored in our TTT Cookie Jar to be enjoyed when we have a lull in our calendar – there was certainly plenty of food for thought.

    A quiz followed, put together by David, which provoked much debate and brain-straining and then we rounded off the evening with a gorgeous chocolate cake to celebrate TTT’s 10th birthday, some delicious snacks and many enjoyable conversations.
    Huge thanks to everyone who came and contributed to a great evening. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s party, or before then at any of our TT activities. Just email us on transitiontowntooting@gmail.com to find out how you can get involved.
    Sharon

  • Sowing the seeds in TTT’s ACE goody bags

    If you took home one of our TTT goodie bags and are wondering what to do with the packet of seeds in it, here are some simple planting instructions.

    Radish 

    You can grow these in the ground or in containers or window boxes.
    Sow thinly in soil and cover with 1.5cm fine soil. Firm down gently and keep moist.
    Seedlings should appear within 2-3 weeks.
    Thin out the plants if necessary and keep soil moist. Radishes should be ready to harvest in 4-6 weeks.

    Lettuce
    You can grow these in the ground, containers or even hanging baskets (good for evading snails!)

    Sow thinly in soil and cover with 1.5cm fine soil.

    Firm down gently and keep moist.
    Seedlings should appear in 7-14 days.
    Thin out seedlings if necessary and keep moist and weed-free.
    Pick and use when needed
    Peas 
    Grow these in the ground of a large pot. You will need to support the plants with netting or bamboo canes and string.
    Plant seeds 5cm apart and cover with 5cm of fine soil. Firm down gently and keep moist. Seedlings should appear within 10-14 days.

    Protect young plants from birds with twigs or netting and remember to support the plants. Keep moist and weed-free. Pick when ready.
    Send us some photos of your vegetable-growing successes!


  • Come to our Annual Celebratory Extravaganza Friday 28th April

    On Friday 28th April we are hosting our  

    Annual Celebratory Extravaganza!


    Everyone is welcome to join us at:   
    Derinton Community Centre
    101a/b Derinton Road
    Tooting, SW17 8HZ

    From 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm

    If you’re on our mailing list, like or follow our Facebook or Twitter accounts, have been to any of our events, or are just interested to find out what we do in Tooting – come along. And share with your friends!

    Celebrating and sharing at TTT’s 2016 ACE

    We will be celebrating all of the past year’s achievements and the partnerships that have developed to help deliver those projects.

    We will also be signposting the exciting projects we have planned for the future and inviting people to get involved in their own way.

    It’s a place to meet other local people who share our goals:

    Making Change in How We Live, Where We Live, 
    in Light of Climate Change.


    What to expect:

    • TTT sustenance: a.k.a tea, cake, samosas, Turkish bread & hummus
    • Energy and participation: a Tooting-themed quiz & more
    • A celebration of past successes
    • Information about TTT’s projects
    • Sharing ideas you might have to improve our neighbourhood
    • Looking ahead and an invitation to get involved
    • Conversations with friends new and old
    • A TTT goody bag
    • Please note: so we can open the door and celebrate with our whole community and all the local people and partners who support us, the celebration will be alcohol free

      Eleanor writes about last year’s ACE: 

      “I attended for the first time last year and it was a fantastic event. The presentation of the successes really opened my eyes to what can be achieved when like-minded people get together on a common theme and don’t give up. 
      Even though I was already involved and getting the regular newsletter, there were lots of activities going on under the radar that were ready to shared by the enthusiastic people leading the charge. All of the activities presented together showed an incredible achievement.

      The activities included things like: workshops inspiring beginner gardeners, carbon conversations, helping to create a neighbourhood plan, running a community garden, sustainable art projects and restart parties.

      The main theme that stood out to me on the night was partnerships. It was clear that it wasn’t just TTT working on their own. The strength comes from the partnerships that TTT has developed and nurtured. These partnerships were not all with other environmental themed groups either. They cross a variety of sections of society and combine the interests of both parties to create amazing results.

      Last year’s event inspired me to get involved in more TTT projects.
      I hope I have inspired you to come along and see what is going on.”

      See you there on Friday 28th!

      Facebook invitation to share: https://goo.gl/lviVH1

    • Happy 8th Birthday to Transition Town Tooting!

      Celebrating eight years of Transition Town Tooting!

      Thanks to everyone who came to our Annual Celebration

      Last Friday, we turned our AGM into ACE – our Annual Celebratory Extravaganza – to share and celebrate what we’ve achieved, and to look forward to 2016 and beyond.
      Volunteers, beneficiaries, partners, project leaders, friends, neighbours and interested local people came together at Rechere’s on Tooting High Street. We ate well. We talked and made new friends. We formed teams to take part in one of the hardest quizzes in TTT’s history! And we gathered around our enthusiasm for making change in how we live, where we live, in light of climate change.
      Celebrating and sharing

      Thank you to everyone involved this year and in the last eight years!

      We picked a few things to celebrate and here, we share them with you:
      • We ran our 9th series of Carbon Conversations last year – a series of workshops to help individuals reduce their carbon footprint and explore the challenges we face in light of climate change.
      • Eight years of our sustainable food festival – Foodival. Last year, we won a Grow Wandsworth Sunshine Award for “celebrating the ways people have brought a bit of sunshine into the lives of others through community growing”.    
      • Five years of Tooting Community Garden.  The garden is open every Sunday to the public. In the last 10 weeks, 55 people have made visits – many returning week after week.
      • Four years hosting teenagers on the National Citizen Service scheme – Challenge – and working with them each summer.
      • Three years of outdoor learning with Gatton School – hundreds of children have explored the community garden, at sessions on Tuesdays. As one of the children said at the celebration at the garden last month, “Nature plays an important part in every religion and it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of it. We strongly believe that this community garden has brought us together and closer than ever before”.
      • Three years of Resparkle at the Library – encouraging families to spend time together making things from upcycled materials.
      • One year of Rooting in Tooting – running gardening, carpentry and arts sessions with the CARAS youth club
      • UpFest – Jeni Walker ran sewing sessions at the new Wandsworth Oasis shop – the beginnings of a great partnership.
      • Tooting Field Days – in partnership with fanSHEN Theatre – a series of local safaris in and around Tooting – a chance to get outside, walk, play and make things. Themes for each safari follow Carbon Conversations themes – shelter, travel, food, water, natural neighbourhoods.
      • Growing Tooting – a new initiative working across three new locations, running a series of 8 workshops to help people learn about growing in the city.
      • Tooting Neighbourhood Plan – the Forum group is firmly established, bringing a diverse voice to the development of the area.
      • Restart Parties – a chance to get your electronic or electrical items fixed, or help others to fix. The parties are now established in Tooting and the next one is 21st June.
      • Tour de Tooting – a wheeled parade through Tooting to re-imagine our streets with fewer cars and buses. It’s happening – 3rd July!
      • Golden Ticket Awards – we are incredibly grateful to the individuals who have gifted the community share of the Wandsworth Golden Ticket Awards to TTT. The Golden Ticket scheme is run by Western Riverside Waste Authority in partnership with the council and is an initiative to encourage recycling. These donations will go a long way in helping us continue our work. Thank you.

      Thank you again to everyone who’s been involved or taken part or supported us. And if you’re interested in finding out more or getting involved, get in touch by emailing transitiontowntooting@gmail.com – the more the merrier, and the more positive change we make.

    • Come along to our Annual Celebratory Extravaganza, Fri. 10 June

      Come to our Annual Celebratory Extravaganza!

      Fri. 10 June, 6.30pm
      Rechere’s Health & Wellbeing Centre, 163-165 Tooting High Street
      (followed by 9.00pm drinks at the Trafalgar Arms for those who want to continue celebrating!)

      Please R.S.V.P. by getting a free ticket on Eventbrite

      Everyone is welcome!

      If you’re on our mailing list, like or follow our Facebook or Twitter accounts, have been to any of our events, or are just interested to find out what we do in Tooting – come along.
      ACE is an opportunity for us to come together to celebrate achievements locally and to thank everyone who has supported us over the last year.

      It’s a place to meet other local people who share our goals:

      Making Change in How We Live, Where We Live, In Light of Climate Change.

      And a chance to find out about our projects and get involved.

      What to expect

      • TTT sustenance – a.k.a tea, cake, samosas, Turkish bread & hummus
      • Test your knowledge of Tooting with our quiz
      • A celebration of what was achieved last year
      • Discover more about TTT’s projects
      • Share an idea you might have to improve our neighbourhood
      • A look ahead and an invite to get involved
      • Conversations with friends new and old

      See you there…
      Don’t forget to get a free ticket on Eventbrite
      so we know how many cakes to bake!

    • TTT AGM & 7th Birthday

      TTT celebrated its 7th birthday at the 2015 AGM on Monday. After a Tooting Quiz, including ICU nurses from St George’s who provided a tie-breaker, we heard a review of the last year and ideas for future vision and direction. New co-chairs were elected for the next two years, congratulations to Richard & Jenny, and also to Martin as the new Secretary.

      The one-minute updates on the myriad TTT and related projects showed us how much is going on, from Field Days to Restart, Garden events to Foodival, while we also aim to tackle big issues like pollution, heatwaves, renewable energy and carbon emissions.  Retiring co-chairs, David & Belinda, were thanked before a general retirement to Dosa ‘n Chutney for some tasty South Indian food.  Thanks to all who contributed to another uplifting and interesting evening, to Lucy for another creative cake and to Graveney & Meadow for hosting.

    • TTT AGM 2015

      The TTT AGM 2015 takes place next Monday 27th April in the back bit at Graveney & Meadow, 40 Mitcham Rd SW17 9NA.

      The night’s festivities will include a Tooting Quiz with prizes, brief updates on current TTT projects and ideas, some official business re finances and electing new officers (including co-chairs & secretary), plus one or two surprises.

      Then hopefully there will be plenty of time to chat and celebrate TTT’s 7th birthday.  It’s a good event to come and network, find out a bit about what Transition Town Tooting actually is, meet some of our active members, find out about what projects are going in and how you can get involved.  It should be fun, everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

    • AGM Report

      The 2014 AGM and 6th birthday party took place last Tuesday.  There was a Tooting related quiz and the usual AGM formalities of re-electing co-chairs and presenting accounts before a brief update on projects past present and future. 

      While we look forward to big events like the Foodival, three exciting new ideas include a drive to promote products “Made in Tooting”, Carbon Collaborations to add to Conversations and an autumn Looking Out For Tooting event finding alternative viewpoints of our beloved urban nexus.  Keep a look out for more on these on this blog and social media.

      Meanwhile today there’s a well being walk (Sir Owain and the Lady of the Well) ending on the Common where fanSHEN will perform the Applecart, both as part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival Fringe. Get down there if you can!