Dear Friends,
Welcome to our first official newsletter! It’s been five weeks since our offer was accepted to purchase Kinsbourne Green Common, and a lot has been going on behind the scenes. We wanted to update you!
Fundraising
We’ve set a fundraising target of £200,000.
This is to cover both the purchase price of £150,000 and create a £50,000 maintenance budget to cover the first few years. We know that initially we will need to undertake tree surveys, buy equipment and undertake maintenance work as well as ensure the land is properly insured.
So far, over 40 local residents have most generously pledged £131,000, but we still need more to ensure we have enough funds to complete on the sale and get started on maintenance work as soon as the Common is in our care.
Please help us hit this target and keep the Common safe. We ask that you do three things by going to the website:
Register your support. Make a pledge. Offer your help.
Most importantly please keep spreading the word and ensure we can meet our target. Share this newletter with your neighbours, maybe print it off and pop through doors of those who don’t use the Internet. Share on WhatsApp groups. The more people we can reach the better.
Charity Setup
To purchase the land we need to have a charity set up. The application was made to the The Charity Commission this week. We have the input and support of a London-based law firm called MWE (a number of whom live in Harpenden) to help us with this; their knowledge of charity-law will help streamline the process and avoid anything that may slow us down. We are very grateful for their support of us.
A key part of setting up the charity is giving suitable supporting evidence for the quality of the flora and fauna of the land. The Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust has been most helpful and shared a survey undertaken some time ago, but nicely demonstrates a rich diversity of species live here. Long may that continue and even improve!
Trustees
Setting up a charity means we need trustees to run it and ensure good governance. We have five people ready to become trustees. All live adjacent to the Common and are regularly out and about in the area. This direct relationship with the land is an important part of any decision-making responsibility for its future.
Sue Archer has been voted as Chair and is supported by four others. All bring a range of experiences to the role, but importantly all live locally and walk the Common most days.
Volunteers
We have been very fortunate in the response for volunteers to assist with the ongoing maintenance. From litter-picking to forestry and bird protection - there’s a role for everyone to play. Harpenden Town Council is sharing their experience of managing Harpenden Common, and giving us a head start on everything we need to think about. We are also grateful to many of the local farming community that have offered their advice and assistance.
We would also welcome other skills such as accountancy and ecology – please do leave a message on the website if you can help.
Thank You
Thank you again for your support. You’ve received this email because you’ve registered your details with us. We know there are lots of people out there yet we haven’t managed to contact.
Please do encourage your neighbours to sign up for newsletters too. Click here to register for the newsletter updates. Feel free to share our news and contact details widely, and help us reach our financial target by encouraging more pledges.
We always your feedback and comments. Please email us at friends@kinsbournegreencommon.org.uk.
For everything else take a look at our newly launched website. It is a work in progress! http://kinsbournegreencommon.org.uk/
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