Issue - meetings

The Committee gave discussion to the proposal submitted by Eileen Kay and it was noted that Friends of Duchess Wood (FODW) would continue to assist and that the FODW website would continue to make available the Educational resource. Eileen Kay would remain as the point of contact for schools in Helensburgh and Lomond.

Decision

The Committee agreed:

1.    To accept the proposals regarding the Educational resource pack.

2.    That Eileen Kay and Charlie Cairns would meet to progress these and that the Duchess Wood Committee would receive regular updates.

The group heard an update from Charlie Cairns in regards to the recent meeting held with local Head Teachers.

Decision

The group considered a report from Eileen Kay, Community Learning and Development which outlined the objectives of the Sub Group and highlighted relevant actions to be undertaken by group members.

Discussion followed and the Committee acknowledged the impact of transportation costs for local primary schools on their already straightened budgets. The Chair emphasised the need to promote Duchess Woods and encourage local schools to use the Woods.

Johanna Urquhart confirmed the need for schools to utilise their local environment and enquired on the possibility of the Wood being mapped for orienteering. Mr Macbeth confirmed that this exercise had already been undertaken by Lomond School. 

David Lewin commented that perhaps the Fairy Tale Woods event could perhaps be a ‘springboard’ for local children to make more use of the Wood.

The Chair put forward the suggestion of a Schools representative on the sub-group but Ms Kay drew attention to the difficulty of teaching staff being released during the school day to attend meetings.   

Decision

The Committee agreed:

1.                  That the Sub-group would consider further options and bring these to the next  Duchess  Woods meeting scheduled for February 2015 

2.                  That the Chair would make contact with Anne Milne, Head Teacher at Rhu to ask if representatives of Duchess Wood Local Nature Reserve Committee (DWLNRC) could attend a Head Teachers Cluster meeting with a view to determine how best to promote Duchess Wood.

The Chair welcomed Eileen Kay, Community Learning and Development Worker.  Ms Kay updated the group in terms of the ideas she had to encourage use of the wood and in particular family learning.  Mr Macbeth stressed that the Friends of Duchess Wood would like to work in partnership.  Both Mr Macbeth and Ms Kay agreed that partnership working around the 4 capacities for Curriculum for Excellence was the way forward. 

Further discussion was had in relation to updating the education pack with clearer co-ordination arrangements to be put in place.  Mr Cairns suggested that the pack could be created in such a way that outlying schools with transport issues could use the updated pack from their own location. 

Ms Kay advised that she was happy to become the initial contact for schools as she was conscious of the need for a mutual respect for education and the needs of the wood. 

The Chair suggested that Ms Kay could take ahead small scale projects and provide regular updates to Lynsey Innis, who in turn can issue these to the Committee. 

It was agreed that a sub-group would be set up to predominantly deal with the updating of the education pack.  Eileen Kay, Charlie Cairns and Gemma Peace agreed to sit on the sub-group with members of the Friends of Duchess Wood. 

Lynsey Innis agreed to arrange a diary request for the meeting of the sub-group within the next 6 or 7 weeks.   

It was also agreed that an exploratory meeting between Ms Kay and the Friends of Duchess Wood would take place within the next month.