Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
West Green Residents' Association
At an Extraordinary General Meeting held in Christchurch Vestry this evening (Thursday) it was decided that West Green Residents' Association (WGRA) be wound up. For the past few years attempts have been made to expand the membership and find a new Secretary and Chair but these have proven unsuccessful. The members present also decided that any residual funds from the Association be donated to the fund set up by the past Mayor, Councillor Sheila Peacock which goes to support Haringey's disabled and vulnerable children.
Discussion, which at times became somewhat heated, ranged around various options available to prolong the life of the Association. However, it was accepted that, without people willing to immediately take up the roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, the Association was nonviable. Papers relating to the 34 year history of WGRA will be lodged with Bruce Castle Museum.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paul Bumstead on
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Go for it! However there is quite a lot of work involved. You'll need a formal constitution to be recognised as an Association and then elect a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Provided you can find people who are willing to commit time and energy then there is a place for a new grouping.
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Permalink Reply by e spengler on
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Having no experience at running an RA, what is "quite a lot"?
I'm not one for starting from scratch when there's good stuff to be salvaged.
Do you have anything WGRA that can be salvaged? (keen members, contacts, a constitution to tweak, logos/ other creative assets, meeting locations, advice or anything you think is worth bequeathing). How do you feel about the re-use of the WGRA name and/or treating it as an continuation of the RA?
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I'll get back to you when I return to London in 8 or 9 days.
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Thanks.
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Haven't heard back from you - am still interested.
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Amabilino on
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Hi Paul,
I'm really sorry to hear this news. I'd heard from Raj that it was due to be discussed, and had I known would have come to the meeting.
Although WGRA have been quiet for a few years, I've always thought of you as an RA that fought hard and got results for its members.
So, congratulations on all you have achieved over the years and as you have said in your other comment, let's hope that others will be able to take up the reins.
All the best
Geoff
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Sorry about that! It completely slipped my mind.
I'm afraid you'll have to start from scratch. Firstly you'll need to find a name for your group - please don't even think about using West Green Residents' Association as that name has a lot of history and a new group should create its own narrative from the start. A formal Constitution is a document that defines the aims and objectives of the Association, sets out the positions of the officers to be elected, defines their role and the role of a committee ( which should be elected to support them) and, finally, lays down a schedule of meetings such as Annual General Meeting, Special General Meeting and Committee Meetings. I'd suggest Wikipedia could give outlines of these.
To function properly an Association will need a Bank Account and for this you'll need the Constitution. Membership Fees will need to be set to generate an income to cover things like hire of meeting rooms, publicity, etc.
The main thing though is to get a group of dedicated people involved, people who are willing to take responsibility and are able to give a fairly long-term commitment to the Association. This is where, in the end, WGRA started to come apart - whilst there was a core of four or five of us we couldn't find people who were willing to carry on, to take up officer posts and to further the work of the Association.
Hope this helps - Good Luck and have a Peaceful Christmas.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on
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"Please don't even think about using West Green Residents' Association..." - why not? If a new group of residents want to get together and use that name, you'd be, quite rightly, powerless to stop them.
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Many thanks for the overview, Paul.
Being relatively new to the area - could you put me in touch with former (core) members that might be interested in participating in a new RA. Their experience would be invaluable. Would you be interested (in any capacity)?
I'm neutral on re-using the WGRA name even though it's the obvious candidate, it is something for the founding members to vote on. Are there any particular highlights in the WGRA's history to inform this vote?
The search for an alternative may get a little bit "Life of Brian"
- Association of West Green Residents
- West Green Residents Forum
- Associated Residents of West Green
- West Green Liberation Front
In all seriousness, I think the name will be guided by the initial aims / scope of the organisation.
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Admittedly we have no power to stop someone using that name but, if they want to take on the history of WGRA, that's up to them. Its not unreasonable to think that a new Association would want to create their own narrative therefore a new name would be more appropriate.
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I'll need to check with one or two people to make sure they're willing for me to pass on their names. I can't release the old membership list as this would be in contravention of the Data Protection Act.
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