It might seem that the Forum has gone quiet lately, but actually we have been very busy indeed, and I am happy to report that there has been encouraging progress with many aspects of the People in the Park initiative. We have also been attending to local development issues and flying the Paxcroft Mead flag at the recent Trowbridge Community Area Local Knowledge Event.

Youth Forum news
The Youth Forum made a successful bid in February for some Area Board funding to finance two new benches for the playing field. The Area Board was offering funding for youth projects which would show benefit to the wider community, and the Youth Forum grasped the opportunity to demonstrate their consideration for the existing users of the playing field, where the proposed skate park is to be sited.

With Sam Bolwell designing a great PowerPoint presentation and Dan Tate delivering it on the night, the bid was a team effort from the Joint-Chairs of the Youth Forum. Dan dealt admirably with some unexpectedly tricky questioning from the floor and carried the day with great aplomb: all in all, a very impressive effort from these two fourteen year olds.

Recently, the Management Committee of the Community Centre generously voted to make a donation to the Youth Forum. The young people are considering the possibility of having tee shirts printed, to help them with their fundraising activities for People in the Park.

People in the Park - Benches
In addition to the two Youth Forum/Area Board benches, there is also the bench funded by the management committee of the Community Centre to mark their 10th anniversary. Committee member Gordon Rees has been working hard to ensure that we get best value in getting the three benches (and bins) purchased and installed. This kind of thing is surprisingly complicated and we have to applaud Gordon's calm tenacity; the wheels of local government grind very slowly.

People in the Park - Landscape and Litter Issues
Gordon has also been building on his excellent work with council officers dealing with landscape issues in the country park. The exposed cable under the Leap Gate Bridge which was causing such concern has been dealt with. The brook is now generally running freely at last, and Gordon is keeping up the pressure to ensure that progress continues in ensuring that the brook is capable of dealing effectively with rainwater run-off as well as providing a healthy environment for wildlife.

Gordon has been joined in his efforts to address problems in the country park by new committee member John Taylor, who joined us after the Open Meeting to launch People in the Park last November. John has taken on the thorny issue of litter and the signs are very encouraging. He has been working hard with council officers to highlight problem areas, such as the area on the end of the new Hawkescroft development opposite the Red Admiral. This area has now been cleared by the contractors, an action which has certainly enhanced the entrance to Hackett Place.

John has also been having talks and site visits with the Community Payback scheme, who will be conducting a litter pick across the country park scheduled for next month. We are hopeful that this may become a regular occurrence. The service is also considering the possibility of clearing litter from the brook. We are thus on the brink of achieving a long held aspiration, thanks to John's skilful diplomacy.

People in the Park - Skate Park
A number of committee members attended the Trowbridge Community Area Local Knowledge Event, held at the newly opened Civic Centre in February. This joint initiative, staged by Trowbridge Community Area Futures (TCAF) and Trowbridge Area Board, was surprisingly interesting and enjoyable. Areas for discussion included the local economy, culture and sport, housing, environment, transport, education, health and crime.

The summary of the discussion on Crime and Community Safety in Trowbridge highlighted the success of the work done over the last two years by the Local Neighbourhood Police Teams on Paxcroft Mead to address anti-social behaviour, in partnership with the committees of the Community Centre, the Mead Club and the Community Forum. This set me thinking, and I was pleased to nominate PC Mark Hough, Beat Manager for Paxcroft Rural, for the Wiltshire Police Authority Service to the Community Award.

Local Development Issues
Members of the committee had a meeting with the planning officer for the proposed Pastures development adjoining Moyle Park, which is currently at the detailed planning permission stage. The meeting, which was arranged for us by local councillor Steve Oldrieve, focussed on the arrangements for access to the development and for residents to be able to report deviations from the planning conditions.

These considerations are all very much to the fore in the light of the work which has begun on the Land South of Green Lane - now called the Castle Mead development. Recent weeks have been very trying to residents living alongside Green Lane, where the contractors working on utility construction have been consistently contravening planning conditions. Jonathan has been untiring in his reports to the enforcement officer, along with other individuals whose contributions are much appreciated.

We are particularly concerned with matters relating to the extension to Leap Gate and will be keeping a close eye on this aspect of the development. Access to the site via Leap Gate is strictly prohibited to construction vehicles, thanks to groundwork done by Paxcroft Action Lobby in 2004-5.