Chairman's Report

1. Exec Members Standing Down
2. TVP Structural Changes
3. Library/Community Facility
4. Other Initiatives

Well, after weeks of “yes to AV” and the “dirty NO campaign”, a chance this evening to hear what really matters: what is happening in your community!  A chance for you all to see what TVP has achieved and what we are planning for the future…

Many thanks to Lady Elizabeth for all your kind words; I would like to say that it really is a privilege to have you as our Patron.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank two members of the Executive who are standing down  as part of our restructuring – of which I will explain more shortly.  My thanks go to Duncan Edwards and Kevin Brown for their contribution and their support of our Community Aims. 

Kevin only joined the Executive last year and was instrumental in helping Gordon Storey develop the Business Forum group; his enthusiasm is boundless and he has been a great supporter and innovator within our team. 

A special thank you must go to Duncan; as Manager of our local Waitrose, he ‘inherited’ his seat on the TVP Executive: ironically, TVP’s precursor, TVCMI, was started with the aim of ‘protecting’ Twyford from the then new Waitrose development, some 10 years ago. I believe it was a case of “keeping your enemies closer”!  However, over the years, the success of Waitrose in our community and to their contribution to the success of TVP, is a testament to how community life can be improved by different parties working closely together.  Duncan, you may have inherited your involvement in TVP but nonetheless you gave it your all and you and your Company have helped TVP on many occasions.  Kevin and Duncan, thank you for all you have done and, as you have both pledged to continue to help and support TVP in the future, I thank you in advance for that help.

Of course my thanks also go to the whole Committee, without whom none of our efforts would be possible.

I would now like to explain how the structure of TVP  is evolving, with the aim of becoming more effective in delivering the Action Points in the Parish Plan and being more encompassing in the community at large (Sue Goddard will give you more details on the PP later).

Whilst keeping the total number of Executive members to a manageable 12, the plan is to move towards a set-up comprising the 4 Officers (Chairman, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary), the 3 Council representatives (WBC, TPC, RPC), our Parish Plan Co-ordinator (arguably the most important position on the Executive, as the PP is our guiding document), and, reporting to the PP Co-ordinator and the Executive, there will be 4 distinct groups:

The Business Forum group: this is led by Gordon Storey and is already a huge success and an invaluable contribution to TVP’s activities.
The Events group: with more going on, this needs to be a separate function but as yet we do not have anyone to lead this group.
The Community Matters group: for me, the key group which needs to be developed further over the coming year but which will cover the Faiths, Education, Health and Charities (and all four locally based charities have signed up to TVP). Although we hope to welcome this evening the Rev Geoffrey Pugh as representative of the churches and Tricia Jones as the representative for education, we do need to find the right person to lead this group and take it forward.
The 4th group is the Environment and Transport group: this is one to be worked on over the coming year as we still need to identify a leader and other helpers.

This change in our structure is for me very exciting, as I believe that the it will permit us to cover and address more successfully the needs of all our Community, in close partnership with the Parish Councils and the various Clubs and Societies.
 
We have received wide press coverage in the past year, a lot of which has focussed on 2 areas in particular: The growing success of the Business Forum and of its many activities and, importantly, the fact that it has given TVP financial security and allowed us to already deliver many charitable projects to our Community (Gordon Storey will report in further detail later).

The other area the press has reported on is the long-standing saga of a 'new library for Twyford'.  I am very pleased to confirm to you this evening that much has happened this past year and that there is something to show for all our ‘behind the scenes’ efforts. 
Firstly, we are no longer talking about a ‘new library’ but a new ‘Community Facility’, which will effectively be a Northern parishes ‘hub’, to include a library, Borough and Parish Council outreach services, facilities for the disabled, the young, the old… in fact, potentially for all groups in our community.
Secondly, and more importantly, following discussions between TVP, the Borough Council and other interested parties, and with the help of several people including Stephen Conway, our Borough Councillor, Lady Elizabeth, Theresa May MP, local businessmen and others, TVP has secured £1.3M in funding from WBC for a Community Facility (Stephen Conway will give you more details later).

You may have also read in the press of the other initiatives  that TVP is working on such as the “Piggott Halt” (a private platform at the Piggott school on the Henley branch line), the planting of trees in and around the village, including the beginnings of a plan to make this community carbon neutral, and others but there simply isn’t time to go into more detail now.

However, a final plea from me: if you would like to help TVP act more positively for this Community and allow us to deliver more of the Action Points, please do consider joining us, even if you only have limited time; the more people we have involved, the easier the task will be! I am especially looking for people to lead the Events, Commmunity Matters and the Environment groups but of course, all help is truly welcome.

I look forward to being able to serve as your Chairman for the coming year.

THANK YOU

Patrick Heather (Chairman TVP)