FOREST EDUCATION INITIATIVE

FOREST EDUCATION INITIATIVE
Patron: His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO, RIBA, FSA, FRSA
Glasgow FEI Cluster Group
MINUTES OF MEETING
25th
Friday
March 2011
Black Bear Conference Rooms, Glasgow
Secretary:
Scott Jones
07899 798960
[email protected]
Attendees
Jackie Clark - Chairperson (JC); Alan Kain – Treasurer (AK); Scott Jones (SJ) – Secretary; Mark
Atkinson (MA)
Apologies
Mark Irwin, Karen Boyd, James McMahon, Kim Craigie
Previous Minutes
The minutes of the last meeting held on 7th September 2010 at Wheatley House were adopted as
being accurate. There were no actions outstanding from those minutes.
Treasurer’s Report
AK advised the committee that the current balance was £2026.26, which includes an additional
£200 recently awarded via the small grant fund. £1500 of this money is set aside for the
forthcoming Castlemilk Eco-event.
Existing Projects
It was agreed that the date for the proposed Castlemilk Eco-event needs to be agreed soon to
enable planning and arrangements for the event to take place. JC advised that there was soon to
be a newly appointed community ranger for the Castlemilk area and it may be prudent to await
his/her arrival before agreeing a date.
Action: JC to advise the committee when the Castlemilk community ranger is appointed to allow
meeting to be scheduled to discuss and plan event.
Future Projects
Due to continued limited funding opportunities, the committee agreed that it may not be
practicable to seek out new projects for the time being. However, SJ advised of potential grant
funding that may be available in the near future that would allow Level 3 Practitioners to undergo
CPD Training which in turn could be cascaded to fellow Level 3 Leaders and aspiring practitioners.
Scottish FEI Networking Event
JC reminded all present that an additional Scottish FEI Networking Event was scheduled to take
place on 26th May 2011 in Pitlochry. The cost of the one day event is £50, although the cluster
group qualifies for two subsidised places which would be allocated fairly amongst those wishing to
attend.
The Forest Education Initiative is a partnership between the Forestry Commission, the Timber Trade Federation, Community
Forests, ConFor, The Tree Council, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), Groundwork, the Field Studies Council and
the Woodland Trust (Registered Charity Number 294344) who facilitate the initiative on behalf of the partners.
Forest School Training Programme
There are currently no proposed Forest School training programmes in the Glasgow area. However,
SJ has had several enquiries from interested individuals from within the Glasgow area wishing to
become FS Leaders.
Action: SJ to contact Aline Hill / Mike Brady to ascertain if there are any forthcoming courses which
may be suitable for those interested parties.
Membership of FEI Cluster Group
SJ advised that he has had a few recent enquiries from members of the teaching and outdoor
education community wondering if they could become involved with the FEI Cluster Group.
Currently the group does not have a membership facility. The attendees agreed that we should
perhaps be looking at the feasibility of introducing some form of membership facility however,
there are critical issues that need to be explored beforehand such as:
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
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Fees?
What would members gain from membership?
Rental of tools to unqualified members?
Action: JC to liaise with Sally York to determine what other FEI Cluster Groups have in place and to
report back to committee.
AOCB
JC reminded all present that the group insurance has recently lapsed which has caused no
problems due to lack of activity in respect of FS training over recent months.
Action: JC to explore renewing of insurance when the time is right.
SJ also updated the group on recent messages being relayed to various outdoor professionals in
respect of fire use in Glasgow City open space and its effective prohibition. JC advised the group
that the prohibition of fires was written into the Management Rules and had been effectively
ignored by most over recent years. JC informed those present that the whole issue of ‘fires’ was
being discussed at a high level and to await the outcome of those meetings before the Cluster
Group made representation from a Forest School perspective.
Action; JC to update the committee members at later date.
Date of next meeting
The date and time of the next Glasgow FEI Cluster Group meeting will be circulated in due course.
The Forest Education Initiative is a partnership between the Forestry Commission, the Timber Trade Federation, Community
Forests, ConFor, The Tree Council, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), Groundwork, the Field Studies Council and
the Woodland Trust (Registered Charity Number 294344) who facilitate the initiative on behalf of the partners.