From Standish Wiki

Contents 1 About 1.1 Committee and Members 1.2 Annual General Meeting 1.3 Chairman’s Annual Report 2007/08

About

The Forum was established in 1994 following a public meeting to which all Standish residents and representatives from the township’s organisations were invited to attend.

It’s aim is to create a greater sense of community spirit within Standish by providing opportunities for the more direct involvement of residents in local issues, and forging stronger links with the local council and other agencies serving the community. The Forum will endeavour to maintain and preserve our local heritage, campaign on local issues and promote community events.

ALL residents are members of the Forum, and as such are welcome to attend meetings held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7.00pm in the Standish Community Centre in Church Street. The management is in the hands of a Committee elected annually at the March AGM.

Projects such as Standish in Bloom, the Standish Homepage website, Lancashire Day celebrations, the Annual Achievement Awards and a series of Heritage Plaques have all evolved over the years, in addition to one-off publications such as the Standish Walks Booklets, 50 Facts about Standish, and Gordon Crumpton’s excellent book ‘Standish and its People’.

Recently our monthly meetings have incorporated different themes for discussion that included leisure, traffic, improving the local environment and creating a safer neighbourhood.

However, if the Forum is to maintain its credibility as the key local community organisation, and if it is to continue to deliver its extensive annual programme, then more organisational input is required, and more volunteers must come forward. So, if you feel that it is important to retain Standish as a pleasant and parochial environment with a village atmosphere (although it is now a town!), and if you would be willing to offer your help for the benefit of the community, then please come to one of our monthly meetings or contact any member of the Forum’s Committee.

Committee and Members

The Community Forum Committee consists of up to 16 members, including a Chairman, Vice Chairman and an Honorary Treasurer. The Officers and Members of the committee are elected to the Forum at its Annual General Meeting, and they hold the office for one year.

Below is the list of Committee members for 2008.

• Chairman: Mr G. Wilcock
• Vice Chairman: Cllr G. A. Fairhurst
• Secretary: Cllr N. R. Whittingham
• Treasurer: Mr N. K. Douglas

Mrs M. Andrews, Mr W. Andrews, Mr G. Davies, Mrs M. Roberts, Mr M. Robinson, Mr R. Whittingham

Annual General Meeting

The Standish Community Forum Annual General Meeting is held every March in the Standish Community Centre. The first part of the meeting is the Annual Achievement Awards, following which the AGM is held. All Standish residents are invited to attend.

The Annual meeting is an opportunity to highlight the continued development of the Forum on behalf of all Standish residents, thank all those who have been involved in various activities and attempt to introduce new members onto the committee who would be willing to take an active part in its yearly programme.

Chairman’s Annual Report 2007/08

"Eric Hill, the Chairman elected at the 2007 AGM resigned in July as a result of the perceived lack of co-operation of Wigan Council with issues raised with them, particularly their decision to locate the ATM/Telephone kiosk( which he called the Tardis) within the High Street Conservation Area, and directly in front of the heritage plough and pit tub, an area which the Forum had worked so hard to create.

"From July to September I became acting chair and in Sept was elected as Chairman of the Standish Community Forum. I thank all members for their confidence and support over the last 6 months. I also thank our 3 ward councillors for their diligence and regular attendance at our meetings, for their progression of many of the issues raised and for the generous support provided by the Council’s Brighter Borough scheme.

"Standish in Bloom goes from strength to strength, with the addition this year of planters mounted on the guard rails around the centre of our township. We recognized some 200 front-garden displays with certificates, and the annual Presentation Evening also recognized the best 60 gardens with trophies awarded to the top 10. The Christmas trees mounted on the shop fronts and in the Market Place are also part of Standish in Bloom and again we must thank our councillors for the necessary grant funding.

"The maintenance of the heritage of Standish is also an important consideration of the Forum and my thanks must go to Keith Douglas for his perpetuation of the series of heritage plaques which highlight the sites of importance. We also installed signs of a more robust nature near to the sites of Standish Hall and The Hermitage within the parklands to the west of Beech Walk. We will continue to press for all the street furniture within the Conservation Area to be painted black. We have requested that investigations take place where the hoard of roman coins was found at ‘Minerva’, 255 Wigan Rd once development of the site begins.

"We will support the council’s Heritage Service with the ‘BLINT’ list (buildings of local interest) and will identify for considerations those we think worthy of inclusion.

"In November 2007, the Forum received an Urban Design Award for our part in the refurbishment of the Market Place.

"We continue to support Lancashire Day in association with ‘The Friends of Real Lancashire’ and press coverage of this years event was extensive.

"The Christmas Carol service and hot-pot supper, organised jointly with the Standish branch of the Royal British Legion and ‘Churches Together’ was a very popular and well-attended event.

"Looking forward to the coming year, work should begin shortly on the next phase of the re-ordering of the Market Place area, with stone setts and the installation of public notice boards around the township.

"We will continue to work tirelessly with our partner agencies, local organizations and residents in promoting what is best for Standish and its people."

G.Wilcock, Chairman

See also:

• Standish Community Forum Constitution
• Standish Community Forum 5 Year Plan (2000-2004)
• Standish in Bloom
• Annual Achievement Awards
• Lancashire Day