West Wickham Residents Association (WWRA)

Good evening everyone, on this hot and sultry night.

Thank goodness for Air Conditioning in the Medhurst Hall. First of all, thank you for coming tonight when you could be at home preparing for the next world cup football match France v Morocco. You will have noted that the meeting is timed to finish when the football starts so that it should be possible to still see most of the match. Just as well though that England are playing on Saturday night and not this evening!

I’d also like to thank Katrina for everything she’s done in organising this evening. She is unable to be with us tonight but I saw her briefly before this meeting, and she had all the refreshments, name badges etc ready to go. She has had a lot on her plate and she quietly works away in the background to keep the association running and we are very grateful for her continued hard work. I mentioned this during the AGM but it bears repeating so that you can mention it to fellow residents when you next see them.

Evidently West Wickham is the most Romantic town in the whole of the United Kingdom. Royal Mail stated that mail in West Wickham went up by 16% during Valentines week this year which was the highest upsurge in the UK with Wokingham coming in second with 14%.

It is good to see around half of our 60 Road Stewards here tonight and I hope to catch up with you all individually during this evening. It is also nice to see some of my fellow committee members here

• Chris Barnes
• Richard Barnes
• Richard Douglas
• Pauline Nurse

And for those of you who haven’t met them yet, perhaps I could ask our committee members to give everyone a wave particularly Richard Douglas who is our treasurer, as I understand that some of the Road Stewards have subscription cash for you.

The Association has been without a Chairman for some time, so one of the first things I wanted to do after becoming Chairman was to meet the people who make the Association work. This evening feels like a good start to make sure that you as a Road Steward are properly thanked for your efforts and you also get a chance to meet your fellow Road Stewards, and let us know how we can support you better going forward. I would also like to know about the good things about being a Road Steward so that we can use that information to recruit new Road Stewards when some of you earn a well deserved retirement. Just to let you know that my wife and I have recently moved from Beckenham to a bungalow in Links Road West Wickham.

By background I’m a retired Chartered Accountant and Business Consultant. My career taught me the importance of good organisation, but even more importantly it taught me that organisations only succeed because of people As well as your work as Road Stewards, the committee members give their time to planning matters, transport issues, local concerns and the practical administration of the Association. All of this voluntary work deserves recognition. But you our Road Stewards deserve particular thanks.

Around 4,000 households receive the quarterly A5 magazine – delivered by you and you also collect the £3 annual subscription. That means knocking on doors, handling payments, keeping records, and representing the Association face-toface. The Association literally reaches homes because of you.

• So this evening I would like to know better:
• How we support and perhaps simplify the role of Road Stewards.
• What you enjoy about being Road Stewards so that we can mention this when recruiting new Road Stewards.
• How we communicate with residents who are not currently members.

You may be interested in my aims as Chairman of the Residents Association. When I became Chairman I set myself three priorities:

• to make the Association more visible

• more relevant to today’s residents

• and more rewarding for the volunteers who give their time.

Everything we’re trying to do fits under one of those headings. P

One of my favourite management books contains a simple sentence that has stayed with me throughout my career: ‘Thanks is an often neglected form of remuneration.’

I think that’s just as true in voluntary organisations. None of us volunteers because we expect to be thanked, but it is important that we do say thank you. Tonight is really about doing exactly that.

One thing that voluntary organisations don’t do enough is celebrate long service.

Tonight I would like to put that right!

I would now like to present a certificate to Don and Jill Comerford in recognition of their longstanding service as Road Stewards.

Thank you to everyone else here tonight as well. I look forward to more get togethers and handing out more certificates. I am also happy to walk rounds with each of you over time.

Sadly the summer edition is a none starter as I have recently had surgery on my right calf, but I will be up and running for the Autumn edition and would love to join you on your rounds to learn first-hand what being a Road Steward is really like and to understand the challenges from your perspective In summary, my wife and I intend to grow older here. My grandchildren are growing up nearby. I care deeply about whether West Wickham remains safe, vibrant and welcoming — for families, for older residents, for businesses and for future generations.

Thank you very much.

Now, enough from me. This evening is about you. I’d really like to spend the rest of the evening talking to as many of you as I can, so if you have an idea, a concern or simply want to introduce yourself, please do come and find me.