Draft mintues from Thursday 20 August 2026 from 6:30pm to 8pm
Location: Redlands Community Centre – Committee room.
The meeting was attended by:
- Kevin Hodder (Chair)
- Maryann Crowley-Hine
- Paige Sewell
- Laura Haigh (proxy for MP Hatton)
- Anne Griffiths
- Michele Pettinger
- Stuart Bremner McLeod
- Cllr David Northam
1. Opening of meeting
1.1 The chair welcomed all members. He shared incoming correspondence from Minister Jim McMahon OBE MP, noting successes in the early stages of Pride in Place in Dorset including the support of Dorset Council as a local authority partner.
2. Standing items
2.1 Apologies for the meeting were received from Cllr Louie O'Leary, Rocca Holly-Nambi, Tony Greaves and Adam Gough. These were accepted by the board. Laura Haigh joined the meeting as proxy for MP Lloyd Hatton.
2.2 No Conflicts of Interest were declared for the meeting.
2.3 The meeting minutes for the previous meeting, 9 July 2026, were approved with minor amends.
3. Special Focus 1: Community workshop
3.1 The board discussed the themes arising from the workshop, and the 'quick wins' which were mentioned by community participants.
The board discussed reflections on the workshop including:
- that the themes emerging resonate with board members, and are a good starting point to build on when results from the community survey become available
- further engagement to build a sense of community and identity specifically in Broadwey and Upwey should be considered, members feeling there is less of a sense of community than in Littlemoor. It was agreed that board members would attend the Frank Reynolds Centre on a Tuesday night when there is a fish and chip van and have a stall at Upwey Family Fun Day and Dog Show at Upwey house
- board members agreed that there is an opportunity further engage with local schools, beyond Wey Valley. They discussed St Andrews, St. Nicholas, Wyvern and Westfield to make Headteachers are aware and get input through the survey. Anne will provide leaflets and information to the local vicar Rev. Philip Elliott who works across 3 of the 4 Church of England churches in the area
- regarding quick wins, it was agreed that a community clear up with a dust cart drive through would be progressed, along with a community skip
Action: Meeting to be convened between PS, DN, MP and Kris Hallet to progress dust card drive through.
4. Special Focus 2: Community Engagement
4.1 Community engagement was discussed, noting that a priority for the next few months should be establishing a youth board.
The following decisions were made by the board:
- the board should comprise older teenagers, but that there should be a series of ongoing engagement with local children in upper primary years
- following advice from the Dorset Council Youth Voice team and youth workers the board will commission a trusted local partner to establish and support the youth board. A panel of board members should assess the responses to tender
Action: Develop brief for youth board partner to be put to market.
5. Special focus 3: Communications
5.1 The board agreed that branding for the board should be developed, aiming to seek quotes for partners as close to the local area as possible who have the skill and experience to provide a quality deliverable for the board. A panel of board members should assess the responses to tender.
5.2 Regarding communications channels to be embedded in a future communications strategy, there was board support for a website, eNews, and a WhatsApp broadcast channel. In discussion, there was support for Facebook as a 'push' channel but some concern regarding resource for ongoing monitoring should a full Facebook profile be set up.
It was agreed that a brief should be developed and put to local agencies for comms support. Social value to be included as a criteria in both briefs.
Action: Develop a brief for a branding package with advice from MC-N and RH-N.
Action: Develop a brief for a communications support partner with advice from MC-N and RH-N.
6. Finance update
6.1 The board noted the financial overview including PiP balance held by Dorset Council and further income based on the terms of the award.
6.2 Expenditure on the following items was agreed:
- to fund a table at the Upwey Family Fun Day and Dog Show
- up to £80 per event for agreed community engagement activities
7. AOB and Dates of next meeting
7.1 KH noted the next PiP Chairs briefing is scheduled for Friday 11 September, which AG agreed to attend as his proxy.
7.2 The next meeting will be held on 17 September 2026. Dates were discussed for future meetings and workshops to finalise the regeneration plan, due to MHCLG in November 2026.