Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of St. Peter's Neighbourhood Association took place Tuesday 10 October at Anzio House.

The previous Annual General Meeting's Minutes, the Chair's and Treasurer's reports were all approved.

The new St. Peter's Neighbourhod Association Committee for the forthcoming year was elected. Details of the Committee membership are to be found on the Association page of our website.

Chair's Report 

The first year of the Association has been a busy one.  We have seen changes amongst the personnel on the Committee and I have acted as Chair for the last few months.  I am proud to put my name forward to continue in this role for the coming year.  The Committee always needs people to be on it; otherwise it would simply be the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer sitting around talking amongst ourselves – and that’s not great for wider community involvement.  That we have had a relatively large number of people who have wanted to take part in the Association shows the importance that people place on the neighbourhood where they live and work – that is what is great about St Peter’s.

It might seem obvious, but it is the people who make up the Association and the Neighbourhood.  Without the people, the area in which we live and work would simply be a number of buildings.  It is the people who live and work in the area who make it what it is.  We all have our particular personal characteristics and specific issues that we wish to talk about, and the Association is there to encourage debate and discussion about how best that can be done.  The Association does not provide the initiative for all that happens, but it can play the role of an umbrella, providing the framework in which various activities can take place.

What has been great about the past year is the sheer number of people who have taken part in a very wide range of activities – including social events, fund raising, the Fete, litter picking, gardening, and so much more.  The groups of volunteers who are involved in these activities are never all name checked in being thanked for their work, but then we don’t do those things to get publicity for ourselves and our names in print.  Those activities are rewarding for everyone, and it is a credit to the whole neigbourhood that we have so many people taking part.

We are a neighbourhood association, which means that we are not just about the residents, but about the businesses that operate here as well.  Many thanks go to the people at Fifth Fusiliers, British Engines, Jewson, The Merchants Tavern, St. Peter's Marina and Precept.  All have been of assistance to us in our inaugural year.  Northumbria Police, the local Ward Councillors and the Ward Community Officer have also assisted us in getting us established – thank you to all of them.

Finally, I need to say that I would not have considered continuing as Chair of the Association if I had not known that I can count on the support, guidance and help of Robert Mee and Peter Thompson.  I am so pleased that they have both put themselves forward once again to represent the Association as Officers on the Committee.  I look forward in continuing to successfully work with both of them, as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Please accept my apologies at being unable to be at the AGM in person. Work has taken me down to London and I’m afraid that it was not possible to change this.  I am looking forward to another year of living in the area, and hoping that we can use the opportunities that are afforded to us to continue to socialize and make improvements to our lives.  Next year I’m sure that we will continue to have so many positive things to report about.

Jon Bryan

Chair, St Peter’s Neighbourhood Association

10/10/17