Wigan Borough Environment & Heritage Network
10.30 a.m. 1st September 2014 Museum of Wigan Life
Present:
Glenys McClellan (Leigh Family History Society), Peter Goodwin (Tradition Films), Joe Taylor (Billinge History Society), Avis Freeman (Leigh Soroptimists), Geoff Jones (Astley Green Colliery Museum), Neil Forshaw (George Formby Society), Mary Pennington (Wigan Archaeology Society), Tom Price (Civic Trust, John O'Neil (Greenheart).
Welcome and Apologies:
Marge Harrop (Leigh Family History Society), Richard Sivill (Atherton Heritage),
Jan Johnston (LENDF), Ken Barston (Stubshaw Cross Residents Group), Allan Roberts
(RSPCB), Mandy Wellans-Bray (Orrell-Billinge Transition Town Group), Dave Wilson,
David Shallcross & Tony Bishop (Leigh Ornithological Society), Peter Taylor
(Civic Trust):
Avis Freeman chaired and welcomed everyone to the meeting
Minutes of the last meeting: True and accurate.
Matters arising: None
Action Plan:
Most of the meeting was spent discussing the action plan for the remainder of this year and the beginning of the next.
If there are any groups out there that might benefit from belonging to the Network, please contact them and invite them to join. There are groups mentioned in Past Forward, for example - Avis and Glenys to contact.
The site visits have been popular - think about more for next year.
Geoff informed the meeting that there will soon be a restored 3,300 HP engine running at Astley Green that we can visit.
The Lancashire celebration day can be linked to the essay competition - probably be in October or November.
Glenys is helping set up a Friends of the Museum Group.
Geoff is persuing a lottery bid re WW1 and the mining industry.
A Waterloo Memorial Group has been set up and is making good progress.
We are continuing to develop ties with local schools.
Greenheart and Borough in Bloom are still functioning and being supported.
The George Formby Society have just had an exhibition at the Museum of Wigan Life.
The Civic Trust have given out seven awards for the restoration of buildings.
We will continue to publicise via the local newspapers - there have been several good articles published recently.
We will continue to remind Council and the Trust that we exist and let them know what we are doing.
We will have an annual celebration again later this year.
AOB:
We are all invited to the event at the Museum 5th September
Alex is worried about the possible loss of the Hulton Archive
Mary distributed the Archaeology newsletters
Geoff is trying to get accreditation as a museum
Peter is doing a project with Bickershaw primary school
Glenys is running a family history help desk once a month
Next meeting:
13th October at the Museum of Wigan Life, 10.30 am.