Chairman's Annual Report 2025
ANNUAL REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE ASSOCIATION 2025
The presentation tonight by Arcadis, which has been commissioned by Merton to develop flood prevention strategies, is a reminder that our Association was founded in 1928 for precisely this purpose. Over the nearly 100 years since then, there have been many instances of flooding affecting local homes and swamping roads. Back then, there was a golf course which had its clubhouse near Raynes Park station, but the ground was found to be so wet that it was forced to close, and to move to join up with the Malden Golf Club. They still play for a Raynes Park Cup. From these early beginnings, the Association developed into an active organisation which has always aimed to protect and develop local amenities, and to provide social activities. This we still do.
The Residents’ Pavilion, 129. Grand Drive
Social activities are now based at the Pavilion, which is ably managed by the Pavilion Management Group, who ensure that the premises are clean and well-maintained. They all deserve our thanks for this work. The group is chaired by Jerry Cuthbert, with Simon Hillson as their treasurer, and with a membership of Moira Deveson, Linda Fitch, Chris and Tina Lorimer, and Howard Phillips. The Pavilion is hired by an expanding number of groups running activities of all kinds and is also available to hire for children’s parties. Meanwhile, the social club for members aged 60+ founded by our President, Jill Truman, is flourishing, and is now run successfully by Lionel, Mary and Krystyna.
For young children and families, we have the popular story and rhyme-time sessions organised by Clare, John and Debbie. These story-times are now listed in the Merton Directory of Children’s Services. All the various activities help to fund the cost of maintaining and running the Pavilion.
The RPWBRA Committee
I am very pleased to report that the membership of the main committee of the Association has been working hard and effectively over the past year, and I want to thank them all on your behalf.
Clare Townsend, our secretary, ensures that the committee meets regularly and that additional events, such as tonight’s AGM are organised effectively. She and John Townsend contact area coordinators and road stewards to encourage attendance at Open Meetings and social events, and they sort out the hall bookings and technical requirements, as well as the refreshments.
Simon Hillson, who was appointed our Treasurer at the end of the previous year, has thrown himself into this difficult and time-consuming task with real energy and expertise, as you will see from his own report later. We thanked our previous auditor Brian Lewis-Lavender last year, and we are pleased that our new auditor Bernie McAlister has joined us in time to complete this year’s audit.
Our Income
Our income depends on three major sources. The first comes from the subscriptions that our members have paid over many years, and we thank you all for your contributions. Without you, our amazing members, we would not have an Association!
The second is the advertising revenue that helps to pay for the printing of The Guide (by Prontaprint) 11 times a year. This revenue is tirelessly secured and maintained by our advertising manager, Dick Coleman, and we thank him for this.
The third income stream is the revenue generated by hire of the pavilion and we thank Jerry for meticulously overseeing this.
The Guide and our Road Stewards
The Guide is designed, compiled and produced by the team of Clare and John Townsend, with adverts sourced by Dick Coleman, and you will all agree that the production values and content of this magazine go from strength to strength. We must be the only residents’ association in the country that communicates with its members with such a professional publication. It is a busy, relentless undertaking and we thank them both for their dedication.
To get The Guide to our members, we rely on our team of Area Co-Ordinators and Road Stewards. Some of the stewards have been undertaking this task for as many as 20, 30 or 40 +years – an incredible record! We are also very pleased to welcome enthusiastic new members to the team – so please do let Clare or John know if you feel you can spare a little time to join the group. We are grateful to all of them for their continued service and we hold “thank-you” social events for all our volunteers.
The distribution of The Guide to area coordinators and the list of existing and new members is managed by Otto Hoenig with great enthusiasm, and he merits our gratitude. Otto is also kindly currently covering the position of Westway Coordinator, so we would be grateful to any member who would be prepared to step up to the role.
Website and Nextdoor
We also communicate with our members, and with the wider public, through our website, and our Webmaster since its inception has been Charles Briscoe-Smith. We thank him for his continued help in this. Although Charles has moved to Hampshire, he still maintains the site, completely free of charge, and he liaises regularly with Clare regarding emails received through the website. He also uploads each new Guide on to the site. The general information on the website is kept up to date by Jerry Cuthbert. Dick Coleman also posts messages on our RPWBRA Nextdoor Group. We thank them for this.
Our Co-opted Members
Mary-Jane Jeanes is one of our Co-Opted Committee members, and she is an invaluable help in guiding us through the myriad of environmental and environmental matters that we have to consider. She and Jerry are the first people we turn to consider our position on such matters, and to provide reasoned arguments either for or against proposals. Mary-Jane is also a fount of information regarding parks and green issues.
Our other Co-Opted member is Sudev Joshi, and we are pleased to be joined by a somewhat younger member who can give us the views of a newer generation. He and his wife Priya have contributed some excellent articles for The Guide, and we thank them both for this.
The year 2024/25
So, what have we done this year? We had the devastating news at the end of last year that the Local Government Ombudsman had refused, after many months, our complaint about the grant of planning permission to Bellway to build on the site of the former LESSA sports ground off Grand Drive. We had been fighting to keep this as a sports ground for over 25 years and the decision was desperately disappointing. As expected, there were many complaints at the start of the building work, which we monitored with the help of our former President, Garry Hunt. We put in objections to the further attempt by developers to build at 208-212 Burlington Road.
We were invited to look around the very impressive clubhouse and grounds of the AELTC Community Tennis Centre on Grand Drive. Over the years the Association worked hard to preserve the site as a green area, so it was pleasure to walk around the site, and we can recommend the café which is open to all!
We held a well-attended Open Meeting at West Barnes Library, with Ross Garrod, Leader of the Council and members of the rail networks responsible for the accessibility work at Motspur Park Station..
Subsequently, at the request of Jack Wharton from National Rail, Clare and John liaised with Ian Irwin, the Library Manager, to provide a venue and refreshments for the official opening of the new lifts and general upgrade at Motspur Park station. This was very well attended by residents.
The Committee also held a preliminary meeting in February with the developers of the gas holders’ site. This is in Kingston, but our concern is the effect that the construction work will have on residents living near the Motspur Park level crossing, and those living in Marina Avenue.
There are celebrations throughout the borough to celebrate “Merton at 60” as you will have heard from Councillor Eleanor Stringer, Deputy Leader of the Council tonight. The celebrations will include a festive afternoon in Raynes Park on Sunday 4th May.
As a former Leader of Merton Council, I was pleased to represent the RPWBRA at the “We are Merton at 60” launch, where local schoolchildren, under the auspices of the Merton Music Foundation, performed songs from “Oliver” and played an accomplished set of classical guitar pieces. A very enjoyable event.
John Elvidge, Chairman, RPWBRA, April 2025
