Friends of St.James' Park
About Us
St.James' Park pre-restoration |
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St.James' Park post-restoration, July 2011 |
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Updated: 13th November 2011
How did it all start?
A group of local residents formed the Friends of St.James' Park (FoSJP) in January 2006 to help improve St.James' Park for the community. The formal launch of FoSJP in April 2006 was a great success, and we now have a membership base of over 450 people - the largest group of its type in Southampton.
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Click here to find out about FoSJP membership and how to join us. |
What does FoSJP do?
FoSJP organises community events and campaigns for better facilities; its overall aim is to work towards creating a park that will best serve the various needs of all our community.
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FoSJP's Mission Statement
To celebrate and enhance the life of our park and its community through social, environmental, and economic development. |
Working closely with Southampton City Council, in October 2009 we were awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant which by July 2011 transformed the Park: providing a café, community room, new entrances, botanical and scenic walks, new landscaping, and new play facilities for children and adults.
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Visit our Restoration & Improvement page for more information on how the Park was changed. |
ParkLife Community Interest Company
In order to run the new café and community room in the Park, in November 2010 FoSJP established ParkLife, a community interest company through which the trading activities of FoSJP will be conducted as a social enterprise, with any profits being reinvested into the Park and the local community. ParkLife started trading on 1st April 2011 and the café opened for business on 15th July 2011.
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Apart from ParkLife Café staff and our Community Coordinator, everybody working for FoSJP and ParkLife is a volunteer. |
FoSJP Membership
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Click here for the FoSJP Constitution
Latest version as approved at AGM, May 2012 Click here for the FoSJP Membership Form |
Updated: 31st March 2013
For a nominal sum, you can become a member of FoSJP and keep up to date with developments and events via our regular newsletter.
Last year's annual memberships expired on 31st March - options for 2013‑2014 are still:
- £2 for one year's membership
- £20 to join as a Life Member (of whom we now have over 290)
If you have any questions about FoSJP membership, please email us at membership@fosjp.org.uk.
We look forward to you joining us - the more members we have, then the more we can do in the future for the Park!
How You Can Get Involved
Updated: 19th April 2010
If you'd like to take an active part, we're always glad to get offers of help - with the planning and running of events, providing refreshments, fundraising, gardening, or general administration work.
To find out more, please contact us or speak to any of the Committee.
The FoSJP Committee
Updated: 20th April 2013
The purpose of the FoSJP Committee is to develop, oversee, coordinate, and support activities in St.James' Park. Each committee member is responsible for one area and is supported by a number of other volunteers.
The current FoSJP Committee was voted in at FoSJP's AGM on Wednesday 30th May 2012.
| Chair | Tania Emery | Secretary | Karen Wardley |
| Treasurer | Theresa Bowen | Membership Secretary | Jill Gardner |
| History Coordinator | Michaela Lawler-Levene |
Current committee members have responsibility for Membership, History‑related projects, and links with ParkLife (the Café and Community Room).
We're looking for new co‑opted Committee members to be responsible for Events, Sports in the Park, and Environment (including gardening and wildlife) coordination. Each Committee member commits to a minimum of 2 hours per week spent organising, coordinating, and participating in activities, plus attending Committee meetings which are held once every 6 weeks in the evening.
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To find out more about the FoSJP Committee and how you might be able to contribute, please contact us via chair@fosjp.org.uk. |
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Our thanks go to Johnny Carrington, Martin Caveney, Nichola Caveney, Martin Gardner, Rebecca Kinge, Mike Smith, Trudie Smith, Barrie Worth, and Jayne Worth, who each stepped down as Committee members during 2011‑2012, in some cases after more than 6 years of sterling service. |
FoSJP AGM 2013 - Wednesday 15th May 2013
Updated: 31st March 2013
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FoSJP ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday 15th May from 7.30pm Shirley Parish Hall, Colebrook Avenue |
We hope that you can join us for this year's AGM: it's a great opportunity for FoSJP members to get together, find out what's been happening in St.James' Park over the last year, and learn about our plans for the future.
This year, as well as hearing about FoSJP's activities, we'll also have an opportunity to hear from ParkLife's Board of Directors, who will update us on the progress of the ParkLife Community Interest Company which runs the Café and Community Room.
We also hope to vote some new members onto the FoSJP Committee as we have a number of vacancies. We've had some interest already but it would great to have more, so if you'd like to be part of the team that works to improve St.James' Park and the activities within it, then please contact us via friendssjp@aol.com. No previous committee experience is required!
FoSJP AGM 2012 - Wednesday 30th May 2012
Updated: 15th September 2012
FoSJP held its sixth Annual General Meeting at Shirley Parish Hall on Wednesday 30th May, with more than 40 members in attendance.
- Outgoing Chair Nichola Caveney gave an illustrated presentation of the many activities in St.James' Park over the 12 months since the previous AGM, including the re‑opening of the Park after the restoration and improvements and the opening of the new ParkLife Café & Community Room.
- A revised FoSJP Constitution was approved.
- A new FoSJP Committee was elected.
- Jan Carr, our recently appointed Community Coordinator, introduced herself and her work.
This was Nichola's last AGM as FoSJP Chair, and a presentation was made to her in recognition of the visionary leadership and dedicated service that she had given over FoSJP's six years of existence, including a written tribute from Jon Dyer‑Slade of Southampton City Council, with whom FoSJP has been working to bring about the improvements to St.James' Park.
The evening was rounded off with cheese and wine and informal discussions.
Site location: Home > About FoSJP
