At the 2013 AGM a resolution was passed to change the status of the Friends of Colliers Wood to that of a small unregistered charity within the Charity Commission definition. That required some small modifications to our original constitution. This was accomplished and the revised constitution was signed on the 5th January 2014.
A copy can be downloaded from the following link.

Click for the FoCW charity constitution

This constitution lists the objectives that are more fully described below. It also covers the rules of membership, election of trustee officers, management aspects, conduct and purpose of meetings, financial control and voting procedures.

(If you wish to compare the two versions of the FoCW constitutions, the original form can be downloaded by clicking here)

Objectives

Our constitution lists seven objectives which guide our work. The following is a fuller description of each:-

1. Environmental protection and enhancement within the Colliers Wood site and throughout its adjacent rural and urban areas in order to achieve a practical benefit in experience for residents and visitors. These areas include the important environmental corridors that link through the adjacent landscapes. Public urban green spaces, unattended plots of land and house gardens offer many habitat opportunities that can enhance the areas bio-diversity.
2. As a very small country park there are many conflicting demands on the use of the limited space available. The Friends try to interpret the key issues that affect the public use of the site. These issues sometimes relate to management aspects and require objective analysis to ensure implementation of sustainable solutions that meet the site user’s expectations. Expansion of facilities to provide opportunities for different user groups is an ongoing long term objective aimed at encouraging a broader mix and greater numbers of visitors to the site.
3. The Friends desire to enlarge the site through projects that extend into adjacent brown-field areas. This would help expand public access opportunities and permit different habitats to be experienced. Accessibility is a key Greenwood Forest aim. The Friends also wish to encourage the owners of adjacent land to co-ordinate their own existing environmental provisions within an area habitat policy. By this means we hope to sustain the most fragile of our patches of landscape and those species with small populations.
4. Urban green patches can yield significant habitat gain when carefully managed. The Friends seek to encourage owners of these sites to implement a management program. Sometimes the site will only be available for a limited number of years before being developed. Enhancement of the ecology for that limited time will give visual improvement and improve resident’s attitude to their neighbourhood. These sites can form a temporary reservoir for species from where they can filter into gardens and permanent small green spaces.
5. Public pride in the local environment leads to ‘ownership’ attitudes that the Friends wish to encourage. Ensuring that the site is clean, safe and litter free provides a standard to be repeated in the vicinity of visitor’s homes. Activities to expand species knowledge encourage care with litter, dogs and garden products. Understanding of species behaviour adds enjoyment through direct observation.
6. The Friends are a completely voluntary group. We encourage members of the community to participate, adding their effort and skills for personal enjoyment and achievement of an enhanced physical environment.
7. Encouragement of regular out-of-doors activities involving some physical effort. This may range from a stroll, observing nature’s activities, through to more arduous maintenance work.

The means of achieving our objectives is periodically reviewed and adjusted to allow for experience. Different initiatives are tried and programs are modified in view of feedback information. Resources affect the effort that can be devoted to each task and this requires the Friends to concentrate on activities that have the greatest impact on site use and participants enjoyment. We do however endeavour to slowly progress, when resources are available, those more difficult projects that may eventually be of benefit to the site.