So Sad to Say Goodbye

I am very sad that we are losing Alberta Stevens our Civic Societies Manager. She has been with us for two and a half years and has made a major contribution to building a very strong foundation for the future relationship between Civic Societies and the Civic Trust.

Her lasting achievement has been as the founding editor of Grass Roots although this is only one example of how she has revolutionised our communications with Civic Societies. We wish her well for her marriage in September and her move to Qatar. Quite a change from London though she has already secured a job working in the voluntary sector in Qatar. Thank you, Alberta, for all your work for us.

I shall be acting Civic Societies Manager until we have appointed a successor which we shall announce very soon. Alden Charles continues his admirable work on the Civic Societies help desk and is available 9-5 to answer your questions and to link you to the work of the Civic Trust."

Welcome Mr President

Griff Rhys Jones and Peter Bembridge Griff Rhys Jones has become President of the Civic Trust. The nationwide charity campaigns for better places in the built and green environment.

Griff Rhys Jones said: "All over Britain people who love and care about their towns and cities work to take responsibility for something that affects us all - our urban landscape. I salute them, respect them and am delighted to be made their President and to support the work of the Civic Trust."

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Civic Societies Week

As part of the Yorkshire and Humber Region's Civic Societies Week, over 30 societies have mounted special activities to raise their profile with the wider community. For example, Wakefield Civic Society held a special event targeted at the local business community and other organisations. With guest speakers that included writer and broadcaster Ian Clayton, more than 50 people attended to hear about the work of the Society and hopes are high that this will now lead to offers of sponsorship and new corporate members. For more details see: www.wakefieldcivicsociety.org.uk

CTA Local Advisors Wanted

The Civic Trust Awards Team is currently recruiting new Community Advisors for the 2008 Awards.

Launched in 1959, the Civic Trust Awards is one of the oldest built environment award schemes in Europe. From cafes and churches to housing and hospitals, the Civic Trust has rewarded over 5,500 buildings which have made a difference to local people and their communities by providing the design and facilities which have made better places for people.

To learn more about this opportunity click here

Get involved in a Green flag Award Park or Green Space near you

The Civic Trust is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to a quality green space and the benefits that this can bring. One of the ways the Trust is working to achieve this is by encouraging organisations to adopt the Green Flag Award, the national standard for quality green spaces www.greenflagaward.org.uk. Key to a site achieving Green Flag is the involvement of the local community because our judges want to ensure that the site meets communities` needs. We recently sent out a survey to 177 Civic Societies that do not currently have access to a Green Flag Award in their local authority area of which we received a very positive response from groups wanting to help us create better places for people. The results of this survey are currently being analysed and will be published on the Civic Society forum in the next week. However, The Civic Trust will not be happy until every community across the country has a Green Flag award winning site within walking distance.

Why not visit www.greenflagaward.org.uk and use the Post Code finder to locate your nearest Green Flag Award site. If it is not within walking distance why not help us to achieve our aims by clicking here and completing this short questionnaire which should take no more than 5 minutes.

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