At our Executive Committee meeting in February we discussed a paper from committee member Brian Lemay on the subject of open space for public use in our town. The 2014 Neighbourhood Plan household survey showed that 60% of respondents wanted more parks and accessible open spaces in the Town but "not just another football field", as one respondent put it. Also, 87% wanted more wildlife areas within the community area. The Civic Society will try to take this further - there are some areas within Buntingford that may be possible to designate as accessible open spaces, subject to the current owners' agreement. Watch this space!

Several members of the Committee took part in the litter pick on 5th March sponsored by Councillor Jeff Jones of East Herts District Council. The weather on the day was hardly conducive to outdoor activities, so many thanks to those brave souls who ventured out!

A reminder that this year's 'Civic Day' is 17th June - a national day of civic pride where communities celebrate their local areas. It is something that we will discuss at our next committee meeting but I would love to hear suggestions from outside the committee. Please email me if you have any ideas of what we could do on the day.

Well done to the organisers of the Buntingford Film Festival - a great success which hopefully paves the way for more events in the future.

Finaly, a reminder that the 2017 Civic Society AGM will take place at Benson Hall on Tuesday 25th April at 19.30 (see link below).

Graham Bonner, Chairman, Buntingford Civic Society

If you have any queries about Buntingford Civic Society or issues you would like to raise, you can email the Chairman direct at chairman@buntingfordcivic.org.uk.