East Dulwich Society

[edhistory]

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=269292&SubsidiaryNumber=0

Accumulating funds.

John K

[david_carnell]

So?

[Lynne]

Would you like to tell us a bit more about the East Dulwich Society? Your entry, though informative up to a point, was a little lacking in details

For instance, does it have any connection with the east Dulwich Society of a few years ago?

Lynne

[mikeb]

Quite a few years ago it seems

See below from the "Charity Framework" part of the website. John, I think you may want to have a word with them about their definition of "East Dulwich" ...

269292 - EAST DULWICH SOCIETY

DUE DOCUMENTS RECEIVED

Other names: E D S (Working Name)

Governing document: CONSTITUTION ADOPTED 15/07/1974

Area of benefit: PLEASE SEE OBJECTS

Organisation type: STANDARD REGISTRATION

Where it operates: SOUTHWARK

Registration history: 24 April 1975 Registered

Charitable objects:

I) TO STIMULATE PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE AREA OF BENEFIT

II) TO PROMOTE HIGH STANDARDS OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE IN THE AREA OF BENEFIT

III) TO SECURE THE PRESERVATION PROTECTION DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF FEATURES OF HISTORIC OR PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE AREA OF BENEFIT. AREA OF BENEFIT BEING THE AREA BOUNDED BY LORDSHIP LANE, WOODVALE, FOREST HILL ROAD, PECKHAM RYE AND EAST DULWICH ROAD PLUS THE AREA TO THE EAST OF FOREST HILL ROAD KNOWN AS THE PARK ESTATE.

[edhistory]

David:

Ignoring any balance at 4 April 2007, the surplus accumulated over the five years to 4 April 2012 is ?5,340. Unless this has since been spent there might be funds that EDS could use to fund the 2013 fair soundstage.

Lynne:

I'm not an EDS member so I don't know about the current activities.

The Charity Commission has this:

REPRESENTATION IN PLANNING POLICY AND PLANNING APPLICATIONS; THE PROTECTION OF COMMON

LAND, MOL AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACES; ON CONSULTATIVE GROUPS CONCERNED WITH HEALTH AND

MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES; ON THE COURT OF THE SOUTHWARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION. LONDON FORUM,

SOUTHWARK HERITAGE. THAMES GATEWAY FORUM. SUPPORT TO GROUPS INVOLVED IN EDUCATION AND TRANSPORT ISSUES.ETC

There may be some EDF members who are also EDS members who can tell you what the EDS has been doing in its current year.

Mike:

I'll leave it to interested residents in Melbourne Grove, Derwent Grove, Elsie Road, Zenoria Street, Oxonian Street, East Dulwich Grove, and roads southward to make their claims to be in East Dulwich, and ask the EDS if they can join.

John K

[Lynne]

Is there anyone who could tell me about the current state of the east Dulwich Society? I don't think it's there to fund the 2013 fair,by the sound of it, unless it agrees to.

Lynne

[Pugwash]

The East Dulwich Society was set up by a number of local residents in 1974 who were concerned over the changing face of the area with buildings changing use, planning applications being approved withour being challenged or debated by local residents etc. You will find there is a full description of the history of EDS on the Forum - 6/10/2009.

Despite advertising on the Forum - meetings and AGMs- there has been very little interest shown by ED residents to want to preserve this organisation and committee member numbers have been falling over the past few years. Committee members, to the most point have been involved with EDS since 1974 and have either died, become frail, or moved out of the area. Whilst there are a number of paid up members, none seem to wish to become committee members and be actively involved. The few of us which remain also sit on various other committees based in East Dulwich. The Society's Chair has now moved out of the area, and the remaining committee members are now all 60 plus. Despite advertising on the Forum and having regular letters in SLP and Southwark News re ED Hospital site, Police Station, Maudsley Hospital etc which receive some feedback, and having representatives at most of the Dulwich Community Council Meetings over the past few years, younger residents are not attracted to the society.

Funds from membership monies are mostly used for hall hires, catering, newsletters, stationery and affiliation fees to various public bodies. The AGM will be held in April - probably at the East Dulwich Community Centre, date to be arranged, and should local residents be interested enough in joining and forming a new ( and hopefully younger) committee, they would be welcomed. The constitition is the original one and badly needs updating, shortening and redefining area.

[the-e-dealer]

How would one join this mysterious group?

[ianr]

> You will find there is a full description of the history of EDS on the Forum - 6/10/2009. -> http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,354817

[Pugwash]

When the AGM date is agreed. it will be advertised on the EDF - if you wish to join - the AGM is the best place to do so.

[the-e-dealer]

The we link is blank and you can only join at one meeting a year. Hardly an open organisation. More like the kgb

[Pugwash]

You can join throughout the year but the membership year is currently April - March, so if you pay now for 2012/13, you will need to pay in April for 2013/14. As far as I know - we do not have a web link as of the current committee - none have the skills to set up and maintain a web page. This was something that we hoped a new committee would do.

[edhistory]

How do you join the EDS if you can't attend the AGM?

John K

[the-e-dealer]

Wait till next year- Funny though they have terrible trouble getting members!

[Reg Smeeton]

Pugwash, what is the EDS thinking of doing with the ?5000 it appears to have in its bank account? I can remember the Society being quite active in the late 1980s and early 90s, campaigning on behalf of Lordship Lane against Sainsbury's for example, but what initiatives has the society taken in the last 10 years? Or has the Community Council and the East Dulwich Forum really taken over the role once played by the EDS?

[edhistory]

Reg:

Some of the information is likely to be in East Dulwich Society annual reports.

John K

[Reg Smeeton]

edhistory Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Reg:

>

> Some of the information is likely to be in East

> Dulwich Society annual reports.

>

> John K

Are these published online anywhere?

[Pugwash]

I do not see where people get the idea there is ?5000 in the EDS accounts because I cannot see that figure anywhere.

If people are that concerned about the EDS they should come to the AGM and get themselves elected onto the Committtee and can examine all the accounts and reports for the last several years. Annual reports for charities with an income of less than x amount per year are not required by the Charity Commission so will not be published online. ( I cannot remember the amount off hand)

Over the past few years the EDS has been very involved with the closure of ED Hospital and proposed plans by PCT and Ken Hoole ( former Chair) has been very active in this area - those of you who have attended Community Council Meetings

over the past 5 years plus would be aware of this. The closure of the Emergency Clinic at Maudsley Hospital was another big campaign involving EDS along with other locaL organisations. The current chair, Stan Hardy, also attended several meetings with other committee members around the closure of the Elderly wards in Maudsley and the closure of Holmhurst Day Centre. EDS committee members were also involved with the exposure of waste products being dumped in Nunhead cementary, also submitting proposals for health services in ED. Committee members were also involved with LINC, the redesign of maternity provision in Southwark, saving of ED Police Station, the original 100hour pharmacy and needle exchange at DMC. To a lesser extent the new 100 hrs proposal for pharmacy and needle exchange at DMC. campaigning with others against the removal of the Betty Alexander Clinic for Older People from Dulwich Hospital to Kings. In addition there is the regular perusual of planning applications and submission of amendemnts/comments/objections etc.

I have not been actively involved with EDS via its committee for last 10 years although I have been a member for some time, so cannot give you further information.

[edhistory]

The ?5k is derived from the five-year surplus the East Dulwich Society declared to the Charities Commission.

See here: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=269292&SubsidiaryNumber=0

John K

[ed_pete]

John ? you?ve highlighted the fact that the EDS have ?5k but frankly so what ? If you think they are embezzling or squandering the money then why not come out and say so ? If you have an issue with the EDS then why not write to the Charity Commission I would have thought that?s far more likely to be effective than throwing stones on the EDF.

[edhistory]

The Dulwich Society and the Peckham Society both publish the names of committee members and their contact details.

Does the East Dulwich Society publish a list?

A current committee member might know how to join the East Dulwich Society between AGMs.

John K

[ed_pete]

Contact details are on the Charity Commission site to which you have linked above - have you tried those ?

[the-e-dealer]

Surely a Local Charity / Interest Group should advertise a little bit in its area of interest? Otherwise its more like a secret society. "Yes the papers were lodged in a safe in the basement of a bank in Lithuania don't be so parochial"

A thread on here would be a start!

[Pugwash]

When did you last read about some local issue penned by the Dulwich Society in the local papers?, Admittedly there have been some articles from Peckham Society. Stan Hardy - chair has been interviewed many times by SLP and SNews regarding issues affecting ED, his letters regularly appear on the pages of those newspapers. he was also a judge for SLP 'Local Heroes' .

Ken Hoole a founder member of EDS has been a very forceful figure in the area, challenging Dulwich Community Council decisions, the previous PCT, Chief Executives of Kings and Maudsley Hospital and many other . Other members are working quietly on behalf of EDS in the field of mental health and maternity provision, scrutinising policies and questioning health officials.

When the AGM date is known, it will be advertised in EDF - if you are that interested you will come along and join and seek election for the committtee - it is 'old and tired' and could do with some new blood, You can examine account books going back to the 1990s. If you think that the present committee is fiddling the books or doing something underhand or illegal - then report them to the Charity Commission

[edhistory]

How does someone join the East Dulwich Society between AGMs?

Does the East Dulwich Society publish a list of committee members and how to contact them?

How many ordinary members does the committee represent?

John K