ANNUAL REPORT 2024 /25
Chair’s Remarks
It’s been a hectic year with much being achieved, although we still feel like we’re recovering from the impact of the covid epidemic. We are still focused on our core aim of seeking to improve our area for all, and we are always here to offer help and advice to any residents who may need it. We have contacts and experience on offer! Reading through this report, you will see just how much is going on and just how much we do, none of which would be possible without the remarkable dedication of our committee, and supportive members and residents. We would also like to thank Avenue St Andrew’s, The Students’ Union, The University and our wonderful local Councillors for their support and involvement in many areas of our work. Please encourage any residents you know who are not part of OARA to come and join us!
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Committee Matters, Finance and Membership
The committee is at near full strength, and we have forged much closer links with The Students’ Union and The University through our more recent appointments, Sharon Burgess and Liz Harris. Funds are raised through membership contributions, events like raffles, table-top sales, plant stalls and a regular contribution from a large local landlord for helping students in their properties manage their bins and waste. We are very grateful to Wendy, our treasurer, who does a marvellous job in running our finances!
Members’ Meetings
We held three members’ meetings in 2024: the Annual General Meeting in March and two Ordinary General Meetings, one in June and one in October. We had a particular focus and guest speakers for each session: Our Police, Our Community; Planning and HMOs; and A Greenprint for Outer Avenue. At each session we sought to share information, raise issues and seek solutions that would help improve life in our area. The meetings were generally well-attended, with usually between 30 and 40 attendees.
Community Liaison, Social and Cultural Matters
As usual, there has been a busy programme of social events this year. We held two street parties - ‘‘The Big Lunch” in June and “Meet Your Neighbours” in October. All local residents are welcome to come along, plus we encourage local students to join in, and they do!. Our Xmas party at The Guide Dog was well-attended and great fun, plus it raised over £100 for OARA funds.
SUSU Report - Student Links
OARA continues to work closely with the University of Southampton Students’ Union (SUSU) and SUSU supported both street parties in 2024.
At the ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ party in October, students from Art Society and Vixens Cheerleading Squad hosted stalls alongside SUSU’s regular games and activities, and we were treated to performances by Brazilian Martial Arts Capoeira group, FolkSoc and Southampton University Brass Band.
Each year, SUSU surveys all University of Southampton students on their experience of their student accommodation and living in the city. 9% of the 25,000 UoS student population live in Bevois Ward and they reported mixed experiences in the most recent survey (summer 2024). However, a quarter of students living in private rented accommodation in Bevois rated the welcome they received from local residents as good or excellent (compared to 21% in 2023) and overall students were supportive of organising and attending shared events, as well as volunteering in the local community – both activities at which OARA excels.
SUSU colleagues (and one student!) joined March’s litter pick, and SUSU and OARA sowed a ‘wildflower patch’ in the beds edging Waitrose car park. Keep an eye out for a display of colourful blooms throughout the summer and into autumn.
Police Links and Liaison
We continue to work closely with our local neighbourhood police team. This included a very well-attended PACT (Police and Community Together) meeting in November, hosted by OARA. We are also grateful for their support at our street parties and appreciated their input at our AGM last year.
There has been a spike in drug use in the area but following targeted raids things have calmed down a bit.
Mentioned in the Greening report is the destruction of the planter in Avenue Road by a high-speed vehicle. The driver ran off and we were very lucky that no-one was seriously hurt. We are in current consultation with the council about the planter being restored.
If you do spot any criminal activity, do report it on the Hampshire police web site, or by ringing 101 or 999 if it’s an emergency. Reports that go in help build a picture and enable the local police to target their resources more effectively.
Open Studio Art Show
For the third year running OARA, together with Avenue St. Andrew's Church, organised an August Bank Holiday art show with work by local artists and creatives. As in previous years this was a successful event with 25 participants, including OARA members, church members, local individuals, art collectives and asylum seekers. There were about 500 visitors enjoying the artworks and the coffee and cakes. Building on that experience, a similar event is being planned for August Bank Holiday 2025. (BF)
Campaigns and Consultations
Throughout the year we have been involved in consultations with the Council regarding major schemes in the area and beyond. We have also involved our local Councillors in these issues and sought their advice and support where appropriate. Major consultations have been as follows: Portswood Broadway, Local Parking Scheme and The HMO Licensing scheme. We have put in major submissions for all three, and, to date, they are on-going.
Communications
We have continued to communicate with members with a range of regular information emails and two longer Bulletins in June and December. The OARA noticeboard at the Alma Road planters has been regularly refreshed (thank you Barbro) to catch the eye of passing cyclists and pedestrians. We still have to work to do to make the best use of our website and facebook links.(LH)
Clean Streets
The state of our streets, and the battle to keep litter at bay and bins in order, has continued to consume a lot of our time and energy.
We have for the most part continued with our first-Sunday-of-the month Litter Picks, though depleted numbers and morale caused us to take a break in December and January. We do know that the regular sessions, plus the efforts put in by individuals, do make a massive difference and we all feel better when the streets have been tidied.
We renewed our efforts and energy with a March Spring Blitz. Thank you to anyone who has come out and wielded a litter picker this year. We signed up over 40 houses for our Bin Buddy Scheme, providing student households with information, a Uni-funded recycling bag and a Tuesday night text reminder, helping them have better bin habits. We were grateful for the continuing sponsorship of Student-No-Fee.
We have continued to make reports of fly-tipping, street and bin mess to our contacts in the Council. We are particularly grateful to Jayne Goddard and her Open Spaces team for their prompt removal of offending items and to Julia Lovett, our HMO Warden, for contacting landlords of messy bin properties and requiring them to sort out the mess under the terms of their HMO Licence.
A couple of Council street-sparkle sessions in university holidays, at our request, also gave the streets a good sweep. We have appealed for this to happen more often.
Our liaison meetings with the University and Council also led to a reasonably smooth end-of-year clear-out, without the dispiriting excess rubbish of previous years. This effective partnership is already planning for this summer.
To carry on the good work, we need more helping hands for the litter picks and a comprehensive sign-up of new student houses to our Bin Buddy Scheme in the Autumn.
Greening
This last year has been one of trying to continue maintaining the project in our area. planting bulbs and bedding plants to keep colour in our half barrels, verges and brick planters in the area.
Local residents will have been aware that one of the brick planters was destroyed by a speeding car at the roadblock in Avenue Road – with replanting due once it is mended.
We could accomplish more with additional volunteer gardeners and hope to find some active support from the attendees of this year's AGM.
Our newest project is to encourage wildflowers along the righthand side of the cut through to Westwood Road. Those using this footpath will have been aware of the damage to one of the concrete pillars some time ago, and more recently the damage resulting from the fire in a green wheelie bin which is also awaiting restitution by the local authority. Some “wildflowering” will be an attractive addition. (SS)
Planning
We continue to monitor local planning applications and make representations, particularly where an increase in HMO population density and/or over-development are proposed. We appreciate the SCC planning department alerting us to local planning applications as they are lodged.
History and Heritage
2024 was another busy year for Bevois Mount History: we gave three local history talks at Portswood Library and will be involved in the coming programme of summer evening history talks, beginning with Southampton’s Parks.
Ally gave a talk about the French Raid of 1338 to the Friends of Southampton’s Museums, Archives and Galleries at their summer get together at Tudor House.
Most recently we hosted a talk/discussion at October Books where we explored methods of research and shared some of our favourite discoveries at the Local Studies Library and the Archives.
We gave guided walks on the Common including a particularly successful one in which we worked with Andy Skinner, the Learning and Engagement Officer for SCC.
Perhaps the highpoint of the year was the ceremony at the Civic Centre in September, when the portrait of Jacqui Rayment, our Bevois Councillor and first Lord Mayor, was unveiled alongside our first female Mayor, Lucia Foster Welch.
We were particularly pleased that the artist, Martin Davey, was able to attend. 2024 was the 350th anniversary of Isaac Watts ’birth in Southampton and we were part of the planning committee, along with representatives from Avenue St Andrew’s and the Isaac Watts Church. The statue of Watts received new fingers for his birthday, so he was looking at his best for the June celebration in Watts Park. There was also a Watts Weekend at Avenue St Andrews in November. We contributed a talk about the statue and its eccentric sculptor, Richard Cockle Lucas.
In October our third ‘Walk ’book was published. It was the culmination of hours of research into our five central parks and also the parks in easy walking distance of the centre – Queens, Town Quay, Mayflower, Blechynden Terrace and the new bus hub, Arundel Gardens. All our books are available in October Books. (AH)
Finally……
As you can see, it’s been a busy year and set to be just as busy in the coming year. Please remember we’re here to help local residents if we can and improve our area for all. A reminder that we’re always open to new membership, so spread the word! Best Wishes John Hayward (OARA Chair)
