CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE
CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE SUMMER 2010
This is the year that our bi-annual Townscape Awards will be chosen but this year they will be awarded in tandem with Greenscape Awards. This has been trailed by a joint meeting with the Kingston Horticutural Society - KHS - with the rather gnomic title " The Spaces in Between the Buildings ". What we were trying to underline was the fact that a great town needed not only great buildings (quality rather than size) but these buildings needed to be well placed amongst trees, plants, flowers. In actual fact the decision to enlarge the scope with the help of the KHS had two points of origin. the first was my idea of running a meeting entitled "What makes a good town centre" I met a member in Waitrose and mentioned the subject of the up-coming meeting and was told immediately that what made a good town centre was trees. Not long after another member, like many, also a member of KHS, approached me with the proposition that our Townscape award scheme should be joined by a Greenscape Award. He knew we would be receptive to the idea because in the past we had given awards to various green spaces. A few of us met to discuss how this could be realised and the result will be announced to all in November. In the meantime we have to prepare.
It was soon decided that the awards should be separate: KHS would collect and judge awards of green spaces and the Kingston Society would do the same for the built environment. But this time we would throw open nominations not only to members of the societies but also to the general public. Hence this message asking anyone who reads it to look around and if they see anything which they think merits a townscape or a greenscape award to let us know. The Kingston Society can be contacted by its website www.kingstonuponthamessociety.co.uk, by email to jenn.butterworth@talktalk.net, by post to 38 Coombe Lane West, Kingston upon thames KT2 7BX. We will pass on nominations for Greenscape Awards to the KHS or you can make them direct to Ms Betty Bore, 35 Kelvedon Close, Kingston upon Thames KT2 5LF.
The success of the scheme will depend on the quality and breadth of the nominations. Do not leave it all for your committee to pick out what is worthy of praise but make your own contribution to the new open society by strengthening the work of our Society!.
JENNIFER BUTTERWORTH
Chairman