UPDATE RE TENANTS FORUM: 27 OCTOBER 2021

We held our monthly Tenants’ Forum on Teams on 27 October. 

Thanks to all those who attended.

MONTHLY UPDATE: Craig Renton, Chief Operating Officer of The Crichton Trust welcomed tenants and partners to the meeting.

TENANT UPDATE:

• Craig informed those present that Joyce Harkness from SHAX was due to deliver the Tenants Update this month (rescheduled from August), but Joyce had unfortunately sent her apologies this morning and it was too late to find a replacement speaker.

FOLLOW UP ACTIONS FROM THE LAST MEETING:

• House Meetings: Craig acknowledged earlier requests for, and the importance of, House Meetings. Craig confirmed that The Crichton Trust would facilitate House Meetings in buildings where there are multiple tenants in a shared building to help tenants get to know each other and to address any practicalities around sharing a building. Helen Turner confirmed the need for a House Meeting in Hestan House and said she had a number of things that she would like to discuss with fellow tenants when a meeting is arranged, including building security. Action: The Crichton Trust to arrange asap.

STAFFING UPDATE:

• Business Community Development Manager: Craig welcomed Sarah Jane Burns to her first Tenants’ Forum. Sarah has recently been appointed as the Business Community Development Manager at The Crichton Trust and will be a key point of contact with Tenants going forward.
• Sarah-Jane introduced herself: I am pleased to have joined The Crichton Trust and I look forward to getting to know all the tenants on site. I relocated to Dumfries and Galloway earlier this year from Glasgow and have also lived in other parts of Scotland too. I am excited about developments in the South of Scotland and the potential of South of Scotland Enterprise. For the past 7 years I have worked for the University of Strathclyde supporting businesses, government agencies and charities to utilise space technology. I now have a similar community building role here and so I look forward to supporting and connecting businesses, academic partners and third sector organisations at The Crichton.
• Trustee Recruitment: The Crichton Trust is currently recruiting for up to four Trustees to join its Board. We would encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch with the Chairman for an informal chat and for tenants to share this opportunity within their network.
• Kickstart Placements: The Trust has recently committed to four Kickstart placements, offering young people the opportunity to work within our Venues and Property Teams.
• Personal News: for the end of the meeting

VENUE UPDATE:

• Easterbrook Bistro: It is hoped that Easterbrook Bistro and the swimming pool will open from this Thursday, 28 October. It will be open five days a week (Wed-Sun) and the pool will initially be open to members only. Ongoing recruitment and Covid-challenges had prevented us opening the Bistro any sooner and it is hoped progress will not be hampered during the Winter period. A festive lunch menu will be introduced during December.
• Crichton Central: We are delighted with the level of support and demand for Crichton Central since we opened. We hope to be able to roll out memberships and additional services asap.
• Easterbrook Hall: Events have been picking up at Easterbrook Hall too and we are pleased to see that our Christmas Party Nights are almost sold out already!

EVENTS:

• Crichton Cycle Week wc. 25 October: As part of our Active Travel agenda this is Crichton Cycle Week. We held a Mini Cycling Festival with a range of exhibitors offering advice, info, workshops and demos on Monday and all week we are encouraging anyone who commutes to The Crichton on a regular basis to consider cycling. The incentive – Anyone who cycles to work/study during Crichton Central Week can claim a free coffee/hot drink at Crichton Central! We have also published a new map of The Crichton with walking, cycling, parkrun routes and facilities such as showers, charging points and bike racks. We hope to repeat this event again in the near future.
• Totem Latamat: Totem Latamat is touring the UK from Mexico in October. After visiting Glasgow in November for the COP26 Climate Summit, it is to make its final journey to The Crichton. There will be an opportunity to see the totem in the grounds of The Crichton from 15^th November when it arrives in Dumfries. On the evening of the 19^th November a panel discussion will take place in Crichton Central to reflect on the journey and COP26. On Saturday 20^th November, a ‘Return to Earth’ ceremony will be held in and around the Crichton Church at 11am. More information about these events can be found on The Crichton What’s On and Blog.
• Crichton parkrun: Just a reminder that Crichton parkrun takes place every Saturday morning at 9.30am. Everyone is welcome to take part and to enjoy a post-event catch up and coffee in Crichton Central. A reminder to anyone on site on a Saturday morning that the car park at Crichton Central and some of the roads on site are temporarily closed from 9am to 10.30am on a Saturday morning, The main car park by the church is still open and accessible parking spaces are available at Crichton Central and at Easterbrook Bistro. Our cafes are open to both parkrun participants and the general public as normal.
• Scotland 5G Centre: The official launch of Scotland’s first Rural 5G Hub at The Crichton will take place at Crichton Central with a small number of invited guests on Friday 29 October. Look out for opportunities to get involved in future 5G projects and initiatives.
• Drive In DG: We will welcome Drive In DG back to The Crichton this weekend for a weekend of Halloween Movies. More information online.

Q&A/FURTHER DISCUSSION:

• Meeting Links for Tenants Forums and Crichton Briefings: Some Tenants expressed difficulty in accessing links for these meetings. It was noted that diary appointments go out to a named person in each organisation every month along with the link for Tenants Forums, but other contacts can be added as necessary or the link shared within the organisation. The Crichton Briefing link is published publicly as it is an open meeting (not limited to tenants). Action: The Crichton Trust agreed to check that those present are on mailing list and to continue to share details and links for future meetings.

• Composting Project: Composting Project:Tenants asked for more information about composting and recycling. Craig confirmed that a new project for composting on site is being developed. Jennifer is working with the gardening team around the technical requirements and working out what is possible. It is hoped that this will include the ability to compost some of the secure waste from The Crichton. Jennifer also talked about a research project carried out by two student interns from the University of Glasgow over the summer. One of the ideas this project explored was around the composting of garden food waste and the ‘Vegware’ used for takeaways. Action: Jennifer is happy to talk to anyone who is interested in the composting project and/or the student research that took place over the summer.

UPDATE FROM OUR TENANTS/PARTNERS:

• The meeting was slightly shorter than planned as there was no Tenants Update. Apologies from SHAX.

FUTURE MEETINGS:

• The November Tenants’ Forum has been cancelled due to Trustee recruitment. Since the December meeting falls within the holiday period, the next Tenants’ Forum will take place on Wednesday 26 January at 11am on Teams.  Details will be shared nearer the time. Any queries please contact the office on 01387 247544.
• The next Crichton Briefing (now quarterly) will take place on Tuesday 7 December at 4pm. Details, including the link, will be shared on social media and on the blog and a reminder email will be sent out to tenants, staff and partners. All welcome.

PERSONAL NEWS:

• Craig thanked everyone for attending and took the opportunity to let tenants know that he was leaving his role as Chief Operating Officer at the end of next week (5/11) to take up a new role with The Golden Charter Trust.  Craig thanked everyone for their support during his time at The Trust and wished everyone well for the future. Further information about plans to recruit a new Chief Operating Officer will be confirmed following the October Board Meeting.  All those present wished Craig all the best with his new role.

REMINDER TO ALL TENANTS:

• Find out more about all tenants via The Crichton Directory – crichton.co.uk
• Tenants can request profile updates on The Crichton Directory by completing the form at the top of the Directory web page or emailing: news@crichton.co.uk
• Tenants are encouraged to invite their colleagues to sign up to The Crichton Trust Newsletter which is accessible in the footer of our website and to browse The Crichton Magazine.
• Tenants who would like to provide an update at future meetings or contribute to the magazine, please get in touch by email: news@crichton.co.uk

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