Meeting with ETRuT and setting up "Friends of Hamlands"

Attended a quarterly Trustees meeting last night and brought up Hamlands under AOB. my fellow trustees were happy for me to write a letter to SCC to ask what is going on, on behalf of the Trust.

I have also been corresponding with Vicky of the Rich and Twick Friends of the Earth (RTFoE). Vicky is contacting a journalist who may wish to speak to me about this. She also pointed out that there are no groups set up specifically with an interest in Hamlands, a sort of "Friends of Hamlands". I think that this is quite surprising and a real shame.

I met with Jason Debney of Thames Landscape Strategy at Hamlands yesterday. We walked over to the TYM site (being careful to stay on the Richmond side so as not to trespass). The SCC have merely put a sign up to warn passersby not to trespass, but there is no barrier apart from a section of orange plastic webbing which has already collapsed flat to the ground. People, dogs or kids could easily wander innocently across this and transport Japanese Knotweed back to Hamlands via their feet. There is nothing to prevent or warn against this - only the notice to warn against trespass.

Jason had been on holiday whilst the dirt hit the fan, so to speak. He was unaware of the work and was quite shocked to see it. Of course, the TLS have a large area to cover, so I think that the idea of the Friends Group, to work with TLS and with advice from other expert organisations, really deserves some thought.

I feel that I currently have so many projects that I am involved with that I could not spare the time to organise such a group, but maybe I can rlly a few willing people together and we could make a start. Clearly, without it, Hamlands is vulnerable and will remain a forgotten "out of sight, out of mind" area.