You may have spotted (and hopefully voted in) the local Council elections that took place last week. The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that my wife Jil has now been elected to represent the Wimbledon Park ward.
The Wimbledon Community Association has always been a non political organisation (as enshrined in our constitution) so we rarely venture into that area but being a councillor (like running a charity!) can be a thankless task and at times you get very little appreciation for the hundreds / thousands of hours you put into your job.
Consequently, I thought it would be remiss of us to not to put on record our thanks to the local politicians of whatever hue who stood down or have not been re-elected for the substantial amount of time they have put in to supporting our community here in Merton. Your efforts are really appreciated.
I also know first hand from my work co-ordinating the annual Board elections at the Dons Trust how time consuming it can be managing the process and recognise the work of the polling clerks and counting agents. We should celebrate the fact that as a democracy we get the right to choose our leaders through regular elections, rather than them being imposed upon us as is too evident in certain parts of the world right now.
Sadly, being a fan run club couldn’t save AFC Wimbledon from its first relegation since it was formed in 2002 but the club continues to have fantastic success with its community work and hopefully that will be replicated on the field of play next season in League 2! In the meantime the club has events supporting St Georges Hospital and a Family Fun Day in An action-packed weekend double bill at our stadium! – News – AFC Wimbledon and Family Fun Day at the AFC Wimbledon Stadium – Wimbledon Community Association.
On a not unrelated note, one of my other local passions, Carlton Theatre Group is celebrating its return to Wimbledon (Studio) Theatre from 17-21 May with a production of Nell Gwynn. Based on the true story of Nell Gwynn written by Jessica Swale and with new original music by Daryl Griffith it tells the story of one of the first celebrated actresses and her relationship with King Charles II during a time of considerable political change.
At a time in the 17th century when theatre was reviving after being shut down for a long time (sound familiar?), the play follows the simple, young orange seller’s rise with bawdy wit and a modern take on restoration humour. Tickets and details of the show can be found here: Nell Gwynn Tickets | Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre in Greater London | ATG Tickets and here Community Event – Nell Gwynn – Evening Performance – Wimbledon Community Association
Finally, you may have picked up that our Community Development Officer Genevieve Etienne-Farrell has now moved on to pastures new. As reported in my new year message we are continuing with our 75 Stories initiative with our new trustee, Karl Schneider kindly taking the lead. Our thanks to him for picking up the mantle and to Genevieve for the four years of committed work with us. We will keep you posted on any subsequent changes to our set up and recruitment but as ever we would welcome any new people wanting to help as trustees or volunteers.
Written by David Hall, Chair of Trustees, Wimbledon Community Association
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