www.goolecivicsociety.org.uk
GOOLE CIVIC SOCIETY AGM
APRIL 24[TH] 2024
Report by the Chair, Margaret Hicks-Clarke
Well, what a year we’ve had. We’re still finding it hard to believe the midsummer madness that brought Goole Civic Society and the town’s Salt and Pepper Pots to the attention of the national press, TV and even ABC Radio in Australia.
In January, I took over as Chair of Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies (YHACS), which represents 43 civic societies in the region.
Goole 2026
As the date of Goole’s Bicentenary moves ever closer, the Goole 2026 has expanded to include more community groups, the library and museum, and plans have begun to take shape. Grant applications have been submitted, so far unsuccessfully, but we have high hopes for a new application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Our treasurer, Stephen Walker, is now chair of Goole 2026. Other Civic Society members and myself are also members. We are in the process of getting the group formally established as a CIO.
Salt and Pepper Pots
The Civic Society made a quirky suggestion for commemorating the bicentenary by commissioning a salt and pepper pot set in the shape of the town’s Salt and Pepper Pot water towers.
As members could not agree on which tower was salt and which pepper, the Civic Society launched a poll. More than 300 people voted at Vintage Day in West Park. The poll also featured in the Goole Times and on social media. The debate quickly escalated on the town’s Facebook groups and the Goole Times story was picked up by an agency in Leeds that supplies regional and national media.
The article then appeared in the regional and national newspapers, including the Guardian and Express and featured on BBC and ITV news channels. As chair, I was contacted by Australia’s ABC Radio and asked to do an interview for its morning programme (its equivalent of the Today programme). I did a second interview with ABC’s regional radio in Western Australia.
The story went viral on social media and finally we had our verdict – 60 per cent of people decided that the white tower was salt.
Following the publicity, we were contacted by Deborah Frith, a local potter who offered to make the salt and pepper pots for us. The aim is to have an initial run of 200 numbered sets produced to go on sale ahead of the 2026.
Goole Town Deal
The Civic Society has continued to sit on the Goole Town Deal Board, delivering on the Town Investment Plan (TIP) which was developed to secure the £25m funding offer from the Government.
The TIP includes projects put forward by various stakeholders informed by consultation with the public, including East Riding Council’s town centre survey and Miracle on Aire Street, and also Goole Civic Society’s surveys on the town centre and Market Hall. The project has now moved into the delivery stage, with a deadline of March 2026.
The Civic Society pushed for the refurbishment of the Market Hall, following our fight to save it for the town. Plans have been approved and work on a £4m redevelopment is due to start in late June 2024, with a reopening planned for November 2024.
We also have a particular interest in the £5.5m public realm / station hub project, which covers the Conservation Area. Following a period of consultation and revision, plans are due to be submitted shortly, with work beginning later in the year. Work on the station plaza and subway will start after flood prevention work is completed by Network Rail.
The Civic Society also championed a £4.2m Property Activation Fund. This matchfunded grant scheme aims to encourage property owners, developers and tenants to carry out improvements to buildings in the town centre conservation area and help to bring empty or under-used sites back into use.
The Civic Society has a seat on the PAF Panel, which assesses applications and makes recommendations to the full Town Deal Board. More than 40 expressions of interest have been received and the first two full applications have been approved.
Other projects are also progressing and a new Hopper Bus service is being launched in May 2024, linking Goole and Howden stations and providing transport to industrial sites at Junction 36.
Blue Plaque and Heritage Open Days
In September 2023, as part of Heritage Open Days, the Civic Society unveiled its fifth blue plaque in memory of a Goole-born 1920s and 30s film star, Dorothy Bartlam. Stephen Walker did considerable research on this previously unknown actress, unearthing her story and many pictures which were used to create booklet. He also sourced a 1930s film – Fascination – starring Dorothy.
We successfully applied for Do It For East Yorkshire grant funding and were able to screen the film to more than 80 people, many of them suffering from social isolation, in Goole’s Junction theatre.
Goole Museum organised a pop-up exhibition and memory workshops to coincide with this.
Stephen and Rachel Walker also organised two well attended walks for Heritage Open Days.
Next Blue Plaque
One of those attending one of the walks offered to fund our next Blue Plaque and plans are progressing to unveil a plaque in June 2024 to commemorate Bertram Fox Hayes, master mariner, Commodore of the White Star Line and Captain of the SS Olympic. It will be sited on the house where he lived in Heber Terrace.
Planning
In March 2024, the society made an official complaint to the East Riding of Yorkshire Planning Department the handling of our complaints and enforcement action. We also made representations to Goole Town Council over the conduct of one of its members.
Areas of concern remain:
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Customs House, Stanhope Street, Goole
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Theatre Royal, Adam Street
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25-41 Aire Street
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Goole Arcade
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Hartley House, Mariners Street
We have continued to push for the Goole Conservation Area Management and Maintenance Plan to be followed and to have the conservation area’s “at risk” status removed.
Funding / Donations
We are still seeking funding to refurbish the Reuben Chappell Trail and republish the accompanying booklets and to fund our Heritage Open Days / Blue Plaque events. The society donated £50 to Goole in Bloom.
Memberships
We remain members of Civic Voice and Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies (YHACS), to which I was elected chair in January 2024. Kevin Flynn represents the society on Together for Goole.
Other events
In January 2024, trustees attended the Yorkshire and Humber Civic Society (YHACS) agm in Harrogate and took third place and a £50 prize in the Peter Spawforth Award for the region’s Society of the Year. I was elected Chair of YHACS.
In April 2024 I attended the Civic Voice / YHACS Spring Convention, which attracted more than 90 attendees to Wakefield. I spoke about the vital role of civic societies in today’s context. This followed the success of a similar joint event that we attended in Halifax in May 2023.
Trustees also attended YHACS autumn event in Richmond.
The society had a stall at Vintage in the Park, where we polled people on the Salt and Pepper Pots.
We helped with a Town Deal consultation event in the Market Hall and had a stall promoting Goole 2026.
We also promoted Goole 2026 with a stall Christmas Fair organised by Goole Town Council in the Market Hall.
Focus for coming year
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Goole 2026 - fundraising, planning and Salt and Pepper Pots
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Goole Town Deal - delivery and Property Activation Fund
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Bertram Fox Hayes Blue Plaque - June
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Heritage Open Days - September
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Protecting the Conservation Area
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Refurbishment of Reuben Chappell Art Trail – reprint of booklets
| GOOLE CIVIC SOCIE | TY CIO ACCO | UNTS 2023- | 24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Date | Cheque | Descripton | Bank | Cash | Owed to Members |
Income |
| OpeningBalance | £ 730.90 | £ 10.00 | -£ 88.00 | ||||
| Membership | £ 90.00 | £ 90.00 | |||||
| Membership (£20 to MC for JKpayment) | -£ 20.00 | £ 20.00 | |||||
| Goole in Bloom | -£ 50.00 | ||||||
| 5/2/2023 | J Freear | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | ||||
| 5/10/2023 | Gerald Holmes | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | ||||
| 6/1/2023 | Chq090(Repayment to Stephen) | -£ 68.00 | £ 68.00 | ||||
| 5/31/2023 | Membership (HT) | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | ||||
| 6/5/2023 | Membership (RW) | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | ||||
| 6/29/2023 | ERYC Grant | £ 792.98 | £ 792.98 | ||||
| 7/25/2023 | Cash deposited into bank. | £ 30.00 | -£ 30.00 | £ - | |||
| 7/26/2023 | Cash transferred into bank. | £ 10.00 | -£ 10.00 | £ - | |||
| 7/31/2023 | Vintage Donatons | £ 10.29 | £ 10.29 | ||||
| Walk | £ 50.00 -£ 232.50 |
£ 50.00 | |||||
| DB - Juncton(SJW) | |||||||
| 121 | Insurance | -£ 119.60 | |||||
| DB - Blue Plaque(SJW) | -£ 579.82 | ||||||
| Bucket(SJW) | -£ 11.94 | ||||||
| 121 | DB - Books | -£ 234.00 | |||||
| DB - Juncton Drinks(RW) | -£ 15.40 | ||||||
| DB - Juncton P2(SJW) | -£ 424.26 | ||||||
| DB - Leafets & Posters(MC) | -£ 109.00 | ||||||
| DB - Blue Plaque(RW) | -£20 | ||||||
| DB Costs(Pencils & CD) | -£8 | ||||||
| Membership (JF) | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | |||||
| Membership (MH) | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | |||||
| DB Donatons | £ 47.60 | £ 47.60 | |||||
| DB Rafe | £ 72.00 | £ 72.00 | |||||
| 8/16/2023 | ERYCQuick Fix(Restricted) | £ 790.00 | £ 790.00 | ||||
| GC Donaton | £ 20.00 | £ 20.00 |
| ERYC(DB - Part 2) | £ 720.59 | £ 720.59 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YHACS Payment | -£ 50.00 | ||||||
| YHACS Award | £ 50.00 | £ 50.00 | |||||
| Members 24-24(JH) | £ 10.00 | £ 10.00 | |||||
| Balance | £ 1,603.37 | -£ 23.94 | -£ 68.00 | £ 2,713.46 | |||
| TOTALS | £ 1,511.43 | ||||||
| £ - |
Expenses -£ 50.00 £ - £ - -£ 232.50 -£ 119.60 -£ 579.82 -£ 11.94 -£ 234.00 -£ 15.40 -£ 424.26 -£ 109.00 -£ 20.00 -£ 8.41
-£ 50.00 -£ 1,854.93 £ 1,511.43
| Blue Plaqu | £579.82 | |
|---|---|---|
| Juncton 1 | 232.5 | |
| Juncton 2 | 346.5 | |
| Juncton 3 | 15.4 | |
| Tickets | 77.76 | |
| Book | 234 | |
| Posters | 13 | |
| Posters | 28 | |
| Leafets | 68 | |
| Pencils | £4.43 | |
| CD | 3.98 | |
| Total | £1,603.39 £1,513.57 | -£89.82 |
£20.00