We were delighted when we learned earlier this month that we’d been shortlisted for the prestigious Civic Voice 2015 Design Awards.

Only 12 projects throughout England were shortlisted for an award. We were in the Public Realm category – and were shortlisted alongside three other projects.

We were shortlisted for our Cleaning Local Landmarks project.

Joyce Bellamy and Sandra Vogel attended the awards ceremony on 17th July at Central Hall Westminster, where Civic Voice president Griff Rhys Jones presented the awards.

We didn’t win the category – but we came away with a Highly Commended award. This is what the judges said about our project:

“An imaginative community led scheme to restore three historic local landmarks; a milestone, a memorial stone and a horse trough which have all played a part in the story of Mitcham. Local heritage is preserved, celebrated and brought meaningfully to life by and for local people, inspiring a new generation to learn about and appreciate how the present is firmly rooted in the past. A model of how to involve volunteers in heritage and how small interventions can cumulatively make a huge difference.”

Everyone who played a part in this project has a share in the award – well done to us all!

Civic Voice has published a commemorative booklet about the awards with information about all the entrants.

We are delighted – and very proud – to be among the 12 organisations shortlisted for the Civic Voice Design Awards for our Cleaning Local Landmarks project.

We are up against three other projects in the Public Realm category.

This work was funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant which allowed us to work on three important local landmarks.

• The listed horse trough at the junction of London Road and Cricket Green known as Jubilee Corner was moved to protect it from traffic and improve its setting. It was also cleaned.
• The Tom Ruff memorial stone located just inside the cricket ground on Cricket Green was cleaned.
• The listed milestone at the corner of London Road and Lower Green West was cleaned.

We produced a photographic record of our work – and the entire organisation was involved in selecting a shortlist from hundreds of photos taken during the project.

Our commemorative booklet tells the story in more detail.

The awards will be presented by Griff Rhys Jones, President of Civic Voice, at a ceremony on Friday 17th July at Central Hall Westminster.

There were 62 entries for the awards. More details are at the Civic Voice web site

We do not usually get involved in householder planning applications but have significant concerns about the precedent which would be set by granting permission for a two bedroom bungalow to the rear of 18 Mitcham Park.

Mitcham Park is part of the Mitcham Cricket Green Conservation Area, and it has a very special character. The application to build a bungalow in the back garden of one of the properties would be detrimental to this character, and so we have asked that it be refused.

Read our comments on plans for a bungalow at 18 Mitcham Park

See all the documents for this application at Merton Council’s web site.

Merton Council is currently working on a specification for a contract to maintain the borough’s green spaces. This work is part of a tendering process that could well see a private company taking this role over from the council.

Along with many other friends groups and other organisations active in the borough, we have concerns about this. We have worked with Friends of the Canons (FroC) on a detailed submission to help inform the specification and ensure the distinctive character of our area is treated properly in any contract.

Submission to Merton Council on green space maintenance.

We’ve published our latest bulletin.

In it you can read about progress on the £4 million Lottery grant for Canons area, our reaction to Merton Council’s plans to contract out management of green spaces , the latest news on the Burn Bullock and more.

Bulletin Summer 2015