Agenda item

The Committee are invited to elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 29.

The Committee proceeded to elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order No. 29. The Town Clerk read a list of Members eligible to stand and Oliver Sells being the only Member expressing their willingness to serve was duly elected Chairman for the ensuing year and took the Chair.

The Chairman thanked the Committee for their support and welcomed Cllr Tahmina Rahman to their first meeting of the Committee.

RESOLVED – That Oliver Sells be elected Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing year.

VOTE OF THANKS

Proposed by Barbara Newman.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

That the Members of the West Ham Park Committee wish to place on record their sincere appreciation to

GRAEME MARTYN SMITH

Their very great and sincere thanks and appreciation for the distinguished manner in which he has served as Chairman since 18th July 2016.

Much has been achieved during Graeme’s Chairmanship throughout what has been a challenging financial and political period.  He has combined wise counsel and a forward thinking intellect, with a calm, measured understanding, never failing to put officers and guests at their ease with his natural affability and good humour throughout the Committee’s proceedings, alongside his leadership of numerous project boards and working groups. He has played a decisive role in improving the sporting offer at West Ham Park, responsible for the comprehensive refurbishment of twelve tennis courts and three cricket nets during his tenure, alongside the re-siting and extension of a green gym. Furthermore, he has championed partnership working with the Lawn Tennis Association and the Park’s coaching team, resulting in improvements to security and accessibility of courts, an on-line booking system and a subsequent four hundred percent increase in usage of the courts. In addition, through increased joint working with the Essex County Cricket Club and the numerous local cricket clubs to which the Park is a home ground, Graeme has ensured that West Ham Park has remained a hub for the sport and a springboard for young talent in London’s East End. Graeme has played a pivotal role in driving forward the project for the former Nursery site within the Park, where his eye for detail, understanding of the needs of the local community and perspicacity have helped shape the future of this legacy project. In addition, he has chaired the project’s Options Review Group, striving to find common ground for all stakeholder representatives, including officers and councillors from the London Borough of Newham, and thereby influencing beyond the borders of the City’s estate.

His passion for green space and wildlife has brought to successful completion numerous projects within the Park, including the extensive refurbishment of the themed planting beds within the ornamental gardens, aligning contemporary planting schemes with the heritage landscape of the space; the creation of a woodland walk and harnessing funding to complete the south meadow project; and the extension and enhancement of the educational wildlife garden, linking children from twelve local schools with the natural environment. The latter project also embraced another of Graeme’s passions, ensuring the Park’s community of volunteers were equipped with the skills and opportunities they need, contributing over five hundred volunteer hours in 2018.

The retention of the Green Flag and Green Heritage Scheme Awards for each of his three years of Chairmanship, alongside a Gold Award and Park of the Year 2018 at London in Bloom are a testimony to Graeme’s passion for the quality of the visitor experience at West Ham Park.

Finally, the Committee wishes to place on record its recognition of Graeme’s distinguished contribution to the work of the Committee and in thanking him for his generous hospitality, his colleagues convey to him their good wishes for the future, with happy memories of a substantial body of achievement over the past three years.