AGM: 2025

Meeting held:

Present

  • John Gilbody (JG) - Chair
  • Tracey Gilbody (TG) - Secretary
  • Wayne Roddis (WR) - Vice Chairman
  • Kev Hayes (KH) - Member
  • Adrian Mellor (AM) - Treasurer
  • Phil Steer (PS) - Member
  • Lisa Needham (LN) - Member

Apologies

  • Nigel Griffiths (NG) - Events lead
  • Steve Beverley (SB) - Guest (Resident Director)

Residents present

Matthew Barlow, Christina Laking, Emily Murphy, Gemma Latham, Kerry Jefferson, Charlotte Smith, Thomas Midgley, Chantal Midgley, Katie Konowski, Laura Burton, Charlotte Woodall, Jake Frood, Yvonne Woolley, Hannah Hacking, Rachel Fenton, Billy Stylianou, Jim Bayley, Pauline Bayley, Marjorie Sanderson, Gillian Daley, Lisa Roddis, Richard Hatherly, Jadene Hayes, Lex Morgan, Helen Morgan, Andy Hickman, Helen Mullins.

Additional notes

The chair John Gilbody opened the meeting and welcomed everyone thanking them for their attendance. The agenda was outlined and a request made that all questions be saved until the end of the meeting to allow the meeting to flow and follow the agenda. The first item on the agenda was the Chairs report.

Chairman's report

Residents Association (WGRA), reflecting on our achievements and progress since the last Annual General Meeting in June 2024. This has been a year of significant milestones, community spirit, and collective effort, all of which continue to strengthen Woolley Grange as a wonderful place to live.

Most importantly I would therefore like to personally thank all WGRA committee members, who have selflessly given up their personal time over the last 3 years and who have supported me, through challenging times since I took over chairmanship. Thank you to Wayne Roddis my Vice Chair, who has been an amazing sounding board for me and who has It gives me great pleasure to present this Chairman’s Report for the Woolley Grange given much of his personal time to make Woolley Grange a great place to live.

I’d like to also thank Kevin Hayes, who has done much of the backbreaking work on many projects, such as the Community garden, the woodlands and many more. Thank you Adrian Mellor our treasurer and who has also volunteered much of his time on specific projects. Phil Steer, who has been our IT Advisor, who often baffles us with technical jargon and has built our new website and the current Facebook pages. Nigel Griffiths, our Events lead, assisted by Catherine Eve Bond, who have organised numerous events over the last three years.

A big thank you to Jaydene Hayes, who has helped with many events and been our dedicated face painter during several of those events. Also thank you to Lisa Needham for helping in the run up to events and being a valued member of the committee during our regular meetings. I would also like to thank Tracey Gilbody, who has served in various positions with WGRA for the last 19 years and has kept us all in check as Secretary for the last three years in addition to leading on the Community Garden Project. A massive thank you to you all, it has been an absolute pleasure working with you.

I would like to take a quick look back on some of our many achievements over the last 19 months and our progress against our last annual plan. I am pleased to say that we delivered all 14 areas identified in the plan and many more.

The year 2025 marked a period of significant achievement and progress for the Woolley Grange Residents Association (WGRA), encompassing major land acquisition, vital infrastructure and governance improvements, and robust community engagement.

Land Acquisition and Environmental Management

WGRA took proactive steps to secure local green space and enhance the natural environment, demonstrating a deep commitment to the future of the estate.

  • Windhill Woods Acquisition:
    • Successfully negotiated and completed the purchase of Windhill Woods, securing 18 acres of vital local woodland along with the land upon which we created the Community Garden.
  • Infrastructure and access
    • We successfully sourced a specialized company to recap the disused mine shaft within Windhill Woods.
    • Negotiated a new annual payment structure with Northern Powergrid for equipment placed in Windhill Woods, which self-funds the only oncost for the woodland.
    • Acquired keys from Northern Powergrid for the metal post barriers at the back of Woodlands Court, granting necessary access to the woods for machinery and maintenance.
  • Estate Greenery and Conservation
    • Secured 250 tree and hedgerow saplings through a successful application to the Woodlands Trust, all of which were planted by volunteers and the Darton 15th Scout Group.
    • Upgrades were carried out on existing flower beds, and several new flower beds were created across the estate.
  • External Challenges (Ongoing)
    • Challenged the Mining Authorities regarding the installation of a water pipe on the estate's Public Open Space (POS) which has now been removed.
    • Discussions are ongoing with district councillors concerning the unsightly compound located at the bottom entrance to the estate.
    • Contacted the Mining Authorities regarding them funding an additional electric spur running from the pumping station to the POS land to enable WGRA to have power for future events.
    • Concerns logged on behalf of Woolley Grange Residents with District councillors & Woolley Parish council on the small piece of land adjacent to Windhill Rise properties, the land in question is still to be defined into a category (Green/Grey or Brown belt) with the potential of around 35 houses to be built on the land with 20% being affordable housing.
    • WGRA are in the early stages of negotiations with a large corporate company to raise funds to have the current children’s playground upgraded.
    • WGRA have written to Woolley Parish Council / councillors, Wakefield District Councillors, Darton District Councillors, Barnsley Borough Council to Seek support in gaining access to 184K of S106 contributions set aside for the new Gleeson housing Estate for Public open Spaces, currently assigned to Upgrade Woolley miners cricket Club & Woolley Colliery Village children’s play park

Property Management and Governance

A significant governance shift occurred in 2025, focused on improving the quality of service for residents and establishing new formal structures to take over the Directorship of Woolley Grange Development Management Company.

  • Management Transition: The previous property management company, RMG, was successfully removed, and Adandywren was newly appointed to manage the estate.
  • Governance Setup: Four volunteers were elected at the back end of last year and have had Major involvement in the strategic process of setting up and formally agreeing to the New Estate Directorship over the last two and a half years.
  • Fee Rebates: Negotiated a successful management fee rebate between RMG and Dearne Court apartments residents.
  • Operational Liaison: Maintained daily and weekly liaison with the property management company to address and coordinate repairs and issues arising around the estate.

Mission Court Apartments Advocacy

WGRA launched a major initiative to address long-standing maintenance and safety issues at Mission Court Apartments, successfully challenging Anthem Property Management on numerous failures:

  • Fire Doors: Addressed concerns that fire doors were unfit for purpose.
  • Emergency Lighting: Challenged the inadequacy of the emergency lighting systems.
  • Stairwell Heating: Successfully pushed for the repair of the stairwell heating.
  • Stairwell Carpets: Addressed uneven stairwell carpets and ensured a deep clean was carried out.
  • Entrance/Exit Doors: Challenged the suitability of the front and rear entrance/emergency exit doors.
  • Management Fees & Tariffs: Successfully challenged yearly management fees and the existing electricity supplier pricing, resulting in new tariffs now being in place.
  • Grounds Maintenance: Conducted an investigation proving payments were made for grounds maintenance that was not carried out. This resulted in a full grounds clean-up.
  • Boundary Fencing: Repairs were made to the wooden boundary fencing.
  • Rear Waste Compound: Repairs were made to the wooden fencing around the rear waste bin compound.
  • Front Steps & Railings: Repaired loose front entrance steps and metal railings painted.
  • Juliet Balconies: WGRA has initiated action regarding the major refurbishment needed for the Juliet balconies; Adandywren has been tasked with investigating the current situation and reporting back findings.
  • WGRA have also requested that that the current Directors of Mission Court hold an AGM along with Anthem Property Management Company, to resolve long standing issues around mismanagement of the apartments

Community Engagement and Events

The WGRA hosted an extensive calendar of events and supported local initiatives, bringing the community together throughout the year.

  • Events Calendar: A total of 20 community events were managed, including: 17 Summer Evening events held on the Village Green, the annual Summer Gala Day event, the community Halloween event, and the community Easter event
  • Local Support & Donations: Made donations to various Eco Kids projects, including hedgehog houses and bird boxes, Christmas gift donation to Eco Kids, Secured a donation free of charge for the estate Christmas tree (Northfields).

Official Liaison and Estate Safety

WGRA maintained close working relationships with local authorities to improve safety and secure project funding.

  • Parish Council: Attended monthly Woolley Parish Council meetings and submitted successful applications for funding projects around the estate.
  • PACT Meetings: Attended Police and Communities Together (PACT) meetings.
  • West Yorkshire Police Liaison: Maintained liaison with West Yorkshire Police on critical estate issues, including: Anti-social behaviour, off-road bikers/quad bikes, reporting and investigation of a cannabis farm located in an estate property, drug activity taking place in and around the estate, the estate being used as a racetrack.

I am extremely proud to have been a part of these many initiatives over the last 3 years and personally feel that during this time we have delivered some of the most significant projects in the 20-year history of WGRA, which have benefited all residents.

Sadly, over this same period there have been several instances that have significantly impacted upon the health, Wellbeing and private lives of WGRA Committee members. As a result of this and after careful considerations, all Committee members have decided to stand down and will not be standing for re-election this year.

I would like to close by extending my heartfelt thank you to the committee members who have contributed their valuable time, energy, and ideas over the last 3 years. Together, we have shown what can be achieved, when a small team works with unity and purpose.

Woolley Grange is not just a place to live – it is a community we are proud to call home.

John Gilbody,
Chairman

Finance update

Money in Bank: £5824.38
Cash in tin: £200.16

Of this, £1456.54 is ring fenced to the Woolley Grange Community Garden and £2952.58 is ring fenced for the Woolley Grange woodland area.

Available WGRA funds:
Bank: £1415.26
Cash: £200.16

A total of £981.75 has been raised throughout the year from the events held.

Dissolution/future of WGRA

The chair reminded the meeting that all the current committee members would not be standing for election. He informed the meeting that there were no projects outstanding that would not be delivered elsewhere, therefore any future WGRA members would not have that responsibility passed on to them.

The process of holding the management company to account which had in the past been undertaken by members of WGRA would now come under the umbrella of the Resident Directors. The chair gave a brief explanation of how the Woolley Grange Management Development Company LTD would progress as this was discussed and outlined at length at the recent A Dandy Wren AGM.

The memorial garden planned for the area near to the playground is on going and work will be started shortly, this will be overseen by the outgoing WGRA committee members as this is an ongoing project.

Once all legal fees, debts and bills have been paid any residual money in the account will be transferred to any new WGRA treasurer once they have a working bank account, if a new committee is not formed any monies will be donated to local charities.

The chair outlined that should anyone be willing to take on the main four roles of the committee they would require to write a new constitution in line with their plans and vision.

Charlotte Smith (resident) kindly thanked the outgoing committee members for all their hard work.

Laura Burton (resident), raised a question in relation to the current public liability insurance held in respect of the woodland, she wished to know how certain the committee were that the insurance would pay out a claim should there be an incident in the woodland.

She was informed that the committee had worked with a bespoke broker and fully outlined what activities were to be carried out in the woodland and what the future plans were for the area, they had then quoted a premium in accordance with the information given, and the committee were as certain as anyone could ever be a claim would be covered by the policy. The policies would be uploaded to the website for information.

It was outlined to the meeting that the woodland had been gifted to the community by the previous landowner. The gift was accepted to provide some security for the residents of Woolley Grange in relation to any future development of this area.

A local farmer had made enquiries in relation to the purchase of the woodland for future development. It was not clear at the time whether the development was further housing or a further solar farm. It was confirmed to the meeting that the transfer of the woodland had been completed by a conveyancing solicitor and the process is currently underway to transfer the woodland and community garden to the Woolley Grange Management Development Company Ltd, Meaning this would remain land owned by all the residents of Woolley Grange.

The chair went on to explain that work was ongoing to apply for funding in relation to the woodland which would help with the cost of securing the boundaries, which hopefully would stop the off road bikes riding in the woodland damaging the area and causing a danger to walkers.

Election of new committee members

  • Chair: Charlotte Woodall (seconded by Kerry Jefferson)
  • Vice Chair: Kerry Jefferson (seconded by Chantel Midgley)
  • Treasurer: No nomination
  • Secretary: Emily Murphy (seconded by Kerry Jefferson)

It was outlined that as not all the necessary roles had been filled the association would therefore be dissolved. Laura Burton stated she would take on this role, however, after further discussion Jake Frood was nominated for this position and seconded by Charlotte Woodall.

Incoming committee members:

  • Chair: Charlotte Woodall
  • Vice Chair: Kerry Jefferson
  • Treasurer: Jake Frood
  • Secretary: Emily Murphy

The outgoing chair wished them best wishes for the future.

The meeting was concluded at 19.20 hours.