Transition Town for Res Development Plan

Transition Town Forres Ltd

DEVELOPMENT PLAN

2009-2012

As updated July 2009

Prepared by:

Chris Piper MICFor C J Piper & Co Chartered Foresters

Killearnan, Alexandra Terrace, Forres, Moray IV36 1DL 01309 674374 07802 833263

[email protected] &

Fabio Villani Clover, Alves, Forres IV36 2RA

Tel 01343 850 007 Mobile: 07900 614 927

e-mail: [email protected] www.fabiovillani.co.uk

Funded by:

Climate Challenge Fund

TRANSITION TOWN FORRES LTD �� DEVELOPMENT PLAN (as updated July 2009)


Page No Page No

Glossary of Terms 1 PART I – INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1 Introduction, Purpose & Structure 3

2 Background to Transition Town Forres 4 2.1 The Organisation 4 2.2 Legal Status 4 2.3 Structure 4 2.4 Key People 4 2.5 Contact Details 5 2.6 Milestones & Activity to date 5 2.7 The Local Community 5 2.8 Strategic & Policy Context 5

PART II - VISION, VALUES, AIMS & OBJECTIVES

3 Vision, Principles & Aims 9 3.1 Vision 9 3.2 Mission 9 3.3 Operating Principles 9 3.4 Charitable Aims 9 3.5 Strategic Aims 9

4 Objectives & Outcomes 10 4.1 Objectives 10 4.2 Outcomes 10

PART III - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION

5 Community Consultation 13 5.1 The Consultation Process 13 5.2 Analysis of Consultation Outputs 13

PART IV – STRATEGY & IMPLEMENTATION

6 Development Strategy 17 6.1 Introduction 17 6.2 Operational Hubs & Activities 17 6.3 Partnership Working 20 6.4 TTF Policy Development 20 6.5 Strategic Checklist 21

7 Action Plan 23 7.1 Implementation Programme 23

8 Financial Forecasts & Funding 26 8.1 Financial Forecasts 26 8.2 Funding Requirements 26 8.3 Funding Strategy 26

PART V - MONITORING, EVALUATION & REVIEW

9 Monitoring, Evaluation & Review 30 9.1 Monitoring & Review 30

LIST OF APPENDICES

I TTF Memo & Articles of Association

II Summary Profiles of TTF Directors

III Outputs from January & March 2009 Community Consultation Events

IV Outputs from Development Plan Discussion Meeting February 2009

Contents


Glossary of Terms & Abbreviations

Terms:

350 Campaign The international effort to raise awareness of the need to decrease carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million.

Animateurs Community animateurs are people recruited from the local community to help promote and organise the participation of local people in activities that help to make positive changes to their community.

Carbon Footprint A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide and other grenhouse gases generated by a person, group or activity over a given period of time.

Climate Change Changes to the average pattern of weather for a particular region over a long period of time. This is currently happening at a dangerous rate due to global warming.

Community Capacity The ability and confidence of a community to develop and use its own collective skills and resources, helping it to identify and meet its own needs and aspirations.

Fossil Fuels Hydrocarbon deposits, such as petroleum (oil), coal, or natural gas, derived from the accumulated remains of ancient plants and animals and used as fuel. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases generated by burning fossil fuels are considered to be one of the principal causes of global warming.

Global Warming The rise in global average temperatures caused by increasing concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities.

Peak Oil The point when further expansion of oil production becomes impossible because new production flows are fully offset by production declines, or when global extraction is less than global consumption

Permaculture Permaculture is a way of working with nature rather than against it. It is a system based on the principle of cooperation rather than competition.

Sustainable Description of an activity that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Transition Movement An emerging and evolving approach to community-led sustainability, based on building local resilience and reducing carbon emissions.

Abbreviations:

CCF Climate Challenge Fund. CEC Community Energy Company. CSA Community Supported Agriculture. CFINE Community Foods in the North East. EDAP Energy Descent Action Plan. SCARF Save Cash Reduce Fuel (Aberdeen based organisation providing householders,

businesses and organisations with independent, free and impartial advice on sustainable use of energy).

SEAD Scottish Education and Action for Development. SOA Single Outcome Agreement. TTF Transition Town Forres.

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PART I

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND INFORMATION


1.1 Introduction & Purpose This Development Plan has been drawn up in close consultation with the Board of Directors of Transition Town Forres Ltd and wider engagement and consultation with the local community of Forres, Moray.

The Plan is an integral and formative element of the Transition Town Forres project. Its purpose is to set the scene and enable Transition Town Forres to take tangible steps towards achieving its vision for implementing the transition town model in Forres.

The specific purposes of the Plan are to:

♦ Reflect the vision and aspirations of Transition Town Forres Ltd and its members, the local community and funding bodies for the Transition Town Forres Project.

♦ Set out how Transition Town Forres Ltd proposes to go about achieving its vision, aims and objectives through a high standard of sustainable land and business management and community involvement.

♦ Provide an action plan for the development, management, evaluation and awareness-raising of the Project

over the short, medium and longer terms that accords with, and provides a positive role model for, the ethos and guiding principles of the transition town movement.

♦ Provide a framework for financial control and monitoring of the Project and its various components through regular review.

♦ Provide the basis for supporting future funding applications to assist with the implementation of the Project.

♦ Encourage and promote a strong sense of community engagement and ownership of the Project.

The Plan covers an initial detailed developmental period of three financial years from 2009 through 2012.

1.2 Plan Structure The Plan is designed and structured for use as a working document and a tool to help Transition Town Forres Ltd articulate their joint vision, aims and objectives and outcomes, proposed activities, financial requirements and a baseline for evidence based monitoring of the impact of the Project and for reviewing its future evolution and management.

1 Introduction & Purpose

3

Aerial view of Forres from the east


2.1 The Organisation Transition Town Forres (TTF) is a not-for-profit community-led group working to reduce local dependency on fossil and other non-sustainable fuels and to develop local plans to cope with climate change.

Membership of TTF is open to individuals and organisations who support the objectives of the Company and the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

TTF is part of the wider Transition Towns movement, which focuses on responding to the challenges of climate change and peak oil and the need for local action. More information on the Transition Towns movement is available at www.transitiontowns.org/

In 2008 TTF was awarded a grant of £184,000 from the Scottish Government’s initiative ‘Climate Challenge Fund’ with which to progress a three year programme with a number of activities initially planned and / or in progress, including:

♦ the leasing of an area of land to develop allotments;

♦ the commissioning of a process of community engagement resulting in the production of this Development Plan;

♦ the setting up and co-ordination of a Farmers Market in Forres;

♦ research intended to establish and monitor the carbon footprint of a percentage of Forres households;

♦ community awareness-raising events;

♦ re-skilling opportunities.

2.2 Legal Status Transition Town Forres Ltd is a Company Limited by Guarantee with Company Number SC346142, incorporated on 24th July 2008. The company is also a registered Scottish Charity (No SC040314).

2.3 Company Structure Many of the day-to-day activities of TTF are taken forward within specific projects and “operational hubs” – as described in Section 7 of this Plan. Project leaders and activity co-ordinators have responsibility for taking these forward within parameters set by the Board of Directors, to which the project leaders and activity co-ordinators report. Project leaders and co-ordinators meet on a regular basis for mutual support, to co-ordinate activities and to

exchange information, experiences and expertise. Until recently, these meetings have taken place within the context of a Steering Group. However, the role and title of the Steering Group are currently being redefined to better reflect the needs and aspirations of those directly involved in the projects, and the needs of the Company as a whole.

Legal, strategic and financial governance of TTF Ltd is provided by a Board of Directors. The role of the Board is to conduct the business for the Company in accordance with the statutory responsibilities of Directors as set out under the Companies Acts 1985-1989 and 2006. Its roles and responsibilities are set out in detail in TTF’s Memorandum and Articles of Association (see Appendix I) and include setting the company’s policy and strategic direction and managing and overseeing the projection of its public image.

The activities of TTF are further supported by a paid community animateur, engaged on a self-employed basis to help develop and implement the organisation’s plans. TTF is currently seeking funding to appoint a freelance programme development co-ordinator.

2.4 Key People The Project Leaders and members of the Board of Directors (as at July 2009) are as below:

2.4.1 Project Leaders / Activity Co-ordinators Kristy Puplett – Allotments. Anne Marie Skidmore - Local Market. Carin Schwartz – Plastic Bag Free Forres. Ruth Fishkin – Vision Group. Nick Anderson – Awareness-raising (film nights).

2.4.2 Board of Directors Carin Schwartz (Chair) - retired banker with keen interest in community life and the environment. Fabio Villani (Treasurer & Company Secretary) - Local community activist & social entrepreneur. Marie Jacques - retired Senior Lecturer & researcher, deeply involved in community activities. Ruth Fishkin - part-time psychosynthesis counsellor and therapist. Suzie Tish - Self employed Chartered Architect, specialising in ecological architecture.

Updates and more detailed profiles of the Directors are provided in Appendix II.

2 Background to Transition Town Forres

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2.4.3 Animateur Kristy Puplett – supporting Project Leaders and the Directors. 2.5 Contact Details Registered Office: 20 Tolbooth Street, Forres, Moray IV36 1PH Tel: 01309 696266 Email: [email protected] Web: www.TTForres.org

2.6 Milestones & Activity to date

2.6.1 Milestones The key milestones in the development of the TTF Project to date are:

December 2007 - TTF initiated.

June 2008 - TTF Ltd constitution signed.

July 2008 - TTF incorporated.

October 2008 – Climate Challenge Fund funding award confirmed.

March 2009 – Charitable status obtained.

March 2009 – Development Plan published.

2.6.2 Activities & Achievements Since its inception in late 2007, the TTF Project has been highly active in promoting community interest and awareness in the Transition Town movement, the potential for working towards transition status for Forres and the need for action to achieve this.

The emerging TTF group started to screen films and discuss the relevant literature. Since January 2008, 15 films have been shown with average audiences of 30.

Awareness-raising talks on subjects including energy efficiency, insulation, food, solar panels and more have been arranged. 2 workshops in cooperation with SEAD (Scottish Education and Action for Development) have been held and there have been numerous smaller meetings to discuss projects such as the plastic-bag free Forres and a cooperative market (attended by many local food providers and businesses).

TTF provided awareness-raising stalls at the local Highland Games, at local fairs and at a local library day. The Chair of TTF spoke about Transition Towns at the Aberdeen "All-Green 08" conference to an audience of about 100 people.

Three members of TTF attended a two-2-day Transition Town training in Dundee, one member attended a two-day UK Transition Town conference and the Scottish Transition Gathering in Fife.

In 2008, the TTF Chair became a Director of Transition Support Scotland. A permaculture course was held in September 2008.

In November TTF won a “Your Moray Your Environment” award.

Resilience training events were held in January and February 2009 and public consultation events were held in January and March 2009 the outputs of which have informed this Development Plan (see Part III).

2.7 The Local Community Forres is an ancient Royal Burgh located on the Moray coast about 25 miles east of Inverness and 10 miles west of the county town of Elgin. The town is situated between the floodplain of the River Findhorn and the wooded slopes of the Cluny and Sanquhar Hills and has a current population of approx. 9,500.

In addition to the town, the local satellite villages and a substantial rural population, there are also two other distinct communities close to Forres – the Findhorn Foundation and RAF Kinloss – some of whose members live in the town and use its facilities.

The local Forres community has a proud history of participation and engagement, working together through a wide and diverse range of community groups striving to enhance the quality of life in and around the town.

2.8 Strategic and Policy Context The global, national and local contexts for this Development Plan are provided by the recent exponential growth of “Transition Initiatives”, an emerging and evolving approach to community-led sustainability. It is estimated that there are currently some 700 towns, villages and cities worldwide where Transition Initiatives are underway, of which 83 (including Forres) are in the UK.

6

5


2.8.1 The Transition Towns Movement The Transition Towns movement has come about as a response to the twin pressures of Peak Oil and Climate Change, arguably the two toughest challenges facing humankind at the start of the 21st century. The movement is being pioneered by communities in the UK, Ireland and beyond that are taking an integrated and inclusive approach to engaging people and communities to help reduce their carbon footprint and increasing their ability to withstand the fundamental shift that will accompany Peak Oil.

Transition initiatives and the wider movement are predicated on exemplifying the principle of thinking globally and acting locally. They are about complementing schemes that are in place to address the challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change at the global and national levels by making sure that the changes they demand in the way we live our day-to-day lives can actually be put into practice at ground level.

The principal schemes at the global level are the “Oil Depletion Protocol”, which provides a model for both oil producing and oil consuming countries to systematically reduce global oil consumption, and Contraction and Convergence, which offers a mechanism for reducing global carbon emissions and establishing much greater levels of equity in peoples’ and nations’ right to emit carbon.

At the national level, energy rationing systems offer a practical mechanism for reducing fossil fuel consumption and government is tentatively engaging with this.

Transition Initiatives play their significant role at the local level through the process of “relocalising” all essential elements that communities need to sustain themselves and to thrive. It builds local resilience in the face of the potentially damaging effects of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

2.8.2 National Policy Context (Scotland) The aims and aspirations of the Transition Town Forres Project fit strongly within a number of key national and local level strategic and policy contexts, notably those concerning climate change, community planning and the Scottish Government’s five strategic objectives - Healthier, Greener, Stronger and Safer, Wealthier and Fairer, and Smarter.

The Scottish Climate Change Bill, published in December 2008, represents one of the Scottish Government’s key pieces of legislation being placed before Parliament this term. It creates a long-term framework that

will commit the Scottish Government to statutory targets to reduce Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and establish an interim target of 50 per cent emissions reductions by 2030.

2.8.3 Local Policy Context Also in 2008, national and local government signed a concordat committing both to moving towards Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) for all 32 of Scotland's councils. Single Outcome Agreements are agreements between the Scottish Government and each council which set out how each will work towards achieving the 15 national outcomes for the local people in a way that reflects local circumstances and priorities.

The SOA for Moray was drawn up under the auspices of the Moray Community Planning Partnership. Whilst the aims of the TTF are compatible with, and could play a role in contributing to delivery of all the National Outcomes, they are particularly relevant for and supportive of Outcomes 11 and 14, namely:

11 - “We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others”.

14 - “We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and production”.

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PART II

VISION, MISSION, PRINCIPLES, AIMS, OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES


�� Thinking globally, acting locally.

�� Inclusiveness, thereby demonstrating a community in which differences are welcomed and individual talents, needs, vulnerabilities and gifts are embraced.

�� Fairness and equity.

�� Working in partnership with other communities and community groups where this provides mutual benefits.

�� Community empowerment.

�� On-going community engagement.

�� Realistic, accurate and truthful evaluation in planning, action, and review.

�� Permaculture principles.

�� Organic food production as a primary driver of local food production, storage and supply.

�� Using Energy Descent Planning* as a means of moving towards local independence of fossil fuel-dependent infrastructure.

* See Page 13

3.1 Vision

3.2 Mission Statement Our mission is to foster, develop and support new and existing local networks and initiatives to better position the community of Forres to meet the challenges of climate change and fossil fuel depletion.

3.3 Operating Principles TTF’s underpinning ethical and operating principles are based on:

3.4 Charitable Aims The charitable aims for which TTF Ltd is established are as stated in the company’s Memorandum of Association:

a) the advancement of community development,

b) the advancement of environmental protection and improvement, including the promotion of sustainable development*.

c) the advancement of education, and

d) the promotion of health,

in the Forres area.

3.5 Strategic Aims Transition Town Forres has three overall strategic aims, which are:

1 To improve the situation and outlook of Forres as climate changes and fossil fuel supplies decline by fostering sustainability and resilience in the local community.

2 To foster positive planning to lift Forres out of fossil fuel dependency.

3 To encourage and promote health, choice and empowerment for the people of Forres and local community networks, within an ecologically and ethically grounded framework.

* Defined by the 1987 United Nations Bruntland Commission Report ‘Our Common Future’ as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

3 Vision, Mission, Principles & Aims

9

TTF’s vision is for a vibrant and

sustainable local community with social and economic

resilience to meet the challenges of climate change and fossil fuel depletion.


4.1 Objectives Linked to its strategic aims, TTF will develop and implement its activities based on the following objectives:

Table 1: TTF Ltd Objectives

4.2 Outcomes TTF envisages that the following outcomes will have arisen from achieving its aims and objectives over the short and longer terms. These outcomes are expressed as the differences that the Transition Town Forres project will have made to our local communities and environment over time, as distinct from the physical activities - typically referred to as outputs - that have been carried out.

Thus, in 2-3 years time:

�� The communities in and around Forres will have become more aware about the issues, challenges and implications of climate change and have begun to take proactive and measureable steps to reduce the environmental impact of consumption and production within Forres and its surroundings.

�� Carbon emissions from 10% of Forres households will have been lowered by 20% through local food production and purchasing, reduced consumption and substitution of fossil fuels by alternative renewable energy sources.

In 10 years time:

�� Forres and its surrounding communities will have re-localised their hope for the future, grown stronger, healthier, more resilient, cohesive and mutually supportive in taking responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others.

�� Forres will have virtually eliminated the inappropriate use of plastic bags.

�� The general health and well-being of Forres and its surrounding communities will have shown tangible signs of improvement.

In 20 years time:

�� Forres will have become carbon neutral.

�� As a Transition Town, Forres will have achieved a level of financial sustainability and self-sufficiency that does not rely on external grant or other funding and where money is the currency of exchange rather than a commodity.

Strategic Aim 1 - To improve the situation and outlook of Forres as climate changes and fossil fuel supplies decline by fostering sustainability and resilience in the local community.

Obj 1

To raise awareness on climate change issues.

Obj 2

To develop local plans to cope with climate change.

Strategic Aim 2 - To foster positive planning to lift Forres out of fossil fuel dependency.

Obj 3

To encourage a change of attitude towards fossil fuel consumption.

Obj 4

To reduce local dependency on fossil fuels.

Strategic Aim 3 - To encourage and promote health, choice and empowerment for the people of Forres and local community networks, within an ecologically and ethically grounded framework.

Obj 5

To increase community capacity, resilience and cohesion.

Obj 6

To improve the health and well-being of the community in the Forres area.

Obj 7

To create a food focused social, health and educational Community Project.

4 Objectives & Outcomes

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PART III

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION


5.1 The Consultation Process There were a number of interconnected purposes for involving the local community in the preparation of the TTF Development Plan, including:

♦ informing and enthusing the local community about the vision, aims and objectives of TTF;

♦ gathering feedback and engendering community interest and involvement in, and ownership of, the initiatives currently planned or being developed by TTF;

♦ identifying ideas for potential additional initiatives to be included either in the Development Plan or in the longer term aspirations of TTF.

Community engagement was structured around three main phases:

Phase 1 - A drop-in community event held in Forres Town Hall on 31 January 2009. This gave participants the opportunity to learn more about and comment on the work and plans of TTF to date, as well as the opportunity for them to suggest other activities or initiatives for TTF to include in its plans and to indicate their willingness to take part in TTF activities and/or subsequent phases of the engagement process.

Phase 2 - A facilitated group session was held on 14 February 2009 and a number of informal interviews with Directors, supporters and associates of TTF, as well as informal interviews with individuals who accepted the invitation to put their own names forward during Phase 1.

Phase 3 - An open event held in Applegrove School on 14 March 2009, to present a draft outline of the Development Plan to the wider community, and offer a further opportunity to gather community feedback and comments.

Although the above consultation events were carried out principally to help inform the Development Plan, TTF is committed to a process of continued community engagement and feedback.

5.2 Analysis of Consultation Outputs A number of suggestions were received from participants at the January and March events. These were collected using action planning templates prepared specially for the events, and have been collated in Appendix III.

Some of these suggestions have been included in the Plan or a are otherwise being taken forward for early

development and implementation; examples of these include suggestions about:

♦ re-skilling initiatives linked to growing and preparing food;

♦ interviewing older members of the community to gather practical experience and advice from the past to help address present and future challenges;

♦ setting up seed and plant-swapping events;

♦ promoting a ‘Moray diet’, for example through local shopping initiatives and by encouraging those willing to take up this challenge to monitor where their food comes from and to seek to increase the proportion of local food consumed.

Other suggestions will inform future plans and activities; examples of these include:

♦ initiatives intended to promote cycling, for example by installing more cycle racks and providing led cycle rides in the local area;

♦ working towards ‘zero waste’ from households;

♦ setting up a demonstration building using the latest technology to show how ‘no cost’ heating can be achieved by appropriate design;

♦ community composting.

5 Community Consultation

13


The informal interviews and discussions with Directors, members and associates of TTF have not been collated, as they were mainly recorded through annotations on early drafts of the Plan, influencing the Plan as it evolved. However, the outputs of the facilitated group session held on 14 February 2009 were recorded and have been included in Appendix IV.

The group session attracted Directors and supporters of TTF, and generated a number of ideas, some for inclusion in the Development Plan, others identifying practical responses to challenges related to activities such as awareness-raising and carbon footprinting.

Suggestions from this session include:

♦ courses and other activities which could be included in the re-skilling programme;

♦ aims and focus of a TTF Community Energy Company, and steps leading up to commissioning a feasibility study on setting this up;

♦ supporting the ‘350’ campaign as part of the awareness-raising activities of TTF;

♦ producing a local food directory;

♦ setting up a food buyers co-operative.

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PART IV

STRATEGY & IMPLEMENTATION


6.1 Introduction This section of the Plan sets out how Transition Town Forres will go about achieving its vision and strategic aims, and implementing its objectives, by linking these to eight “operational hubs” and associated activities.

The diagram below illustrates how these various elements of the development strategy are connected or interlinked as set out in the subsequent sections of the Development Plan.

6.2 Operational Hubs & Activities There are currently eight operational “hubs” or key activity areas that emanate from the Transition Town Forres Project and together will deliver the Project’s aims objectives. These are as illustrated and described in more detail below:

6.2.1 Carbon Footprinting & EDAP The central element of this “hub” is the development of an Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) for Forres. Whilst at the core of “energy descent” is designing means to move away from fossil fuel-dependency, energy descent is a concept affecting every aspect of community life.

An EDAP, although different in content and style for every settlement, is likely to be about more than just carbon footprinting. It could set out a wider vision of a “powered down”, more resilient, relocalised future and sets out steps and a map for achieving this. EDAPs generally explore a wide range of issues and opportunities as well as energy, including food, tourism, social economics, health, education and awareness. Forres is no exception to this, and its EDAP will in effect act as an “umbrella” for many of TTF’s other operational hubs.

TTF will develop its EDAP cooperatively between different local organisations and through wider community engagement in Forres over a two-year period from 2009. The Plan’s main practical purpose will be to progressively reduce carbon emissions in Forres to achieve total carbon neutrality for the town by 2028.

It is envisaged that development of the Plan will start with a baseline study of the carbon footprint of 38 Forres households (approximately 1% of all households) by the end of March 2009, expanding to cover a total of 380 households by March 2010. Follow-up carbon reduction surveys of the initial 38 households will be completed by March 2010 and of the remaining households by March 2011, the objective of these studies being to demonstrate a 20% reduction in carbon emissions in the households sampled.

Under this hub heading the following specific activities are proposed:

A1 Develop the methodology for, and prepare, an Energy Descent Action Plan for Forres

A2 Carry out carbon emissions reduction baseline studies.

A3 Follow up Study of carbon emissions in 380 households to assess impact of project.

Community Cafe

Local Food & Markets

Visioning &

Awareness Raising

Allotments (Community Garden)

Reducing use of plastic bags Forres

Carbon Footprint &

EDAP

Community Energy Company

Re-skilling

TRANSITION TOWN FORRES

6 Development Strategy

17

Strategic Aims

Development Strategy Structure

Objectives

Activities Activities Activities

Operational Hubs

Mission

VISION

VISION

Values

Values


6.2.2 Community Energy Company TTF’s Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) funding award includes provision for the establishment of a Community Energy Company (CEC). It was originally envisaged that such a company would be based on a bio-ethanol project for which there is financial provision to fund a feasibility study.

However it has subsequently been agreed with the CCF that the scope and timing of this feasibility study should be extended to include relevant outcomes of the community consultation linked to the production of this Development Plan and therefore to take into account other potential renewable energy generation sources, such as fuelwood, other biomass and solar power in addition to bio-ethanol. As well as assessing economic and environmental feasibility, the scope of the study would also include recommendations as to the most appropriate vehicle and legal mechanism for the establishment and management of the CEC itself.

Subject to the outcome of the feasibility study, the aim of the Transition Town Forres CEC would be to reduce Forres’s dependence on traditional non-renewable fuels. Based on the assumptions that any energy produced should be available to all Forres residents (not just supporters of the TTF Project) and that the CEC would not only produce, but also promote means of saving energy, its activities might include exploring ways to:

♦ reduce local use of energy (e.g. by more effective insulation);

♦ produce energy locally (including micro-production);

♦ lobbying Moray Council to take more action on saving and producing sustainable local energy;

♦ work with existing local, micro- and community-energy producers such as those at Marcassie, Findhorn and Roseisle.

The following specific activities are proposed:

A4 Commission Feasibility Study for the establishment of a Community Energy Company.

A5 Establish a Community Energy Company for Forres. [Subject to the outcome of the Feasibility Study].

6.2.3 Establishing Community Allotments In March 2009 TTF successfully negotiated with the Moray Council to secure an eleven-year lease of 2.3 acres (0.93hectares) area of

Common Good Land at Bogton Road situated adjacent to the A96 Forres by-pass (see plan extracts below), 1.46 acres of which will be used as a community garden. Several people will be working together in small groups, each on an area of 200m2. These "pods" will be managed using organic principles and time and effort will be spent on spreading knowledge about permaculture principles. This is intended to be a supportive arrangement where people of varying ability and knowledge come together to grow food. This can make it possible for those with gardens at home to start growing their own vegetables in their own back garden once they have learned the basics of gardening.

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Location of the Community Garden in Forres

Artist’s impression of possible ideas for future lay-out of the Community Garden

Current site lay-out (March 2009)


There is also an aspiration of TTF to match willing growers with people with gardens that need attention.

A longer term aspiration is to extend the arable land to include 7.34 acres of what is currently known as the "Seagull Field".

Produce will be grown for personal consumption but TTF would like to support an exchange system whereby any surplus produce will be used primarily as food before anything is discarded on the compost heap.

Linked to the development of the community garden might be educational initiatives to promote and train people in growing fresh food locally and about optimum nutrition and health.


A6 Establish and administer a community garden and allotments scheme for Forres.

A7 Develop a programme to promote the local growing and eating of fresh food and training in techniques, including permaculture.

6.2.4 Local Food & Markets The TTF plans to establish local farmers and community markets. The aim of the markets is to provide opportunities for members of the Forres and other local communities to purchase and/or sell healthy, fresh and locally grown food and other products, as well as providing a vehicle for TTF to promote health and raise awareness of environmental and other sustainability issues, thus helping it to further TTF’s charitable objectives.

Initially the plan is to hold an outdoor food and plants market in Anderson’s School Car Park, and an indoor craft market in the coffee bar of Forres House Community Centre on the second Saturday of each month, subject to the relevant permissions being granted by the Moray Council.

The assets and finances associated with the markets will be owned and managed by the Company, and there will be no external restrictions on stall-holding in the market other than capacity and compliance with the company’s purposes and relevant rules and regulations.

An element of the Climate Challenge funding has been allocated to the capital purchase by TTF Ltd of stalls and a trailer to transport them. Stallholders at the proposed markets will thus be required to pay a stall hire fee to TTF Ltd, thereby covering direct costs such as insurance, licenses, maintenance of stalls and trailer and also helping to ensure the sustainability of the project. Individual stallholders will be responsible for ensuring that they hold appropriate public liability insurance and food hygiene certificates, as well as declaring any profits.

It is anticipated that the first market, comprising around eight market stands, will be held in summer 2009.

Linked with the development of the farmers and community markets is the potential for auditing the local shopping and dietary “footprint” to establish a baseline of how much food is sourced, purchased and consumed from within the local Forres area. This could then provide the basis for promoting and encouraging the re-localising of food shopping lifestyles.

Proposed activities:

A8 Hold monthly food and crafts markets in Forres.

A9 Produce a Local Directory of food and other produce.

A10 Promote a “Moray” diet.

6.2.5 Provision of a Community Cafe There is interest and potential scope for establishing a community café and shop in close proximity to, and linking closely with, the allotments scheme within the Bogton Road site.

Thus the relevant activity is:

A11 Establish a community cafe and shop in conjunction with the community garden.

6.2.6 Reduction in the inappropriate use of plastic bags

TTF aspires to raise awareness of the many ways in which plastic is currently used in ways that are unsympathetic and damaging to the environment. One of the most noticeable uses is that of single use plastic carrier bags, such as those handed out free of charge in supermarkets but for which the average duration of use is18 minutes.

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TTF has commissioned fair trade, organic cotton bags with the logo "I love Forres". This bag will be initially used to attract people to help us with TTF’s carbon reduction surveys. The bags will also serve to highlight that carrier bags can be used many times over.

TTF is aiming for Forres, amongst many others, to follow the example of Mudbury, the first town in the UK who went “plastic-bag free” in 2008. As part of the wider national campaign to raise awareness of the environmental impact of plastic bags, TTF will promote the adoption of bags of alternative, more environmentally friendly materials by supplying and distributing cotton, TTF-branded carrier bags via Forres shopkeepers and directly to the local community.

A12 Establish a programme to help Forres eliminate the inappropriate use of plastic bags.

6.2.7 Re-skilling Many of the skills, wisdom and experience taken for granted by previous generations and by our “elders” have tended to become lost or forgotten. In moving Forres towards a lower energy future and relocalising its local communities, our elders deserve to be respected and listened to and their skills and wisdom revived and passed on.

TTF will therefore look to establish a re-skilling programme, including the collection and revival of older people’s skills and experience as important knowledge “capital”. A wide range of re-skilling courses could be relevant, with some being made available in conjunction with TTF’s partner organisations and local businesses. For example, building, bike repairs and maintenance, basket weaving, wild foods, coppicing, preserves and foodstuffs, cooking (with seasonal and locally produced products), traditional dance, music, storytelling and song.

A13 Establish a re-skilling programme.

6.2.8 Visioning & Awareness-Raising TTF recognises the importance of identifying key partners, building networks and continuing to engage and prepare the community for the future development of Transition Town Forres. For an effective Energy Descent Action Plan (see 6.2.1) to evolve and attract “buy-in”, its participants need to understand the potential effects of Peak Oil and Climate Change – the former demanding a drive to increase community resilience, the latter a reduction in carbon footprint (Transition Initiatives, Primer Version 26).

To help with this process, therefore, there is a need to expand awareness-raising activities to

include regular discussion meetings, film nights, articles in local papers, presentations to existing groups and other educational activities on ‘big picture topics’ relevant to the Forres area and communities, including the EDAP and other topics such as rising sea levels. TTF might also consider promoting companies supporting or producing green energy, such as Green Energy, Good Energy and Ecotricity, and services providing domestic energy advice such as SCARF and the Energy Saving Trust.

TTF will support the “350” campaign, 350 being the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit, in "parts per million", for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere to avoid runaway climate change. 350 is also a close fit with the number of Forres households targeted for demonstrating carbon footprint reduction, thus providing a ‘link” with the 350 campaign.


A14 Publish a regular newsletter for local distribution in and around Forres.

A15 Facilitate regular open community meetings to encourage feedback and involvement in the Transition Project.

A16 Facilitate an ongoing programme of educational films, discussion meetings and other events to promote the Transition Town movement.

A17 Develop a programme of activities and events to support the “350” campaign.

A18 Inform and assist with replication of the TTF project in other communities.

6.3 Partnership Working As mentioned in Section 3.3, one of TTF’s operating principles is to work in partnership and collaboration with other local community groups that share and/or complement TTF’s vision and values and that - by working together - can bring mutual strength and contribute to achieving their desired outcomes. Current partners and their respective roles are shown in Table 2 overleaf.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and a number of other community groups and organisations have expressed an interest in future partnership working with TTF, including ReBoot, Moray Wastebusters, Rotary Club of Forres, Forres Footpaths Trust, the Dava Way Association and the Marcassie Farm Project.

6.4 TTF Policy Development TTF is in the process of developing a number of documented policies articulating its commitment to its operating principles. These will include

20


policies relating to:

♦ Health & Safety

♦ Equality and Diversity

♦ Volunteering

Guidance Notes will also be prepared to assist Board Members and Project and Activity Co-ordinators in the practical implementation of TTF’s policies as well as to ensure that the Company’s practices support and uphold its

values, its beliefs and its commitment to social inclusion and sustainability. 6.5 Strategic Checklist Table 3 below provides a checklist to show how each planned activity supports TTF’s Charitable and Strategic Aims (see Page 9) and Objectives (see Page 10).

� denotes activity contributes directly to delivery of the specific aim / objective

� denotes activity contributes indirectly to delivery of the specific aim / objective

Charitable Aims

Strategic Aims

Objectives Activity

a b c d 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A1 Develop the methodology for,

and prepare, an Energy Descent Action Plan for Forres

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

A2 Carry out carbon emissions reduction baseline studies.

� � � � � � � � � �

A3 Follow up Study of carbon emissions in 380 households to assess impact of project.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�


�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

A5 Establish a Community Energy Company for Forres.

� � � � � � � � � �


�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�


�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Table 3: Aims, Objectives and Activities Checklist

21

Partner Organisation

Role

Forres Groups Action

Serves as a Community Hub with 10 local community groups (including TTF) as members. Provides working space and administrative resources.

Forres Community Council

Provides a formal interface between Forres and the Local Authority.

The Moray Council The Local Authority, facilitating access to the Community Garden site.

Forres Area Forum Local forum for community organisations with support worker provided by The Moray Council. Particularly supportive of TTF community allotments project.

Forres in Bloom Community organisation committed to protecting and enhancing the environment of Forres. Particularly supportive of the TTF allotments project.

Forres Community Woodlands Trust

Community group and Scottish Charity working to bring local woodlands into community ownership and management for delivery of a range of complementary environmental, economic and social benefits and activities, including provision of natural burial sites, opportunities for development and access to non timber forest products and re-skilling opportunities.

Transition Town Scotland Network

Scottish Transition Network for supporting local Transition initiatives. TTF Chair is a TTS Board member.

Table 2: TTF’s Partner Organisations


22 Table 3: Aims, Objectives and Activities Checklist (continued)

Charitable Aims

Strategic Aims

Objectives Activity

a b c d 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A8 Hold monthly food and crafts

markets in Forres. � � � � � � � � � � � �


� � � � � � � � � � � �

A10 Promote a “Moray” diet. � � � � � � � � � � A11 Establish a community cafe and

shop in conjunction with the community garden.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

� � �


� � � � �

A13 Establish a re-skilling programme. � � � � � � � � � � � � � A14 Publish a regular newsletter for

local distribution in and around Forres.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�


�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

A16 Facilitate an on-going programme of educational films, discussion meetings and other events to promote the Transition Town movement.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�


�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�


�

�

�

�

�

�

�

� denotes activity contributes directly to delivery of the specific aim / objective

� denotes activity contributes indirectly to delivery of the specific aim / objective


7.1 Implementation Programme This Section provides a summary Action Plan (see Table 4 below) incorporating the above, each linked to the relevant objectives or management activities outlined in Section 6

Table 4: Summary Action Plan

together with a level of priority (low, medium, high), an approximate time-scale, milestones and performance indicators. The Action Plan then forms the framework for the Financial Forecasts in Section 8.

7 Action Plan

23

Activity

Timing

Priority

Milestones

Key Indicators

A1 Develop the methodology for, and prepare, an Energy Descent Action Plan for Forres.

Full Plan by end March 20011

HIGH

♦ EDAP methodology & scope agreed.

♦ Food section drafted.

♦ Energy, waste and transport section drafted.

♦ Full EDAP completed.

♦ No. of areas of community life included in EDAP.

♦ No. of people and organisations involved in developing and agreeing EDAP.

♦ No. of EDAP recommendations implemented.

A2 Carry out carbon emissions reduction Baseline Studies.

By end March 2010

HIGH

♦ First tranche of households audited.

♦ Second tranche of households audited.

♦ No. of households audited.

♦ No. of households committed to reducing carbon footprint.

A3 Follow up study of carbon emissions in 380 households to assess impact of project.

By end March 2011

HIGH

♦ Follow up audit of 380 households from first and second tranche completed.

♦ No. of households audited.

♦ % reduction in carbon emissions.

A4 Commission Feasibility Study for the establishment of a Community Energy Co.

Year 1

HIGH

♦ Scoping study agreed and completed.

♦ Feasibility Study Brief drawn up.

♦ Consultant appointed

♦ Study completed.

♦ Recommendations from scoping study implemented.

♦ Completed Feasibility Study with recommendations.


By end March 2010

MEDIUM

♦ Focus and form of Company agreed.

♦ Company established.

♦ Progress towards delivery of Company aims and targets.


Years 1-3

HIGH

♦ Community Garden site lease agreed with Moray Council.

♦ First community garden “pods” established.

♦ Allotments site secured.

♦ Allotment plots assigned and established.

♦ No. of pods established.

♦ No. of allotments established.

♦ No. of people involved in using garden pods / allotments.


Year 2

MEDIUM

♦ Project group set up to develop programme.

♦ Programme developed and agreed.

♦ Programme implementation started.

♦ No. of events held.

♦ No. of people participating.

♦ Feedback from participants.

♦ Impact on growing and eating habits.


Table 4: Summary Action Plan (cont)

Activity

Timing

Priority

Milestones

Key Indicators

A8 Hold food and crafts markets in Forres.

Monthly from 2009 Twice monthly from 2010. Weekly from April 2011

HIGH

MEDIUM

♦ All equipment and legal requirements in place.

♦ First market held.

♦ First twice monthly markets held.

♦ First weekly market held.

♦ Markets self-financing.

♦ Frequency of markets.

♦ No. of stallholders.

♦ Footfall.

♦ Feedback from stallholders, customers and visitors.


Year 2

MEDIUM

♦ Project group set up.

♦ Draft directory produced.

♦ Directory printed and distributed.

♦ No. and range of producers included.

♦ No. of directories distributed.

♦ Feedback from producers and community.

A10 Promote a “Moray Diet”.

Year 1 MEDIUM ♦ Directory produced (as A9 above).

♦ Leaflet produced.

♦ CAS and CFINE outlets established.

♦ Recipe book published.

♦ Increase in purchase of locally produced food.

♦ Reduction in carbon footprint.

A11 Establish a community cafe and shop in conjunction with the community garden.

Year 2

HIGH

♦ Planning consent obtained.

♦ Trading commenced.

♦ Self sustainability achieved.

♦ Level of usage & feedback.


Project launched by end March 2009

HIGH

♦ Alternative bags sourced and purchased for distribution.

♦ Official launch.

♦ “I Love Forres” bags distributed.

♦ No. of alternative material bags distributed to shopkeepers.

♦ No. of alternative material bags distributed to members of public.

♦ Nos. of shops offering alternative to plastic bags to customers.

♦ Nos. of shops still offering customers plastic bags.

A13 Establish a re-skilling programme.

Year 1 HIGH

♦ Community garden opens.

♦ First sustainable building constructed.

♦ Listen to Elders Project launched.

♦ First re-skilling course held.

♦ No. of training courses provided.

♦ No. of different skills acquired.

♦ No. of partner organisations engaged.

♦ No. of people trained.

A14 Publish a regular newsletter for local distribution in and around Forres.

Years 1-3

HIGH

♦ Frequency of publication established and resourced.

♦ No. of newsletters printed / e-circulated.


Years 1-3

HIGH

♦ Frequency of meetings decided.

♦ Programme established.

♦ No. of consultation events / meetings held.

♦ No. of people attending

♦ Feedback received.

24


Table 4: Summary Action Plan (cont)

Activity

Timing

Priority

Milestones

Key Indicators


Years 1-3

HIGH

♦ Promotional material designed & printed.

♦ Frequency and programme agreed.

♦ No. of films shown.

♦ No. of public presentations held.

♦ No. of discussion meetings held.

♦ No. of other events.


Years 1-3

HIGH

♦ Floral display in Grant Park, Forres.

♦ Public meeting raising awareness about “350” campaign.

♦ Level of public awareness about meaning of “350”.


Years 1-3

LOW

♦ Knowledge transfer programme set up.

♦ No. of invitations from other organisations.

♦ No. of other organisations visited.

25


8.1 Financial Forecasts An outline forecast of expenditure and revenue for the three-year period 2009-12 is provided in Table 5 overleaf. The total estimated cost of the Project over the 3 year Plan period is £705,651.

The forecasts of costs are indicative and where appropriate based on experience of similar activities carried out elsewhere. Some “external” costs have been modified to take into account that a number of the scheduled activities may be carried out on a voluntary basis or as part of training events, thus removing a significant element of professional or contractor costs.

It should also be noted that:

♦ An annual uplift (from Year 2) of 5% has been applied to costs where appropriate.

♦ Costs are inclusive of (non-refundable) VAT where anticipated.

♦ Costs and income include in-kind contributions as appropriate.

8.2 Funding Requirements The forecasts indicate that funding of the order of £221,525 in addition to that available through the TTF’s current Climate Challenge Fund award will need to be sourced so as to fully implement the Action Plan as outlined in Section 7.

8.3 Funding Strategy As a number of the Project’s proposed activities are intended to be revenue generating, Transition Town Forres Ltd will consider providing match funding when appropriate to supplement grant funding required to support net cost activities.

Mechanisms and procedures will thus need to be put in place that will ensure that the application, structure, administration and accountability for funding are understood and approved by the Transition Town Forres Ltd Board of Directors and any funding body(s) as appropriate on an activity by activity or project basis.

Clearly prioritisation of activities may also need to be altered or reviewed to reflect availability of relevant funding. However, the overarching principle of Transition Town Forres Ltd in fund raising will be to source funding that matches its aims and objectives and community aspirations, rather than vice versa.

An important role of this Development Plan is therefore to provide evidence of Transition Town Forres Ltd’s vision, aims and objectives to support funding applications. Also implicit in pursuing the vision and aspirations of the Transition Town Forres Ltd is the need to gradually reduce dependence on external public and private funding (for which priorities and availability regularly change and funding awarded on a competitive basis and therefore cannot be guaranteed) and supplement or substitute with sustainable, internally generated income streams.

Examples include the Community Markets, Community Cafe and, in due course, income generated through the Community Energy Company.

8.3.1 Other funding sources Other potential public agencies that offer grant funding that could be applied for include:

♦ The Landfill Community Fund.

♦ HIE (through its Community Grants Programme).

♦ The new LEADER programme.

♦ The Scottish Community Foundation.

♦ BIG Lottery funding (eg, Awards for All, Dynamic Inclusive Communities).

A matrix showing how the range of proposed management activities might typically be funded is provided in Table 5 below. However, this list is by no means exhaustive, and there are numerous other private Trusts and sources of funding that are or might become available in due course.

8 Financial Forecasts and Funding

26


Table 5. Expenditure & Revenue Forecast 2009-10

(££) Item / Activity

Year 1 2009/10

Year 2 2010/11

Year 3 2011/12

Totals

Expenditure

Office costs. 2,730 2,867 3,010 8,607

Telecoms, broadband and other ICT costs. 1,260 1,323 1,390 3,973

Facilitators, consultants, speakers, animateurs, administrative & secretarial support etc..

45,394

57,950

60,850

164,194

Management & governance (in kind contributions from

Directors and Project Leaders1)

53,040

53,040

55,690 161,770

Insurances. 1,911 2,006 2,105 6,022

Volunteer and community participants’ expenses and travel costs.

2,750

2,206

2,105 7,061

Stationery, post, printing and promotion, including display boards etc..

5,000

5,250

5,510

15,760

Venue, catering and childcare for meetings and events. 2,835 2,977 3,125 8,937

Book keeping and audit. 620 441 465 1,526

Membership fees for national organisations, subscriptions and awareness-raising materials.

1,579

1,654

1,735

4,968

Research and feasibility study for Community Energy Company, consultancy fees + company setting up costs

4,000 750 4,750

Local Market: Market stalls, licences etc.

2,552

1,000

1,050 4,602

Pavillion – Community Café / shop and office: Furniture and fittings.

2,500

250

265

3,015

Community Garden: Tools, equipment and machinery for composting and allotment.

7,300

1,000 10,000

18,300

Deer and rabbit fencing, hedges, drainage and site management.

6,600 1,000

21,050 28,650

Community garden & allotment cultivation (in kind

contributions from volunteers 2)

46,800 78,000 81,900

206,700

Greenhouses, polytunnels, sheds, buildings and pavilion: site preparation, erection, upgrades, enhancements and maintenance.

22,436

1,500

26,575 50,511

Canvas bags. 2,000 2,100 2,205 6,305

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 211,307 215,314 279,030 705,651

Income Climate Challenge Fund 80,526 35,130 0 115,656

In-kind contributions 99,840 131,040 137,590 368,470

Other funding to be generated 30,941 49,144 141,440 221,525

TOTAL INCOME 211,307 215,314

279,030

705,651

1 Years 1 & 2: Chair’s contribution, full time 40hrs/week @ £15; volunteers / subgroups 10hrs/week @ £15; Treasurer,

3hrs/week @ £15; Board Directors, 5 people 8hrs / month @ £25. 2 Year 1: Volunteers in garden / allotment 30 people 3hrs / week @ £10; Year 2: 50 people 3hrs / week @ £10; Year 3 add 5%.

27


Table 5: Matrix showing possible funding streams for proposed Activities

Possible Funding Streams

Management Objective / Activity

TTF Ltd In kind / Match Funding

Climate Challenge Fund

LEADER

HIE Community Grants

BIG Lottery (eg Awards for All,

Dynamic Inclusive Communities)

Scottish Community Foundation

Community Landfill Fund

A1 Develop the methodology for, and prepare, an Energy Descent Action Plan for Forres

�

�

�

�

�

A2 Carry out carbon emissions reduction Baseline Studies.

� � � � �

A3 Follow up study of carbon emissions in 380 households to assess impact of project.

� � � � �


� � � �


� � � �


� � � � � � �


� � � � � �

A8 Hold monthly food and crafts markets in Forres. � � � � � A9 Produce a Local Directory of food and other

produce. � � � � � � �

A10 Promote out a “Moray” Diet. � � � � � � A11 Establish a community cafe and shop in conjunction

with the community garden. � � � � � � �


� � � � �

A13 Establish a re-skilling programme. � � � � A14 Publish a regular newsletter for local distribution in

and around Forres. � � � �


� � � �


� � � �


� � � �


� � � �

28



PART V MONITORING,

EVALUATION & REVIEW


9.1 Monitoring & Review Monitoring, evaluation and review of delivery of TTF Ltd’s strategic aims, objectives and Action Plan targets and milestones will be an essential element of the Transition Town Forres Project.

Responsibility for this will lie with the TTF Board, which will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with all legal, statutory and regulatory requirements, including the appropriate maintenance and management of the Company’s assets.

Priorities will continue to be reviewed and reassessed regularly at Board meetings on the basis of information provided by TTF Board members, Project and Activity Co-ordinators, staff and volunteers, and of feedback from other stakeholders.

A more formalised monitoring and review process will be carried out on a regular basis as set out in Table 6 below and will include consultation with a wide range of stakeholders at regular intervals to obtain their views on the progress and effectiveness of the Project.

Table 6: Monitoring & Review Schedule

Reports on progress of the Development Plan will also form an essential part of the Group’s AGM and Annual Reviews and in reporting to key funding bodies, notably the Climate Challenge Fund via its managing agent Keep Scotland Beautiful.

The programme of activities and priorities has been set out against each of the operational objectives in Section 7. Monitoring and review will include comparing actual achievements with the targets, milestones and key indicators allocated to each of the activities set out within the Action Plan. This will be complemented by

�� feedback gathered from on-going consultation and engagement with the local community, volunteers and TTF stakeholders;

�� minutes of Board meetings;

�� written and oral progress reports by staff, Project Leaders and Activity Co-ordinators to the TTF Board.

Transition Town Forres Ltd March 2009

9 Monitoring, Evaluation & Review

30

Item

Review Period

Progress monitoring by TTF Board Monthly

Assessment of impact and effectiveness of the project by members and stakeholders

Annual

Development Plan Monitor and update as required; review by end 2011.

Development Plan Strategic Aims & Objectives Annual

Prioritisation of Activities 6 monthly

Action Plan Annual

Forecast of Revenue & Expenditure & Funding requirements 6 monthly

Income and funding 6 monthly

Generic Risk Assessment Annual

All TTF Policies & Procedures Review on 3 year cycle

APPENDIX I

TTF LTD MEMORANDUM & ARTICLES OF

ASSOCIATION

Company Number: SC346142 Scottish Charity No: SC (application pending)

The Companies Acts 1985-1989

Company limited by Guarantee and not having a share capital

Memorandum

&

Articles of Association

of

Transition Town

Forres Ltd

Including amendments approved by all members on 22 December 2008

Incorporated the 24th of July 2008


Company Limited by Guarantee and not having a share capital

Memorandum of Association of

Transition Town Forres Ltd 1. The name of the Company is Transition Town Forres Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “the

Company”).

2. The Company's registered office is situated in Scotland.

3. The objects for which the Company is established are:

e) the advancement of community development,

f) the advancement of environmental protection and improvement, including the promotion of sustainable development, which is defined by the 1987 United Nations

Bruntland Commission report ‘Our Common Future’ as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet

their own needs”

g) the advancement of education,

h) the promotion of health,

in the Forres area.

4. In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise, the Company shall have the

following powers:

4.1 To provide such support as is charitable in law to groups and individuals.

4.2 To arrange and conduct research, preparations and organisation for the

promotion and implementation of training courses, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, conferences, other meetings and other activities conducive to the

promotion of the objects of the Company and the preparation, production, editing, publication, exhibition and distribution of articles, pamphlets, books and

other publications, tapes, motion and still pictures of any medium, music and

drama of any medium and other materials conducive to the promotion of the objects of the Company.

4.3 To employ and organise the training of all such officers, employees and others as

may be required for the purposes of the Company to assist in achieving its objects.

4.4 To establish, subsidise, promote, co-operate or federate with or become affiliated

to, act as trustees or agents for, or manage or lend money or provide other assistance to, or subscribe and make contributions to or otherwise support any

recognised or registered charitable association, trust, society or other recognised or registered charitable body corporate or unincorporated and having primary

objects wholly or partly similar to those of the Company, or otherwise connected

with the activities of the Company or with the furtherance of any of its objects.

4.5 To establish, operate and administer and/or otherwise acquire separate trading

companies or associations, whether charitable or not.

4.6 To purchase, take on feu, lease, hire, take in exchange, and otherwise acquire

any land, property and rights which may be advantageous for the purposes of the activities of the Company.

4.7 To construct, convert, alter, demolish, improve, manage, exploit, develop, turn to

account and otherwise deal with all or any part of the undertaking, property and

rights of the Company.

4.8 To sell, feu, let, hire, license, give in exchange and otherwise dispose of all or any part of the undertaking, property and rights of the Company, wheresoever

situated.

4.9 To manage and operate or arrange for the professional management and

operation of properties, lands and estates whether owned by the Company or not and the entering into and carrying out of agreements in relation thereto with

statutory and other bodies, individuals, unincorporated associations, firms, corporate bodies and others and any groups thereof in furtherance of the objects

of the Company.

4.10 To provide services generating income to further the objects of the Company.

4.11 To borrow money and give security for the payment of money by, or the

performance of other obligations of, the Company or any other person.

4.12 To draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, negotiate, execute and issue cheques,

promissory notes, bills of exchange, bills of lading, warrants, debentures and other negotiable or transferable instruments.

4.13 To establish and administer a building fund or funds or guarantee fund or funds

or endowment fund or funds in furtherance of the objects of the Company.

4.14 To employ and train personnel in all aspects of the Company’s objects and to

remunerate any individual in the employment of the Company and to establish, maintain and contribute to, or co-operate with others in establishing, maintaining

and contributing to, any pension or superannuation fund or scheme for the

benefit of, and to give or procure the giving of any donation, pension allowance or remuneration to, and to make any payment for or towards the insurance of,

any individual, who is or was at any time in the employment of the Company and the wife, widow, relatives and dependants of any such individual; and to

establish, subsidise and subscribe to any institution, association, club and fund which may benefit any such person.

4.15 To promote any private Act of Parliament, Provisional Order and other authority to enable the Company to carry out its objectives, alter its constitution, and

achieve any other purpose which may promote the Company's interests, and to oppose or object to any Parliamentary Bill, Local Authority Notice or Order, or

any planning proposal, designation, application, notice or order, whether issued

by or on behalf of or by the authority of Parliament, any Government or statutory agency or any organisation, whether incorporated or unincorporated, any

association, other bodies, individuals or generally any application or proceedings which may prejudice the Company's interests.

4.16 To enter into any arrangement with any organisation, government, authority or

other body which may be advantageous for the purposes of the activities of the

Company and to obtain from any such organisation, government, authority or other body any charter, right, privilege or concession.

4.17 To enter into partnership or any other arrangement for sharing profit, co-

operation or mutual assistance with any charitable body, whether incorporated or unincorporated.

4.18 To give any debentures or securities and accept any shares, debentures or

securities as consideration for any business, property and rights acquired or

disposed of.

4.19 To effect insurance against risks of all kinds.

4.20 To invest monies of the Company not immediately required for the purposes of its activities in such investments and securities (including land in any part of the

world) and that in such a manner as may from time to time be considered

advantageous (subject to compliance with any applicable legal requirements) and to dispose of and vary such investments and securities.

4.21 To subscribe for, take, purchase or otherwise acquire and hold shares, stocks,

debentures and other interests in any company with which the Company is

authorised to amalgamate and to acquire and take over the whole or any part of the undertaking, assets and liabilities of any company, association or other body

with which the Company is authorised to amalgamate.

4.22 To accept subscriptions, grants, donations, gifts, legacies and endowments of all kinds, either absolutely or conditionally or in trust for any of the objects of the

Company.

4.23 To take such steps (by way of personal or written appeals, public meetings or

otherwise) as may be deemed expedient for the purpose of procuring contributions to the funds of the Company, whether by way of subscriptions,

grants, loans, donations or otherwise.

4.24 To carry out any of these objects in any part of the world as principal, agent,

contractor, trustee or in any other capacity and through an agent, contractor, subcontractor, trustee or any person acting in any other capacity and either alone

or in conjunction with others.

4.25 To do anything which will further the attainment of any of the objects of the

Company.

And it is declared that in this clause where the context so admits, "property" means any property, heritable or moveable, real or personal, wherever situated in the world.

5. 5.1 Subject to clause 5.2,

(a) the income and property of the Company shall be applied solely towards the

promotion of its objects as set out in clause 3 of this Memorandum of

Association;

(b) no part of the income and properly of the Company shall be paid or transferred, directly or indirectly, by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by

way of profit to the members of the Company;

(c) no member of the Board of Trustees of the Company shall be appointed to

any office under the Company in respect of which a salary or fee is payable; and

(d) no benefit in money or money's worth shall be given by the Company to any

member of the Board of Trustees for their services as a Trustee, except

repayment of out-of-pocket expenses.

5.2 The Company shall, notwithstanding the provisions of clause 5.1, be entitled:

(a) to pay reasonable and proper remuneration to any member of the Company

or of its Board of Trustees in return for services actually rendered to the Company (other than those carried out normally or habitually by any Trustee,

officer or employee of the Company) and to reimburse any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any such person on behalf of the Company in

furtherance of its objects;

(b) to pay interest at a rate not exceeding the commercial rate on money lent to

the Company by any member of the Company or its Board of Trustees;

(c) to pay rent at a rate not exceeding the open market rent for premises let to the Company by any member of the Company or its Board of Trustees; and

(d) to purchase assets from any member of the Company or its Board of Trustees providing such purchase is at or below market value and to sell

assets to any member of the Company or its Board of Trustees providing such sale is at or above market value.

6. The liability of members is limited.

7. Every member of the Company undertakes to contribute such amount as may be required (not exceeding £1) to the Company's assets if it should be wound up while

he or she is a member or within one year after he or she ceases to be a member, for payment of the Company's debts and liabilities contracted before he or she ceases to

be a member, and of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up.

8.

8.1 The winding-up of the Company may take place only on the decision of not less than three-fourths of the members of the Company to be taken only at an

Extraordinary General Meeting called specifically (but not necessarily exclusively)

for the purpose.

8.2 If on the winding up of the Company any property remains after satisfaction of all the Company's debts and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or

distributed among the members, but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable company, institution or organisation having objects similar to or

encompassing those of the Company and which shall prohibit the distribution of its

or their income and property among its or their members to an extent at least as great as the Company being wound up. The expression ‘charitable purpose’ shall

mean a charitable purpose under section 7 of the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 which is also regarded as charitable purpose in

relation to the application of the Taxes Acts.

8.3 To the extent that effect cannot be given to the provisions of clause 8.2, the

relevant property shall be applied to some other charitable object or objects as shall be determined by ordinary resolution of the members of the Company at or

before the time of dissolution or, failing such determination, by the Board of Trustees.

WE, the Subscribers to this memorandum of Association, wish to be formed into a Company pursuant to this memorandum.

Names and Addresses of Subscribers

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Signed in the presence of:

Full Name Signed

Address

Date


Company Limited by Guarantee

and not having share capital

Articles of Association of

Transition Town Forres Ltd GENERAL

1. The regulations contained in Table C in the Companies (Tables A to F) Regulations 1985 shall not

apply to the Company. In these presents the words standing in the first column of the Table next hereinafter contained shall bear the meaning set opposite to them respectively in the second

column thereof, if not inconsistent with the subject or context

WORDS MEANINGS

The Act - The Companies Act 1985 as amended and every statutory modification

and re-enactment thereof for the time being in force.

These Articles - These Articles of Association, and the regulations of the Company from

time to time in force.

The Company - Transition Town Forres Ltd

The Board of Trustees - The Board of Directors for the time being of the Company.

Trustee(s) - Director(s) for the time being of the Company.

The Office -The Registered Office of the Company.

Members - The Members of the Company.

The Subscribers - Those persons and/or bodies who have subscribed both these Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company.

The United Kingdom - Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Month - Calendar month.

In writing - Written, printed, e-mailed or lithographed, or partly one and partly another, and other modes of representing or producing words in a visible

and non- transitory form.

Clear days - In relation to a period of notice means that period excluding the day

when the notice is given or deemed to be given and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect.

Words importing the singular number only shall include the plural number, and vice versa; and Words

importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender.

Subject as aforesaid, any words or expressions defined in the Act shall, if not inconsistent with the subject

or context, bear the same meanings in the Articles.

2. The Company is established for the purposes expressed in the Memorandum of Association.

MEMBERS

3. The number of members of the Company shall not be less than five.

4. The Subscribers to the Memorandum of Association shall be the first five members of the Company.

5. Any group whom the Board of Trustees shall admit to membership of the Company shall be a Member.

Membership is open to individuals and organisations who support the objects of the Company and is subject to the completion of an evaluation process to the satisfaction of the Board of Trustees.

6. There will be no fee for membership but all members will be required to sign an Accord of Membership annually, renewing their commitment to the objectives of the Company and their support of the UN

Declaration of Human Rights (General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948)..

7. Any member may resign from the Company by giving not less than one month's notice in writing to the

Secretary at any time.

8. Any member may be removed from the Company by a resolution of the Board of Trustees passed by a majority of at least three-fourths of the Trustees present and voting at a meeting of the Trustees of

which not less than fourteen days' previous notice specifying the intention to propose such resolution shall have been sent to the member whose removal is in question and to all the Trustees. Notice of the

general nature of the grounds on which such resolution is proposed shall be sent to the member

whose removal is in question at least seven days prior to the meeting and the member in question shall be entitled to be heard by the Trustees at their meeting. On a member being removed under this

Article all privileges of membership will be forfeited.

9. Any member may be removed from the Company by summary notice in writing given by the Board of

Trustees if: (i) the annual commitment of such member to the objectives of the Company is not renewed for a

period of not less than six months or such other period as the Board of Trustees shall from time to time determine; or

(ii) notice of any resolution to wind up the member is presented or if any member shall be declared

insolvent or apparently insolvent or sign a Trust Deed for behoof of creditors or if a receiver or liquidator of any member's undertaking, property or assets or any part thereof be appointed.

10. The Company shall keep a proper Register of its members, containing their names and addresses.

11. The rights and privileges of a member shall not be transferable for whatever reason. A Member which

is a corporation, association, or other body may appoint one or more persons as it thinks fit as its

representatives, but only one may act for and represent such Member at any meeting of the Company. Furthermore, only one representative of a Member group may be elected as Trustee of the Company.

GENERAL MEETINGS

12. The Company shall hold a General Meeting in every calendar year as its Annual General Meeting at

such time and place as may be determined by the Board of Trustees and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, provided that every Annual General Meeting except the first shall be held

not more than fifteen months after the holding of the last preceding Annual General Meeting, and that so long as the Company holds its first Annual General Meeting within eighteen months after its

incorporation it need not hold it in the year of its incorporation nor in the following year.

13. All General Meetings, other than Annual General Meetings, shall be called Extraordinary General

Meetings.

14. The Board of Trustees may whenever they think fit convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, and must convene one within twenty-eight days of receipt at the Office of a valid requisition. To be valid,

such requisition must be signed by not less than whichever is the greater, five members or twenty-five

per cent of the membership of the Company, must clearly state the objects of the meeting and must be deposited at the Office. The requisition may consist of several documents in like form each signed

by one or more requisitionists. If any of the objects stated by the requisitionists requires to be determined by Special Resolution, the Board of Trustees must give not less than twenty-one clear

days' notice of the meeting in writing.

15. Twenty-one clear days’ notice in writing at the least of every Annual General Meeting and of every meeting convened to pass a Special Resolution, and fourteen clear days' notice in writing at the least

of every other General Meeting, specifying the place, the day and the hour of meeting, and in the case

of special business the general nature of that business, shall be given in manner hereinafter mentioned to the members and to such persons or bodies as are under these Articles or under the Act entitled to

receive such notices from the Company; but with the consent of all the members having the right to attend and vote thereat, or of such proportion of them as is prescribed by the Act in the case of

meetings other than Annual General Meetings, a meeting may be convened by such notice as those members may think fit.

16. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of such notice by, any members, persons or bodies entitled to receive notice thereof shall not invalidate any resolution passed

at or proceedings of any meeting.

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

17. All business shall be deemed special that is transacted at an Extraordinary General Meeting, and all that is transacted at an Annual General Meeting shall also be deemed special, with the exception of the

consideration of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet, the reports of the Board of Trustees and of the Auditors, the fixing of the annual subscription, the election of members of the

Board of Trustees in the place of those retiring, and the appointment of, and the fixing of the remuneration of, the Auditors.

18. No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business. Save as herein otherwise provided, five members entitled to vote upon the

business to be transacted, each being a member or a proxy for a member or a duly authorised representative of a member, shall be a quorum.

19. If within half an hour from the time appointed for the holding of a General Meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened on the requisition of members, shall be dissolved. In any other case

it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, or at such other day, time or place as the Board of Trustees may determine.

20. The Chairman of the Company shall preside as Chairman of all meetings, but in his or her absence members of the Company present shall choose one member of the Company (or an authorised

representative thereof) who shall be present to preside as Chairman of the meeting in question.

21. The Chairman of the meeting may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time, and from place to place,

but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than business which might have

been transacted at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. Whenever a meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in the same manner

as for an original meeting. Save as aforesaid, the members shall not be entitled to any notice of an adjournment, or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.

VOTE OF MEMBERS

22. Each member of the Company shall have one vote.

23. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is tendered, and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall

be valid. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the Chairman of the meeting whose

decision shall be final and conclusive.

24. At any General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands. Ordinary business and ordinary resolutions shall be determined by simple majority, whilst

Special Resolutions shall be determined by a majority of not less than three-fourths of the members

attending and voting in person or by proxy at the meeting to which the resolution is put.

25. In the case of an equality of votes, the Chairman of the meeting shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition to a deliberative vote.

26. Subject to the provisions of the Act, a resolution in writing signed by or on behalf of the appropriate

majority (as set out in Article 24 above) of all the members for the time being entitled to receive notice

of and to attend and vote at General Meetings shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a General Meeting of the Company duly convened and held. Such resolution may consist of

several documents in the same form, each signed by one or more members.

27. A member shall not be entitled to appoint more than one proxy to attend on the same occasion. A proxy need not be a member. A proxy appointed to attend and vote at any meeting instead of a

member shall have the same right as the member who appointed him to speak at the meeting and to

vote thereat.

28. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing member or his attorney duly authorised in writing, or if such appointing member is a corporation under its common

seal, if any, or under the hand of some officer duly authorised in that behalf.

29. The instrument appointing a proxy and the power of attorney or other authority (if any) under which it

is signed or a certified copy thereof shall be deposited at the Office not less than forty-eight hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in

the instrument proposes to vote, and in default the instrument of proxy shall not be treated as valid. No instrument appointing a proxy shall be valid after the expiration of twelve months from the date of

its execution, unless it expressly states to the contrary, in which event it shall be treated as valid until

rescinded by the grantor in writing at the Office.

30. A vote given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which

the proxy was executed, provided that no intimation in writing of the death, insanity or revocation as

aforesaid shall have been received at the Office before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the proxy is used (not having been deliberately withheld).

31. Any instrument appointing a proxy shall be in the following form or as near thereto as circumstances

will admit:

BOARD

OF TRUSTEE

I / We ……………………………………………………………….

a member of Transition Town Forres Ltd hereby appoint ……………………………………………………………………

of ……………………………………………………………………… (and failing him/her) ……………………………………………………….. of ……………………………………………………………………… as my / our proxy to vote for me / us on my / our behalf at the (Annual / Extraordinary) General Meeting of the Company to be held on ……………………………………………

and at any adjournment thereof.

*This form is to be used ** in favour of/against the resolution. [To be used only if applicable. ** Strike out whichever is not desired.] Signed on …………………day of ……………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………[ insert signature here] on behalf of ………………………………………………………………………………………

S

32. The affairs of the Company shall be managed by a Board of Trustees comprising a Chairman and

members of the Company appointed in manner hereinafter provided.

33. Unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution at a General Meeting, the number of members of

the Board of Trustees shall not be less than three nor more than fifteen.

34. (a) The initial Board of Trustees, to serve from incorporation of the Company until the first General

Meeting of the Company, shall be the Subscribers.

(b) At the first General Meeting, to be held as soon as practicable after incorporation, the initial Board of Trustees shall all retire, but shall all be eligible for re-election. At the first General Meeting the

members shall appoint or elect the new Trustees in accordance with paragraphs (d), (e), (f) and (g) of this Article.

(c) At each Annual General Meeting thereafter, one-third of the Trustees (or the nearest number upwards) shall retire from office. A Trustee retiring shall retain office until the close or adjournment

of the meeting. A retiring Trustee shall be eligible for re-election after a term of office. Of the Trustees, the ones to retire at each Annual General Meeting shall be those who have been longest

in office since their last election or appointment but, as between persons who became or were last re-elected Trustees on the same day, the ones to retire shall (unless they otherwise agree amongst

themselves) be determined by lot.

(d) Nomination of any Trustee shall be by not less than any two Members of the Company. Election of

any Trustee shall be by vote of the Members who may be present in person or by proxy at the Annual General Meeting. Each Member shall have one vote for each vacancy on the Board.

(e) A candidate for Trustee must be a Member, or, if the Member is an organisation, the representative

of a Member, of the Company.

(f) In the case of all nominations, these must be in writing and delivered to the Registered Office of

the Company not less than fourteen days before the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting at

which the election of such Trustee shall take place, which nomination must contain the written

acceptance of such nominee. Valid nominations will be available for inspection by members on

application to the Secretary.

(g) Candidates shall be elected to the vacancy or vacancies on the Board in order of the number of votes cast and, in the event of any equality, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or

casting vote.

35. The Board of Trustees may from time to time co-opt additional Trustees to serve on the Board,

provided that the maximum number specified in Article 33 be not exceeded thereby, to serve until the next Annual General Meeting of the Company. Such co-opted Trustee can be re-co-opted at such next

Annual General Meeting. Such co-opted Trustee can be removed from office at any time by a simple majority of the Board of Trustees. Such co-opted Trustee or Trustees may participate fully in and vote

at all Board meetings which he, she or they attend.

36. The office of Trustee shall ipso facto be vacated:

(a) if he or she without the consent of the Company in General Meeting holds any office of profit

under the Company; or

(b) if he or she becomes a bankrupt person, or insolvent or apparently insolvent or makes any

arrangement or composition with his or her creditors generally; or

(c) if he or she becomes prohibited from being a Trustee by reason of any order made under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 and every statutory modification and re-enactment

thereof for the time being in force; or

(d) if he or she becomes of unsound mind as certified by two medical practitioners; or

(e) if he or she becomes incapable for medical reasons of fulfilling the duties of his or her

office and such incapacity as certified by two medical practitioners is expected to continue for a period of more than six months from the date or later date of such certification; or

(f) if he or she absents himself from the meetings of the Board of Trustees during a period of twelve

months without special leave of absence from the Board of Trustees and the Board of Trustees resolves that he or she vacate office; or

(g) if by notice in writing to the Company he or she resigns his or her office; or

(h) if he or she is directly or indirectly interested in any contract with the Company and fails to declare the nature of his or her interest in manner required by section 317 of the Act and the Board of

Trustees resolves that he or she vacate office; or

(i) ceases to be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

37. A Trustee shall not vote in respect of any contract in which he or she has an interest or any matter

arising therefrom and if he or she does so vote his or her vote shall not be counted.

38. The members of the Company may by Special Resolution remove any Trustee before the expiration of

his or her period of office. The vacancy created thereby may be filled as a casual vacancy by the Members by ordinary resolution. A person so appointed to take the place of a Trustee so removed is

treated, for the purpose of determining the time at which he, she or any other Trustee is to retire, as if he or she had become a Trustee on the day on which the person in whose place he or she is appointed

was last appointed a Trustee.

POWERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

39. The business of the Company shall be managed by the Board of Trustees who may pay all such

expenses of, and preliminary and incidental to, the promotion, formation, establishment and

registration of the Company as they think fit, and may exercise all such powers of the Company, and do on behalf of the Company all such acts as may be exercised and done by the Company, and as are

not by the Act or by these Articles required to be exercised or done by the Company in General Meeting, subject nevertheless to any regulation of these Articles, to the provisions of the Act and to

such regulations (being not inconsistent with the said regulations and/or provisions) as may be made by the Company in General Meeting provided that no such regulation or provision made by the

Company in General Meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Board of Trustees which would have

been valid if such regulation had not been made.

40. The Trustees for the time being may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body.

41. All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments, and all

receipts for monies paid to the Company, shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed, as the case may be, in such manner as the Board of Trustees shall from time to time by

resolution determine. The banking account or accounts of the Company shall be kept in such bank or building society and/or banks or building societies as the Board of Trustees shall from time to time by

resolution determine.

CHAIRPERSON

42. The Board of Trustees shall from time to time elect a Chairperson of the Company who shall, unless the Board of Trustees at any time resolves otherwise, hold office for a period of three years, provided

that he or she remains a Trustee for that whole period. At the end of his or her period of office, the Chairperson shall be eligible for re-election.

SECRETARY

43. The Secretary shall be appointed by resolution of the Board of Trustees for such time at such remuneration and upon such conditions as they may think fit, and any Secretary so appointed may be

removed by them. The Company may from time to time by resolution appoint an assistant or deputy

Secretary, and any person or body so appointed may act in place of the Secretary if there be no Secretary or no Secretary capable of acting. If there be no assistant or deputy Secretary at the time

when there is no Secretary or no Secretary capable of acting, the Board of Trustees may authorise one of their own number or any other person or body to act temporarily as Secretary until a new Secretary

be appointed in terms hereof. The Board of Trustees may from time to time appoint a Minute Secretary or Secretaries for the purposes of Article 51 hereof.

THE SEAL

44. The Board of Trustees shall provide for the safe custody of the Common Seal of the Company, if there be one, which shall only be used by the authority of the Board of Trustees or of an authorised

subcommittee established by the Board of Trustees and every instrument to which the Seal shall be affixed shall be signed by two members of the Board of Trustees at the least and shall be

countersigned by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary appointed as aforesaid.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

45. The Board of Trustees may meet together for the despatch of business, adjourn and otherwise

regulate their meetings as they think fit, and determine the quorum necessary for the transaction of business. Unless otherwise determined, three shall be a quorum. A Trustee shall not be counted in

the quorum present at a meeting in relation to a resolution on which, whether because of personal interest or otherwise, he or she is not entitled to vote. Questions arising at any meeting shall be

decided by a majority of votes of the members of the Trustees present. In case of an equality of votes

the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

46. The following matters may be decided only by the decision of three-fourths of the Trustees present at any Board meeting, namely:

(a) the formation, acquisition or disposal of any subsidiary;

(b) the acquisition or disposal by the Company or by any of its subsidiaries of any shares of any other company or the participation or cessation of participation by the Company or by any of its

subsidiaries in any partnership or Joint venture;

(c) the creation or issue or allowing to come into being of any mortgage, security, charge or other

encumbrance upon any part or parts of the property or assets of the Company or the obtaining of any advance or credit in any form other than normal trade credit, or the creation or issue by any

subsidiary of any debenture or loan stock;

(d) any dealings with heritable property or any interest therein generally and, without prejudice to the

foregoing generality, the sale of or the granting of a lease over any heritable property owned by or leased to the Company or any of its subsidiaries and the purchase of or taking the tenant's part in

any lease or sub-lease of heritable property wherever situated.

47. A Trustee may, and on the request of a Trustee the Secretary shall, at any time, summon a meeting

of the Board of Trustees by notice served upon all Trustees, to take place at a reasonably convenient time, date and location within the United Kingdom. A Trustee who is absent from the United Kingdom

shall not be entitled to notice of a meeting. Not less than fourteen clear days' notice in writing shall be given of any meeting of the Board of Trustees at which a decision in relation to any of the matters

referred to in Article 46 is to be made, which notice shall be accompanied by an agenda and any papers relevant to the matter to be decided.

48. The Chairman shall be entitled, but not obliged, to preside at all meetings of the Board of Trustees at which he or she shall be present, but if no such Chairman be elected, or if at any meeting the

Chairman be not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting and willing to preside, the Trustees present may choose one of their number to be Chairman of the

meeting.

49. The Board of Trustees may delegate any of their powers (other than those listed in Article 46 hereof)

to subcommittees consisting of such member or members of the Board of Trustees and other persons (who must be members of the Company) as they think fit, and any committee so formed shall, in the

exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulations imposed on it by the Board of

Trustees. The meetings and proceedings of any such committee shall be governed by the provisions of these Articles for regulating the meetings and proceedings of the Board of Trustees so far as

applicable and so far as the same shall not be superseded by any regulations made by the Board of Trustees.

50. All acts bona fide done by any meeting of the Company or of any committee of the Board of Trustees,

or by any person acting as a Trustee shall, notwithstanding it be afterwards discovered that there was

some defect in the appointment or continuance in office of any such Trustee or person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been

duly appointed or had duly continued in office and was qualified to be a Trustee.

51. The Board of Trustees shall cause proper minutes to be made of all appointments of officers made by

the Board of Trustees and of the proceedings of all meetings of the Company and of the Board of Trustees and of committees of the Board of Trustees, including the names of those present, and all

business transacted at such meetings and any such minutes of any meeting, if purporting to be signed by the Chairman of such meeting, or by the Chairman of the next succeeding meeting, shall be

sufficient evidence without any further proof of the facts therein stated.

52. A resolution in writing (whether one single document signed by all Trustees or all the members of any

sub-committee of the Board of Trustees who are entitled to receive notice of a meeting of the Board of Trustees or of such subcommittee or whether several documents in the same form each signed by one

or more Trustees or members of any relative sub-committee as appropriate so that all have signed together or separately) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the

Board of Trustees or of such subcommittee duly convened and constituted.

53. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles of Association of the Company and no direction given by

Special Resolution shall invalidate any prior act of the Board of Trustees which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given.

54. The Board of Trustees may invite or allow any person to attend and speak, but not to vote, at any meeting or meetings of the Board of Trustees or of their sub-committees.

ACCOUNTS

55. The Board of Trustees shall cause accounting records to be kept in accordance with the requirements

of the Act.

56. The accounting records shall be kept at the Office, or, subject to the provisions of the Act, at such

other place or places as the Board of Trustees shall think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the officers of the Company.

57. The Board of Trustees shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounting records of the Company or

any of them shall be open to the inspection of the members not being officers of the Company, and no member (not being an officer) shall have any right of inspecting any accounting records or other book

or document of the Company except as conferred by statute or authorised by the Board of Trustees or by the Company in General Meeting.

58. At each Annual General Meeting in every year the Board of Trustees shall in accordance with the provisions of the Act lay before the Company an income and expenditure account for the period since

the last preceding accounting reference date or (in the case of the first account) since the incorporation of the Company together with a proper balance sheet made up as at the same date.

Every such balance sheet shall be accompanied by proper reports of the Board of Trustees and the

Auditors (if necessary), and copies of such account, balance sheet and reports (all of which shall be framed in accordance with any statutory requirements for the time being in force) and of any other

documents required by law to be annexed or attached thereto or to accompany the same shall not less than twenty-one clear days before the date of the meeting at which they are to be laid be delivered or

sent by post to the Auditors (if any) and to all Members and all other persons and bodies entitled to receive notices of General Meetings in accordance with section 238 of the Act in the manner in which

notices are hereinafter directed to be served. If applicable, the Auditors report shall be laid before the meeting as required by section 241(1) of the Act

AUDIT

59. In accordance with the provisions of the Act once at least in every year the accounts of the Company

shall be examined and the correctness of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet ascertained by one or more properly qualified Auditor or Auditors if necessary.

60. Auditors shall be appointed and their duties regulated in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

PATRONS

61. The members in General Meeting may, on a proposal from the Board of Trustees, agree to the appointment of one or more Honorary Patrons of the Company, who would be appointed either for

such fixed period as the members determine or for an unspecified period until such appointment be

terminated by them. The Honorary Patron or Patrons would be entitled to notice of all General Meetings and to attend and contribute to discussion but not vote thereat.

NOTICES

62. A notice may be served by the Company upon any member, either personally or by sending it through

the post in a pre-paid letter, addressed to such member at his registered address as appearing in the

register of members.

63. Any member described in the register of members by an address not within the United Kingdom, who shall from time to time give the Company an address within the United Kingdom at which notices may

be served upon him, shall be entitled to have notices served upon him at such address, but, save as

aforesaid and as provided by the Act, only those members who are described in the register of members by an address within the United Kingdom shall be entitled to receive notices from the

Company.

64. Any notice, if served by post, shall be deemed to have been served on the day following that on which

the letter containing the same is put into the post, and in proving such service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice was properly addressed and put into the Post Office as a

first class letter.

65. A member present at any meeting of the Company shall be deemed to have received notice of the meeting and, where requisite, of the purpose for which it was called.

INDEMNITY

66. Subject to the provisions of Section 310 of the Act the members of the Board of Trustees, or of any

sub-committee, the Secretary and all other officers or servants for the time being of the Company shall be indemnified out of the funds of the Company against all loss, costs and charges which they may

respectively incur or be put to on account of any contract, deed, act, matter, or thing done, entered

into, executed, or permitted by them respectively, on behalf of the Company and each of them shall be chargeable only for so much money as he or she may actually receive and they shall not be

answerable for the acts, receipts, neglects or defaults of each other, but each of them for his own acts, receipts, neglects or defaults only. Subject as aforesaid, no member of the Board of Trustees or of any

committee or subcommittee, the Secretary, Treasurer or any officer or servant, his heirs, executors or administrators shall be liable for any loss or expense happening to the Company through the

insufficiency or deficiency of title to any property acquired for or on behalf of the Company or for the

insufficiency or deficiency of any obligation of security in or upon which any of the funds of the Company shall be invested or for any loss or damage arising from the bankruptcy, insolvency or

wrongful act of any person with whom any monies, securities or effects shall be deposited, or for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which shall happen in the execution of the duties of his office

or in relation thereto, unless the same shall happen through his own fraud, wilful neglect, default,

breach of duty or breach of trust.

ALTERATION OF MEMORANDUM & ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

67. No alteration in these Memorandum and Articles of Association may at any time be made unless by the

decision of three-fourths of the members of the Company to be taken at a General Meeting called

specifically (but not necessarily exclusively) for the purpose, or in accordance with the provisions set out in Article 26 of these Articles.

DISSOLUTION

68. Clause 8 of the Memorandum of Association of the Company relating to the winding up and dissolution of the Company shall have effect as if the provisions thereof were repeated in these Articles.

WE, the Subscribers to these Memorandum & Articles of Association, wish to be formed into a Company pursuant to these Memorandum & Articles.

Names and Addresses of Subscribers

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

Signed in the presence of:

Full Name Signed

Address

Date

APPENDIX II

SUMMARY PROFILES OF TTF LTD DIRECTORS

Summary Profiles of TTF Ltd Directors (as at April 2009)

Name & Position

Current Occupation

Relevant Experience & Background

Carin Schwartz (Chair)

Retired

Aged 50, Carin is a mother of two teenage boys and spent a long part of her life in various managerial roles in international banking in Stockholm, New York, Berlin and London. After realising the futility of money she moved to Scotland for a peaceful early retirement, only to find that the environment and climate change needed a local champion. She is now applying all her resources to finding better solutions to sustainable living within a Scottish rural small town.

Marie Jacques

Retired

Aged 68, Marie is a former Senior Lecturer in Comparative Psychology with a long term interest in community empowerment and community projects. Founder member of Forres Groups Action and currently acting as a volunteer for the Hub – the Community Resource Centre in Forres and also involved in the Forres Community Woodlands Trust and the Women’s Rural Institute (WRI).

Fabio Villani (Treasurer & Company Secretary) -

Regional Officer, Scottish Health Council

Aged 47, Fabio is a social entrepreneur with a background as freelance facilitator, consultant and project manager specialising in community involvement and community led project development, with over 25 years experience of community and economic development in a rural setting. He is currently working within the National Health Service (NHS), promoting the involvement of people in the development and provision of health care services.

Suzie Tisch

Self employed Chartered Architect

Aged 34, Suzie has been working in the field of ecological architecture since graduating from a post graduate diploma in advanced architectural studies in 1999. She is working towards Ordination into the Western Buddhist Order, is married and has a 2 year old daughter. She is committed to fostering a deep shift in attitudes in order to bring about a positive and sustainable world.

Ruth Fishkin

Part-time counsellor and writer, partly disabled

Aged 46, Ruth is trained in psychosynthesis counselling and therapy. Her primary interest is in relationships, person to person and people to environment; this interest extends through counselling into fiction and poetry. Living with ME for many years, she considers her own life a training exercise in small-scale energy management! She maintains contact with both scientists and artists, and likes to facilitate communication between different parties.

TRANSITION TOWN FORRES LTD �� DEVELOPMENT PLAN (as updated April 2009)

APPENDIX III

OUTPUTS FROM 31 JANUARY AND 14 MARCH 2009 COMMUNITY CONSULTATION EVENTS

Explanatory Note: Participants were asked to help identify tasks and projects that would help reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce our impact on climate change and improve the quality of life of local people. People were asked both for ideas on how projects already identified could be developed further, and to identify new projects. This is what they told us:

What should we do Why should we

do it Who should do

it When should we do it

Teach people how to grow food and eat it fresh; teach about optimum nutrition and health, including mental health (see institute of optimum nutrition website)

Save on food miles; save on wasteful palliative medicinal practices and drug overuse

Now

Incentives and information for local communities to start generating their own energy (i.e. micro-generation)

Reduce CO2

footprint and increase community spirit (pulls folks together)

Short term � up to 5 years and beyond

Need more places to park cycles and lock them to encourage this type of transport

Reduce car use Soon

Initiatives for zero household waste, working towards this (paper, packaging etc), taking steps

Preserve trees, consumer choices at supermarket etc

Now

Empower(teams) youth led initiative in local area

So that youth are not conditioned into ‘irresponsibility’ by education & consumer culture

Lucy Thomas with support. We’re on it & seek support

Begin this year with ‘Inside Out’

Ceilidh / concert / celebration / agit prop theatre / singing

Publicity / fun / feel good / funds

Kate O’Connell could spearhead with help

Later this year (autumn? mid-summer?)

The Moray Diet – local shopping initiatives (does not necessarily need to be 100%; even just monitoring what comes from where would help)

Listen to the Elders Tips from the past for the present / future

Me + two others When I’ve got time

Seed swapping (Seedy Sundays) Distribute cotton bags through charity shops. Cheap £1 bags, split 50/50

Student Project – How to generate energy from our river(s) (with competition)

Educate on insulation – e.g. from recycled plastic bottles and hemp. See CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology) Google and ask for advice. Become member for £22

Build a demonstration building (on allotments site) using latest technology – demonstrating NO COST heating


What should we do Why should we

do it Who should do

it When should we do it

Important also to have modern compost toilet and use the end product – book called “Humanure” sold by CAT

Google – Cranwell Souveneer wind power

Have a competition in both newspapers (we all need to pull together) asking readers to write in with suggestions. People born in and just after “the war” will have a head start and could be encouraged to write about their experiences of “pulling together”, make-do & mend etc. then at a later date the people of Forres could be encouraged to write in their ‘present day’ initiatives to pass on to others. It could be a regular column in both local papers. Schools could be encouraged to start an environmental “think tank”.

Teach / run permaculture courses Advertise

Closing loops, reducing waste, empowering people

Find a permaculture teacher who wants to run an affordable course; do it at our house if you like (Suzie Tisch)

Soon

Set up database of needs / wants for garden space


APPENDIX IV

DEVELOPMENT PLAN DISCUSSION MEETING – 14 FEBRUARY 2009

Explanatory Note Directors and members of the Steering Group held an open meeting on Saturday 14 February 2009 to discuss ideas for inclusion in the Development Plan. Some participants were only able to attend part of the meeting.

Discussion started with an outline of what has already been proposed within the successful application to the Climate Challenge Fund under the headings of:

♦ Carbon reduction surveys.

♦ Awareness-raising.

♦ Allotments.

♦ Market.

♦ Energy descent action plan.

♦ Plastic bag free Forres.

♦ Community energy company.

Some of these, and other issues, were then discussed in more detail, as reported below.

Carbon Reduction Surveys The requirement to carry out carbon reduction surveys was clarified as follows:

♦ Baseline study of carbon footprint for 38 households by 31 March 2009, expanded to cover a total of 380 households by 31 March 2010

♦ Follow up studies of carbon footprint for the first 38 households by 31 March 20010, and of the remaining households by 31 March 2011.

The stated objective of these studies is to demonstrate a 20% reduction of carbon emissions in the households sampled.

Of those present, three people (Ruth, Carin and Kristy) declared their interest in being part of the core group taking this forward, with a further two (Deb and Marie) also willing to support this project, particularly drawing on their research expertise. It was also suggested that it may be worthwhile approaching other knowledgeable people, such as Jonathan Dawson, for their views and suggestions.

Awareness-Raising It was suggested that there is a need to expand awareness-raising activities to include regular discussion meetings on ‘big picture topics’ relevant to our area and community, including topics such as raising sea levels and the energy descent action plan. It was also suggested that we might want to consider promoting companies supporting or producing green energy, such as Green Energy and Ecotricity, and services providing domestic energy advice.

The potential for supporting the “350” campaign was discussed. As explained on 350.org: “350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide – measured in "Parts Per Million" – in our atmosphere. 350 PPM is the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.”

It was suggested that the development plan should include references to ‘350’, and that activities supporting this campaign might include school packs & talks and a bike ride to Edinburgh to attract media attention.

It was noted that some funds might be available in the current budget, so we should develop ‘350’ activities for year 2 (April 2009 to March 2010). It was also suggested that additional funding may be sought for a new campaign. However, it was noted that applications for new funding would have to demonstrate additional, measurable impact.

It was also noted that 350 is pretty close to the number of households in which we want to demonstrate a carbon footprint reduction, and that there may be a good promotional ‘hook’ in a “350 for 350” message.

It was suggested that there is a need to reach new people and to have more open and fun meetings; the following methods and approaches were suggested:


♦ Green Diary.

♦ Spotlight on Forres.

♦ Forres Gazette.

♦ Local noticeboards (eg Community Centre).

♦ Hub and Hubbub.

♦ TTF Bulletin (need much bigger contact list).

♦ Greater Speyside.com (website and newsletter).

♦ Rainbow Bridge.

♦ TTF website.

♦ Steiner School – newsletter (weekly).

♦ Local schools generally.

♦ Using different venues.

♦ Advertising (car stickers, canvas bags).

♦ 2-hour slots at Coop, Tesco, High Street, Community Centre etc.

♦ Different types of events.

♦ Contacting older people groups (collecting skills and memories).

♦ Contacting other existing community groups.

♦ Stunts and sponsored events, eg: - Demo outside Moray Council - Bungee jump / skydive - Long distance bike ride

♦ Attend local events and develop fun activities to attract people to stall.

♦ Apply for funding for development officer(s) to conduct these activities.

♦ Have a marketing / outreach group who would take action on these on a regular basis. Some overlap with Vision Group, Press Officer etc. those interested include: Kristy (as part of her Animateur duties), Deb and Trish.

Community Energy Company TTF’s funding application states that we will have established a community energy company by March 2010, and that it would be operating a surplus by 2011. It was originally envisaged that the company would be taking forward a bio-ethanol project, following a feasibility study scheduled to take place before the end of March 2009. However, it was agreed with the funders to postpone the feasibility study to year 2 (2009/10) to allow TTF to take on board any suggestions and ideas emerging from the community engagement linked to the production of TTF’s development plan.

The following suggestions emerged during discussion:

♦ Start with a scoping study by Community Energy Scotland? The feasibility study could follow on from this to look at one or more specific energy generation sources.

♦ Energy produced should be available to all Forres residents, not just TTF supporters.

♦ The company doesn’t necessarily have to produce energy, it could be working on saving energy, eg loft insulation etc..

♦ Persuade Moray Council to take action on saving energy and producing sustainable local energy.

♦ The aim of TTF’s Community Energy Company should be: “to reduce Forres dependence on traditional non-renewable fuels, such as fossil fuels”. Its activities might include: - Activities to reduce use of / save energy. - Produce energy locally (including microproduction). - Lobby Moray Council. - Work with existing local-, micro- and community-energy producers such as those at Marcassie, Findhorn and Roseisle; these producers should be consulted and engaged before plans for the energy company are prepared.

Re-skilling programme A re-skilling programme, which would include links to a project collecting older people’s skills and memories as mentioned above, could include courses on:

♦ Building.

♦ Bike repairs and maintenance.


♦ Basket weaving.

♦ Wild foods.

♦ Coppicing.

♦ Make and mend.

♦ Preserves and foodstuff.

♦ Growing and farming.

♦ Cooking (particularly with local / seasonal produce).

♦ Traditional dance and music, storytelling, song etc (playing community festivals).

Allotments and Market These projects already have dedicated groups to take them forward and were therefore not discussed, although it was agreed to hold a support meeting for the Market project, with John, Carin and Fabio taking part.

Other projects, ideas, comments and suggestions A number of other ideas, comments and suggestions were recorded by participants on post-its, but were either not discussed during the meeting, or discussed after the person writing the note had left.

These included the following:

♦ Forres Energy Company - Wind Park.

♦ Education to support food choices and local farmers.

♦ Community café.

♦ Food buyers co-operative.

♦ Local food directory.

♦ Funding for a local food hub – employed co-ordinator.

♦ Understand the need for very simple measure (of carbon footprint). However would like there to be some kind of numerical measurement, not only a perception.

♦ Funding for jobs.

♦ Newsletter.

♦ Re-skilling.


Transition Town for Res Development Plan

Documents

Transition Town for Res Development Plan