Ravens Ait Campaign Success!

Dear ravens island supporters,

Exciting latest news!

We have won the campaign for community use on Ravens Ait Island. Hotel Antoinette has pulled out and the island is to become a centre for training in sailing rowing, canoeing and community use.

Ossie Stewart (Stewart Marine) from Harts Boatyard says “My plan for the sailing school is to have it community based, we will be getting in touch with all the schools. With the council I am very much going to get as much community use as I can.”

Phoenix was quoted in the newspapers, saying “basically we are happy that in our long term campaign we have won community use for the island. It is the tail end of the campaign and we feel like it is victory for some kind of community use.

“We want to keep the pressure up and make sure people ask councilors what they are doing to make sure there is a strong community use agreement.”

At the council meeting at which we asked for a strong community use agreement, we spoke to Ossie Stewert, who said he would be happy to have us be envolved with setting up some future events on the island such as an eco conference, cinema, youth or elders night.

What we are asking you to do is to write a simple email requesting the strongest community use agreement for the island to include a large number of days per week or month that can be booked by any community group, and a clearly defined process for this.

Send this email to Derek Osbourne, (derek.osbourne@councillors.kingston.gov.uk) John Barlow, (john.barlow@rbk.kingston.gov.uk) and as many Kingston councilors from all parties (for list of councillors go to kingston.giv.uk/information/your_council/councillors as well as your local MP edwarddavey@edwarddavey.co.uk and contact the Surrey Comet and the Kingston Guardian with your views.

Remind them that this is an election year, and ask them for a reply as to what action they will take on this important community issue.

Thank you to everyone for all their help and support, please network this to as many groups as possible and we look forward to working on an event with you on the island in 2011.

Love Phoenix and the Ravens, Island caretakers.