2025

RDRA AGM 2025

Thank you to everyone who came to our AGM on Monday 16th June 2025, where we talked about issues in the local area, like the closed Aquadrome path etc, and appointed the next Committee. Sadly, our much loved treasurer Leslie Chrol-Frolowicz is unable to continue due to ill health. Prior to the AGM, we presented Leslie with a special award to say thank you for his dedication and long-service. A photo of Leslie receiving his award is in our RDRA AGM slide deck. Leslie started on the RDRA Committee as Membership Secretary in 2016 and became our Treasurer two years later – we will miss him greatly on the Committee! The position of treasurer was offered at the AGM and we’re glad that someone took up the mantle – to be officially appointed at our next Committe meeting on 7th July.

RDRA President Michael Stimpson presided over the RDRA AGM, sitting at the table, on the right, next to RDRA Chairman Ash Pattni

As always, if you would like to join our Committee please contact us for a chat. We are in great need of young and passionate people!

The highlight of this years’ AGM were our two speakers who were delightful.

First we heard from Chris Hillier, a resident of Rickmansworth for over 55 years, who showed us many amazing black & white images of well-known areas that we hardly recognised. We especially liked the old video of ice skate races at the Aquadrome! If you would like to find out more about Rickmansworth history or even about the many fossils found here, please visit our small but lovely Rickmansworth museum located next to Watersmeet, along Rickmansworth high street.

Record-breaking ice skating at the Aquadrome

Next we heard from Sue Lacey who is a great advocate for restoring nature and the countryside, from Woodoaks Farm as seen on Countryfile . We enjoyed hearing about the Black Barn Project – a worthy project which will provide much needed facilities to help them teach others about good soil, land management and regenerating the landscape. If you would like to volunteer at Woodoaks or attend one of their many activities, like Zumba on Saturdays 10-10.45am or Yoga on a Sundays 9-10am or the Market Garden on Sundays 10-4pm or Herts Health Walks on the first Friday of the month and more, please visit: https://woodoaksfarm.com.

Woodoaks Farm activities

Please contact us if you would like to give a talk at our next AGM or tell us something important happening in Rickmansworth!

RDRA 100+ Club donates to two good causes:
https://rickmansworthresidents.org/2025/06/rdra-100-club-good-causes/

Join RDRA 100+ Club here:
https://rickmansworthresidents.org/100plus/

By R.D.R.A., ago

Keep up the good work

Message received 17 June 2025 – via email.

I attended your AGM meeting last night, Monday 16th June. I joined RDRA a couple of years ago when I talked to someone on your stall in the High Street on a Sunday Market day. I’d moved to Ricky recently and it was the first I’d heard about RDRA. (Couldn’t Estate agents tell new residents or give them a flyer or something.) I paid on the spot, I seemed to stay on your mailing list so I was no longer sure if, when, or how much I needed to pay and was never directly asked again for my subs. This was all very unclear and confusing. No-one minds paying £3 a year, so this low annual sub should be more prominent and members asked by email for renewal payment on a specific date. I have now set up a standing order via your site.

RDRA is doing marvellous work, especially regarding the issues at the Aquadrome; riverside path closed for over a year and now play area closed for months! It really must reopen for the school holidays.
I was glad Sue offered to discuss your P.R. and hope you become more visible.

Keep up the good work.

RDRA response:

Many thanks for your email and very valuable feedback. Much appreciated, I’ve copied my committee on this email and I am sure we will take on board your suggestions and implement it.

By R.D.R.A., ago

100+ Club helps good local cause: Sustainable Three Rivers team

Article written by Rosi Jordon.

It’s now almost two years since local group Sustainable Three Rivers CIC (S3R) built Rickmansworth’s very first community garden in the orchard. During this time the garden has gone from strength to strength, tended by a team of loyal volunteers who cultivate vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. The S3R team has also spent over a year working with TRDC to restore and improve the rose garden. Plants are now mainly climate resilient and pollinator- friendly, improving biodiversity and attracting a wide variety of insects and birds. All of us at S3R are grateful to RDRA for their recent generous donation, enabling our highly valued work to continue. Various resources such as gardening tools, bulbs, seeds, soil, bug pots and magnifying glasses have been bought, not only for use in the community and rose gardens, but also for workshops in local schools. Over the last few months S3R has also run a popular winter fruit tree pruning workshop and a very enjoyable story time and bug hunting session for young children, in collaboration with Rickmansworth library. At the beginning of May a workshop on how to plant a pollinator- friendly summer hanging basket is being held and is proving very popular. Finally, we were delighted by the response to our recent nature-themed art competition, aimed at brightening up a subway in Rickmansworth. With the support of two local Herts councillors, the subway has been transformed into a much more attractive, welcoming place, reminding residents of the importance of living more sustainably. So, many thanks to RDRA for your support. We’re very grateful and look forward to developing more sustainability-linked projects over the next year.

Martin & Rosi install new RDRA sign in The Community Garden
By R.D.R.A., ago
Annual General Meeting

The 95th Annual General Meeting of RDRA will be held on Monday 16th June 2025, 8pm at the Education Centre, Batchworth Lock, Rickmansworth

You are invited to attend our AGM to let us know your views regarding matters related to Rickmansworth and surrounding districts.

All residents of Ricky town, Mill End, Penn and surrounding areas are welcome, but only paid-up members can vote. Refreshments will follow the meeting. Please Park in Church Street, Moor Lane, or Tesco.

Education Centre address: Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, Batchworth Lock Canal Centre, 99 Church Street, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 1JJ

Agenda

  1. Apologies for absence
  2. To Approve the minutes of the last AGM on 17 June 2024
  3. An overview of the last year and thank you’s. (Chair).
  4. Treasurer’s Reports (Treasurer): To approve the accounts for 2024 and appoint the auditors for 2025.
  5. Election of President (Michael Stimpson is willing to stand again)
  6. Election of Committee:
    i. Hon Chair (Ash Pattni is willing to stand again if no takers)
    ii. Hon Secretary (Christine Evans is willing to stand again)
    iii. Hon Treasurer (Leisle Chrol-Frolowicz is standing down, nominations please)
    iv. Web Site & Social Media Controller (Debbie Wheeler is willing to stand again)
    v. Membership Secretary (Anne Littlejohn is willing to stand again)
    vi. Planning Matters (Bob Templeman is willing to stand again)
    vii. Committee Member (Carolyn Venn is willing to stand again)
    viii. Committee Member (Andrea Clark is willing to stand again)
    ix. Committee Member (John Payne standing down, nominations please)
    x. Newsletter Editor (post vacant, nominations please)
    xi. Membership Recruitment (post vacant, nominations please)
    xii. Event’s Organiser (post vacant, nominations please)
    xiii. Fund Raiser & Publicity (post vacant, nominations please);
  7. The Committee can co-opt 3 people. If you are interested in becoming more involved as a co-optee please let us know.
  8. Any Other Business
  9. Followed by: Refreshments and talks by Two Guest Speakers:

    Chris Hillier on the history of the Aquadrome
    Chris, a retired engineer, has lived in Rickmansworth for over 55 years. An early member of Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, he is passionate about local history and serves in the Rickmansworth Historical Society. He was Chairman of Watford and District Industrial History Society until last year (www.wadihs.org.uk). Chris frequently gives history talks, donating proceeds to Workaid (www.workaid.org.uk), where he volunteers.

    Sue Lacey will give a brief overview of the Barn Project and Crowd Funding 
    Sue is the Community Engagement Manager at Woodoaks Farm in Maple Cross.

Hope to see you there!

By R.D.R.A., ago

Riverside Path topic avoided by authorities

Message received 12 June 2025 – via Comment under post: Message from the Aquadrome Steering Group.

Once again the issue of the closure (now 18 months+) of the Riverside Path is avoided. It was closed on highly debatable H&S and public safety grounds. Although 3RDC claims to be committed to repairs and reopening, it is apparent from the summary above that there is no funding secured either for investigative work, nor repairs. The promise of re-opening therrefore is little better than worthless, and the basis for the closure remains deliberately vague and imprecise. Truly a disgraceful state of affairs and one with little prospect of resolution.

By R.D.R.A., ago

Reform of planning committees: technical consultation. Deadline 20th June

Following on from yesterday’s Joint Residents’ Association meeting, here is a link to the consultation paper on the National Scheme of Delegation for Planning Committees that asks 20 questions. Please review and let us have your thoughts by 20th June so consensus views can be pulled together from all Residents’ Associations.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reform-of-planning-committees-technical-consultation/reform-of-planning-committees-technical-consultation

By R.D.R.A., ago

When will library open?

Message received 4th June, 2025 – via email.

I would like to know when Rickmansworth Library is going to reopen, as there is clearly no work going on there. Herts County Council are no help.

RDRA response:

Many thanks for your email. Sadly we have had no updates from BCC, TRDC or HCC regarding the opening of the library.

I will raise this issue with BCC at the next full council meeting next week.

By R.D.R.A., ago

Important Metropolitan Line timetable changes – 2nd to 5th June

Message from FOMLUC (Federation of Metropolitan Line User Committees).

The next phase of the Four Lines Modernisation Programme will be introduced over the weekend of Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June. To help embed this latest upgrade to the signalling system, a temporary timetable will be in place between Monday 2 and Thursday 5 June. There will be changes to train times throughout the day and fewer peak hour services will run.

Visit tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey to check for train times or scan the QR code in this TfL poster.

From Friday 6 June the summer timetable, which was introduced on Monday 14 April, will resume.

By R.D.R.A., ago