AS THE most recent chair of environmental organisation Gwyrddio Penarth Greening (GPG) I am writing to clarify the current situation regarding GPG and its various projects.

GPG has always been a membership-based organisation that aimed to raise awareness around climate change and sustainability issues and through practical projects help make Penarth a more resilient community.

Over the years GPG held many meetings and members were involved with a variety of practical projects across the town. GPG is probably most well known for the innovative and successful Shop in Penarth loyalty card scheme and the GPG Local Food Festival which has grown in popularity and reputation in its five years existence.

All GPG activity has been completely down to the efforts of hard working volunteers. SiP and the Food Festival are both self financing projects which could not exist without these dedicated people. However as with all such voluntary groups there is always the problem of maintaining volunteer numbers as members lives change. This resulted in very little activity from GPG in 2015.

Earlier this year a group of concerned members got together to discuss the situation and examine ways of moving forward. We are now in the position of having to decide the best model for continuing with GPG’s aims and the future of our projects and will be holding a public meeting later this year where members will get an opportunity to vote on the various options.

I would like to assure people that we will be doing everything we can to ensure the continuation of the SiP scheme and the Food Festival. As the organiser of the Food Festival I am well aware of how much it is valued by both locals and visitors.

Details of the public meeting will be publicised nearer the time and I strongly urge all those who share GPG’s aims and would like to help with the community projects attend and get involved.

Anthony Slaughter

Clive Crescent

Penarth