onionbagblog

A couple of quotes coming my way via the Wivenhoe Forum:

“I have today written to the Environment Agency to formally object to the destructive work taking place along the sea wall from Wivenhoe Sailing Club to Alresford Creek. I suppose it’s probably too late to do anything about it but feel I must object to the lack of local consultation and publicity about the scale and extent of these works.”

As a bit of a busy body Wivenhoe local, I wasn’t even aware that the work being carried out by the Environment Agency was taking place out towards Alresford Creek. My daily commute takes me in the opposite direction, heading for the Hythe.

It’s a shame that it has taken such a heartbreaking issue as the vandalism of the sea wall, but yeah - hopefully the Wivenhoe Forum is now finding a use and a shared purpose.

Some more quotes on the same subject:

“I have spoken to Wivenhoe Town Council who received a letter from the Environment Agency in August 2010. I’ve seen nothing locally about these works.”

This is exactly what I had in mind when setting up the Wivenhoe Forum towards the tail end of last year. Having an engaged local community, sharing in dialogue and hopefully co-operation, can only benefit the town as a place to live and work. All information is good.

“An explanation of why this work is being done by the Environment Agency has been posted on the Wivenhoe website.”

This came from user gene, who is also responsible for running the most excellent Wivenhoe Encyclopedia (many thanks for the link, btw.) I have found this online volume of local knowledge invaluable since planning the Great Escape. It is formally linked with Wivenhoe Town Council. I prefer my independence…

Plus as comprehensive as the Encyclopedia may be (and it truly is a source of great knowledge) there isn’t the functionality for locals to talk together online. Once again - this is precisely what I had in mind when putting together the Wivenhoe Forum.

“Personally I am very disappointed that Wivenhoe Town Council was made aware of these works in August 2010 by the EA but that this information has not filtered through to the population of the Town.”

To which the response was:

“I have passed your comment to the Town Council.”

Ace.

Proper hyperlocal online communication that is being channeled in the right direction. Many thanks to the users involved for helping this process to work.

I then received a very kind comment to m’blog, from a non-Wivenhoe resident, stating:

“After a long drawn out decision – initially inspired by a Guardian Let’s Move article in 2007 – the time has come to house-hunt and school-hunt in Wivenhoe. It is very exciting but with two primary age children and a Liverpool street commuter the over subscribed schools and the crazy train fares are a little scary.

It was good to find this forum.”

Ahhh - lovely. It was good to see that the reach of the Wivenhoe Forum is also starting to spread outside of the town. This was another reason behind the initial idea - helping to promote Wivenhoe from within to the outside.

The Wivenhoe Forum is still only under two months old. My problem is that I’m far too impatient. I actually have higher daily traffic to m’blog than to the forum right now. Ironically this is actually up on the Lambeth levels from back in the day. Must be something about the content, Comrades.

In terms of membership, the Wivenhoe Forum is now up to seventy registered users. Not all are active of course, plus we have about half that number of lurkers each day. Online dialogue and co-operation is only ever any good if you can get a greater number of conversations started.

I’m still loath to go out there and start pimping out the forum around the town. But I’ve been encouraged as to how an issue such as the Colne clearance has acted as a springboard to realise the possibilities that this form of online contact can create.

Oh - and I personally managed to pass on an unwanted chair via the forum.

Cripes.

Onwards.