The Churchfield Community Association has its origins in a reaction against the unchecked spread of graffiti in Churchfield Road in the summer of 2000. The last straw was an outbreak of ‘Dutch graffiti’ where the perpetrators scratched the windows of a number of shops in the street.
First public meeting
A group of residents led by Susan Hauser, Gill Adams, and Chrissie Kravchenko called a public meeting on 3 July 2000 at the Platform One public house (now The Station House). The Acton police were invited, along with a representative from the Environmental Services of the London Borough of Ealing (LBE). A total of 51 residents and representatives of local businesses attended. Susan Hauser chaired the meeting, during which the police representative PC Paul Langton and the LBE representative Robin Williamson explained their policy about graffiti. A follow-up meeting was arranged.
Second public meeting
On 31 July 2000, again at Platform One, 29 people attended this meeting, as well as more senior officers from both the police and council. Susan Hauser acted as chair. Afterwards, some of those present thought it would be a good idea to have a permanently constituted association to campaign for the regeneration and improvement of the Churchfield Road area. An inaugural meeting was organised.
Inaugural meeting
The meeting, which took place on 4 September 2000, was held in Gill Adams’ basement at 7 Churchfield Road. Present were Gill, Georgina Burns, Fiona Dennis, Susan Hauser, Chrissie Kravchenko, Vic Kravchenko, Mike Morris, Paul Stokes, Matthew Stower, Phil Tucker. The group agreed to form an association and adopted a constitution and the following aims and objectives:
Mission statement
Aims
- To tackle the problem of graffiti and fly-tipping in the area
- To sustain and attract individualistic commercial organisations within the area
- To raise the standard of overall cleanliness in the area
- To develop links with local schools, businesses and other local development initiatives.
Objectives
- To campaign for the introduction of daily refuse collection and street cleaning by the council
- To ensure that all the existing graffiti on private and public property be removed
- To campaign for a managed ‘fly-tipping’ scheme for the area
- To set up a website to promote the area highlighting its potential and providing a link to the organisation
- To create a regular newsletter to circulate to all residents and traders of Churchfield Road, members of CCA, local schools, institutions and local development initiatives
- To organise street cleaning/shop front painting parties
- To promote street tree awareness.
For a personal account of the CCA’s origins, check out The CCA: How it began by former chair Mike Morris.