email hidden said:Sounds jobsworth to me.
Here's the lastest email correspondence:
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To Philip Drew, copied by him, to various Royal Park employees, and a
helpful lady who is a volunteer with The Friends of Greenwich Park.
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Dear Philip,
I have completed and returned the indemnity form.
I have taken a long look at the Park regulations and cannot find
anything to suggest that an educational map reading exercise is a fee
paying event. Could you please quote the relevant regulation which
makes this a fee paying event, and if this is the case, my headteacher
has agreed to pay the fee.
For invoice purposes, the school address is:
John Ball Primary School
Southvale Road
London SE3 0TP
020 8852 1601
Can you confirm that park regulations allow for children of 10 years
or younger to cycle along Bower Avenue, and it is only instructors or
any older trainee cyclists who may not cycle along the road? It is on
this understanding which I have been using The Park. While it would
be useful if I could lead the children around the course before
allowing them to cycle the route independently, it is of no great
consequence if I have to meet them at Great Cross Avenue by going the
long way round, the impact is more on the occasional parent I have
learning road cycling skills with their child.
Many thanks,
Tom Crispin.
For those of you copied in on this correspondence, the details of the
orienteering activity are as follows:
The class of 26 ten and eleven year old children will be divided into
teams of four or five children. Each team will have two orienteering
maps of Greenwich Park and each child in each team will have a
question sheet, see email attachment. The teams will need to use the
orienteering map to locate, in numerical order, the locations
identified on the question sheet. Once they have found the location
they will need to answer the question or carryout the activity on
their sheet. None of the activities requires that they pick or even
touch any plant, no location is in an area which is not open to the
public, no signs or notices will be posted anywhere within the park.
A full educational risk assessment has been carried out and submitted
to Philip. Key points are as follows:
A member of school staff with a first aid qualification will always be
available at or near the statue of General Wolfe, the children will
know this.
Other staff members and parent volunteers will be around the park
checking children through various locations and offering map reading
help and directions as required.
The children will be briefed about what to do if they need assistance.
The children will be briefed about appropriate contact with other park
users.
I have also given assurances that the children will be instructed not
to pick any flowers or plants and to have minimal impact on the park
environment.
Tom Crispin.
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From Philip Drew to me, copied to the same list.
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Dear Tom
There is not an actual regulation stating that map reading exercises
or orienteering is a fee paying event. That would be too fine a point
to be put through the statute books in parliament when the regulations
became law.
This office will always consider a charge where an organised event is
held in Greenwich Park. As mentioned earlier the fee of £50.00 + VAT
is the minimum charge for organised events in the park. The fee would
cover disruption in the park, which again can be classed as minimal
but is relevant, and an admin fee to cover our time in getting your
event organised in Greenwich Park.
I think you have slightly missed the point with reference to under
10's cycling on Bower Avenue. In an unofficial capacity this would be
allowed within the regulations. However, you have approached us
officially requesting use the Bower Avenue for cycle training which is
a different scenario.
In a time where we receive many complaints of unauthorised cycling in
many areas of the park, which is raised by members of the Friends of
the Park incidentally, I think a decision to allow this would be
condemned by many interest groups.
I hope this clears up the matters raised.
The invoice for orienteering in Greenwich Park will be sent to you
shortly.
Many thanks,
Philip Drew
