Thank you to those residents who have paid their EVRA subscription for this year and also for the additional donations that many of you have included. Subscriptions pay for our necessary expenses such as our public liability insurance and printing of newsletters. The additional donations help to build a fund for our other activities and projects. Most of our events are cost neutral with some making a small surplus for our funds.

Our Committee review EVRA finances at each meeting and consider what projects to support. We have built up our funds and currently have around £6500 in our EVRA account which we could use for other projects but how should we use this?

Last year we purchased a Notice Board for Eaton Green (cost £1400) and also donated £400 to the Norwich Fringe Project towards the new bench on Marston Lane. We have also agreed with the Norwich Fringe Project to fund a new bench on Eaton Common this summer which will cost around £650.

We have previously run fundraising campaigns for the Eaton Green Playground for new play equipment and for refurbishment of the Village sign and these brought in sufficient funds to cover the costs. We could buy a new piece of play equipment for Eaton Green but an extension to the climbing tower or nest swing would probably require all of the available funds.

More benches would cost around £650 each but do we need more of these and, if so, where? We have looked at contributing to the UEA Project for the replacement of the boardwalk which is much missed by Eaton residents but that project is at an early stage and could be something to consider for next year when UEA have finalised their plans and costings.

In 2010 EVRA were successful in receiving a grant of £50,000 from the Lottery Fund for the building of the path around Marston Marsh. We recently submitted an application to the Lottery Fund, with the support of the Norwich Fringe Project, for a grant of £16,000 towards the repair of a section of the path around the marsh which has eroded following flooding but were not successful. Marston Marsh is much appreciated by Eaton residents and maintaining this is important. We could offer to fund a lorry load or two of hoggin for the Norwich Fringe Project so that their volunteers could repair the worst parts of this. Cost is around £250 per lorry load.

But are there other local projects that EVRA could initiate or needs or causes that we could contribute to? We would welcome your thoughts, ideas and suggestions for consideration which could be a little ‘off the wall’.  

Please email your responses to EVRA Chair at: evra.vc@live.co.uk