HELLO AND WELCOME!

Welcome to the first community newsletter from the Arlington Association. We hope to publish these four times a year.

The AA is made up of residents of the westerly part of Islington’s Arlington Conservation area (from Prebend Street in the north to the canal in the south, from Union Square in the west to New North Road in the east). Membership is free and everyone who lives within our boundaries is automatically a member.

Together we organise community events, support local good causes and work with the council, police and other organisations to help improve and conserve the look and feel of our neighbourhood and make it safe.

We have a committee of 12 elected members and a brand new website and we encourage everyone in the area to get involved.

Anniversary

The AA is ten years old this April. It was formed in 2002, at a time when Arlington Square was increasingly the venue of choice for rowdy youngsters. Late-night revellers decorated the square with graffiti, litter and fires, and underage joyriders on stolen scooters made the most of our wide and previously quiet streets.

Valerie Hansard and Hazel Fletcher decided to take action. With the help of the vicar, they held a public meeting at St James’s and persuaded the Leader of Islington Council, the local Community Police Officer and the Head of Islington Greenspace to meet local residents. Two hundred concerned locals turned up and 18 people agreed to help Valerie and Hazel form a committee for what became the Arlington Association.

The AA has since worked closely with the local community police, the council and the Greenspace rangers on many issues, especially discouraging antisocial behaviour and improving the garden square.

The association’s new committee was elected at this year’s Annual General Meeting, held in the Hanbury Arms on 26 March:

Gordon McArthur, Chair

Rodney Austin, Deputy Chair

Martin Reading, Treasurer

Hazel Fletcher, Secretary

Diane Austin

David Barton

Amy Chapman

Wendy Fisher Gordon

James Hewson

Vicky Peters

Alison Rice

Paul Thompson

We warmly welcome our new committee members and sincerely thank past members for their tireless work and support.