Since the last edition a few personnel changes have taken place at BPEC. Stacia has taken a position with the Environment Agency, and joined the BPEC Management Committee, whilst I have taken over the role of Centre Coordinator. A few of you may know me from my two-year involvement as a BPEC volunteer and Co-ordinator of the Fundraising Group. I have always enjoyed working here and see this position as a wonderful opportunity to further our role as a valuable resource for Brighton & Hove. Talking of which, what have we been up to lately? June saw us start our 3rd Age @ BPEC workshops and the programme has been a great success. We’ve already conducted fifteen sessions, and on page 2 you can read some reflections of the volunteers who conducted these workshops. At this year’s BASS Community Fayre we organised the children’s area, where kids made solar-powered boats and eco-warrior masks from recycled materials. Our selection of yummie fairtrade tea, coffee and cakes were particularly popular and we sold every last crumb! On September 9th we held our Sustainable Living Open Day, with workshops and stalls packed with information about how we can each reduce our environmental impact and live more sustainably. October looks like being busy as we’ll be holding a series of teacher training courses in Eastbourne, and another in collaboration with FABRICA in Brighton. Patcham High School will be hosting a day of workshops organised by BPEC around Black History Month. In November, we’ll help you get ready for Christmas with a series of recycled craft workshops, to be held at the centre by one of our talented volunteers. In December you’ll once again have the chance to determine BPEC’s direction at our Annual General Meeting. Exciting times are ahead for BPEC as we are applying to become a charity and turn our status into a company limited by guarantee. We are looking for people to share their expertise and knowledge as a BPEC trustee. I would urge anyone who might be interested to please contact me at the centre. Mareike.