Friends of the Earth Birmingham Action Briefing Oct 98/Nov 98

"Bye Bye Bev" by C.C.

Many of you will have come across the name Beverly Cumblidge in this newsletter from time to time!! Not least because a huge amount of the artwork and the development of this newsletter was down to Bev, having worked with four newsletter editors in her 7 years at Birmingham FOE.

Bev has decided to move on to pastures new and maybe discover some of her roots, so it's time to say "Bye bye Beverly".

Bev was born in New Zealand but came to the UK at an early age and has fleeting memories of N.Z. and the boat trip which brought her here. Her brother is currently working in Perth, Western Australia. So Bev has left the UK for a life in the Antipodes. Bev will be sorely missed by all here at Allison Street. This was shown by the huge amounts of messages which we received from ex and present Birmingham FOE volunteers from all over the country. She was an integral part of the Warehouse not only helping FOE but CND, the Cafe, Energy Savers and acting as Temporary Building Manager when our own Dave Clare was on holiday.

It was Vernon Hadley who first introduced Beverly to Birmingham FOE. She worked in the bookies where Vernon placed the odd bet or two and Vernon, being Vernon, engaged in casual chats with the staff. Bev came down one Monday evening and that was it; art work for banners, the newsletters and leaflets were quickly produced. Organising of events and stalls soon followed. Helping out in the building and attending public inquiries also became par for the course. The KBH, Hamms Hall and the biggie, the BNRR were all graced by Bev's presence. There was of course a social life, as well as the work, which not only involved the odd pint of bitter dash but trips to The Centre for Alternative Technology, camping and the odd days walk here and there.

A further role that Bev made her own was that of fundraiser which she took forward from strength to strength. She never forgot that there has to be fun associated with every activity and if people are enjoying themselves they may well come back and get more involved.

Initially this started out by organising flag days in and around the City and pub quizzes. These all became regular activities and also grew to involve a yearly project at the internationally renowned Glastonbury Festival.

In a major fundraising coup for Birmingham FOE, Bev took over as Festival Lockup Coordinator for 1997 and 1998, organising 80 people from Birmingham FOE alone with overall responsibility for the arrangement of security lock ups across the whole festival. Bev managed this almost single handedly, having been involved previously as a volunteer, and has bequeathed this momentous task to Andy O'Callaghan for 1999.

Bev joined our Management Committee in 1995. She also became Campaigns Co-ordinator for a year in 1996. In this capacity she was responsible for the weekly volunteer meetings held every Monday evening and ensuring that Birmingham FOE's campaigns were organised in a professional and co-ordinated manner. Bev stepped down from this position to become Chair for 1997/8. As such she was responsible for the Management Committee of Birmingham FOE.

Bev's knowledge of the FOE set up was developed throughout her term and she became an integral member of our West Midlands Transport Campaign in the mid 1990's. This took her onto campaigns way outside of Birmingham and stimulated an interest in the wider transport debate which raged in the UK at this time. This saw places such as Twyford Down, Bathampton, Newbury and Manchester Airport rise to international acclaim as the real issues behind our transport nightmare became more and more apparent. This involvement led Bev to think more about how FOE is organised at a national level. This culminated with Bev putting herself forward for election onto the Board of FOE England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1997. She was successful and represented the Midlands region on the Board until September 1998. In this capacity she was essentially one of the Directors of Friends of the Earth Ltd and had ultimate responsibility for the operations of the company, the well being of its staff as well as ensuring that we meet our campaigns objectives.

Bev has been an integral part of life here at Allison Street. We will all miss her greatly but wish her well in her new adventures, safe in the knowledge that we shall still be here should she return to the UK.

Many thanks Bev from everyone who knew you at Allison Street and Good Luck down under.

Love, Birmingham FOE XXX