Page 9 - Allotment Gardener Issue 2 2024

SNIPPETS
FAREWELL
TO LIZ
This May, The National Allotment society bids a fond fairwell to Liz Bunting who retires from her role as Legal and Operations Manager after 14 years. Jeff Barber, who is currently on the London regional committee, sums up her contribution to NAS:
lock down. Liz Bunting’s interventions with government were crucial in keeping allotments open and Michael Gove publicly stated that attending an allotment provided a legitimate form of exercise.
Whilst there have been ups and downs in the society, there is one aspect of Liz’s work at NAS that has had a smooth trajectory - the advice and guidance given to allotment authorities. Liz developed a wider involvement with first-tier authorities, where allotments can form a high proportion of their workload. Both face to face and virtual meetings with parish and town clerks have become common. Contacts with large authorities are equally important but not as evolved, with many of them now going public about their financial issues.
The NAS of 2024 is a different one from the NAS when Liz Bunting joined. We thank Liz for her dedication to The National Allotment Society and for her service over the years.
We wish Liz, Mike and family a long and contented retirement. Some contemporary commentators say the nature of retirement is at the very least obsolescent. There is some truth in that, but retirement can last longer than the other conventionally regarded stages of life
and also open huge and haunting vistas. So how about a curated tour of the Galapagos or, speak it softly, a ticket for Bayreuth?
Jeff Barber
I first met Liz in 2012 at the NAS management and committee meeting in Harpole, when
we were beginning to look at developing the business plan as one outcome of the first strategic review.
Liz had arrived at NAS HO from the literally and metaphorically wider fields of the National Farmers Union and took over the specific role of Legal Consultant from Bryn Pugh. It was seen as an incremental step beyond that taken early in the new millennium.
There was an immediate move to more professionalism with AGM materials and processes improving. During more turbulent times in the society, the few moments of exasperation were hugely outweighed by the care and courtesies extended to all. As Andy Percival put it at the 2014 Blackpool AGM “You
saved the Society.” And so she did. The goodwill flowing to her was almost palpable.
In the following years, Liz’s remit widened and she enabled new rules that accorded with the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2024. It became increasingly became increasingly significant in its capacity to change the ways membership societies and indeed all of us work. The processes are still ongoing, other members of staff contributed significantly, but Liz’s oversight lit the road.
And then Covid-19 started to spill across the world. Quite early on, contact outdoors with appropriate social distancing was likely to make the risk of infection by Covid-19 “vanishingly small.” But senior police officers were
phoning HO to ask the NAS to recommend that allotment sites be closed down during
GARDEN
ORGANIC
SURVEY
What are your attitudes to weeds? Are they something to be destroyed at any cost, or do you have a more laid back attitude, and only remove them if you
think they are likely to be a persistent nuisance. Do you think they could have some benefits? Garden Organic, the national organic gardening charity is carrying out a survey to find out what gardeners
think about weeds and how they manage them. They would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to help us out. The survey takes around 5 minutes and they won’t collect any of your personal details. They will then share the findings with our members later in the year. Visit the website to take part:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/GardenOrganic1/ AttitudesToWeeds2024NSALG
Allotment Gardener | Issue 2 2024 | 9