Page 44 - ALG Issue 1 2023

East Midlands
Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland
Welcome to our new members...
Barleythorpe Village Allotment Society
Charnwood Borough Council Gilbert’s Field Allotment Society
Goxhill Parish Council
Grove Allot Association Helmdon Parish Council Northfield Allotment Assocation Somercotes Parish Council
Tod’s Piece Allotment Society 6 Individuals
REPRESENTATIVE
Mr Paul Howgill
37 Meredith Road, Rowley Fields, Leicester LE3 2EP 07803 828 777 allotmentbaron@aol.com
MENTOR
Adam Murphy
East Midlands (North) 0845 4786 352 amurphy.nas@gmail.com
Calls to 0845 numbers cost 3p (ex VAT) per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge
MENTOR
Russell Attwood rattwood.nas@gmail.com
Composting Relief
Blackways Meadows Allotments Cooperative, situated between Hinckley and Burbage in Leicestershire, is a lively community organisation with 43 members. It was set up to protect the open space from future land development, to provide a healthy, safe, and secure recreational area in order to encourage the learning of gardening techniques and to develop the skills to cultivate a wide range of fruit, vegetables and flowers within the cooperative as well as the wider community.
Since 2012, when the group was first established, BMAC has aimed to develop and implement a programme that educates, provides support, is inclusive, and is fun throughout the year. Early in 2022, a covered shelter and patio area had been developed on the community plot, with practical help from The Prince’s Trust, and has already hosted flower arranging events, an open day, and the AGM.
However, to make our events sustainable and more inclusive, it was decided that we needed to improve the facilities with the addition of a compost toilet. A composting toilet was a good option for the site as there’s a very
limited water supply, and it needs no water for flushing. This would enable community events to be more accessible and inclusive for a wider range of people and community groups who wish to learn about and get involved with a larger spread of cultivation activities and learning at whatever level they choose or is appropriate.
An application to the Hinckley and Bosworth Voluntary and Community Sector Making a Difference Grant was made for £1500 and subsequently (and gratefully) awarded which meant that the compost toilet could be purchased. It came as a flat pack and volunteers gladly helped to build it close to the community shelter on the approved piece of land. At the same time contact was made with Severn Trent Environment Agency
for appropriate permissions. After a long series of emails and information exchanges, eventually it was agreed we could operate under a LRWP90. A Low Risk Waste Position. In hindsight it is advisable to obtain any appropriate permission before applying for grant funding.
Any organisation obtaining a natural wood compost toilet should be aware
...we did find difficulty getting water from the pump to the hand wash basin, until we realised we had not connected the flexible water pipe!
that there are over 300 components to the assembly. Although allotment members are generally a Jack of all trades and master of none, we did find difficulty getting water from the pump to the hand wash basin, until we realised we had not connected the flexible water pipe!
How does it work? Beneath the
toilet itself is a composting chamber where waste is mixed with sawdust, peat moss, or coconut coir. Over several weeks and months, anaerobic decomposition takes place, eliminating odours and breaking down waste that can eventually be used as compost.
The resulting compost, full of healthy nutrients that can be used for soil amendment and mulching, can be used on lawns, maintaining flower beds, and mulching trees and shrubs. It should
be noted that in the home garden, composted human waste is considered to be unsafe for use around vegetables, berries, fruit trees or other edible plants.
We can now look forward to planning new events where cooperative and community members can have a more comfortable experience.
Toni Bennett, BMAC Press Officer
44 Allotment and Leisure Gardener