Page 45 - ALG Issue 1 2023

Mr. Allotments Retires
Mr. Vicarage Park Allotments aka John Mills has finally hung up his pen, but not his trowel, after 40+ years as Association Secretary.
The allotments off Vicarage Road in Mickleover, Derby, were set up in 1974 by Derby Borough Council as housing
in the area was developed. John was introduced to the site by his late father- in-law Cliff, both having moved into houses nearby. Shortly after, the council required the plotholders to set up an association, rather than be individual tenants. Not many years after the association was set up John became more involved as the Secretary and has remained in post until this year, being one of the few members remaining from that date.
John has made the post of Secretary the lynch pin of the organisation,
not just dealing with meetings and correspondence but managing the whole process of recruiting and inducting new members, liaising with the council, liaising with our neighbours, ordering supplies, collating the seed orders, and getting to know and be
known by every member. In recent years he has also taken on the managing of the locks and keys on the new gates that have been installed, keeping track of the keys and key deposits from plotholders. As circumstances have changed, John has taken the lead in steering the committee through each situation, never losing sight of the need for consensus and agreement on the way forward. In the meantime, he has developed his gardening skills and always kept an immaculate plot as an example to us all. The excellent situation in which we now find ourselves – all plots let – very few looking neglected, the council more than happy with the state of the site, is in no small measure due to his diligence and persistence. His will be a hard act to follow.
To mark the occasion, a social gathering was held on site, with refreshments, where John was presented with a memento of his many years’ service. This was a great success, and the committee are considering further such events in the future.
Charles Saunders
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Allotment and Leisure Gardener 45