Page 20 - NAS Members Guide to Funding

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The first job was to decide what we needed and then retaining wall, and erecting a new metal building provided
to obtain planning permission. Our initial meeting with by Murray Steel Buildings of Dunfermline. The whole
the local authority planners in April 2019 revealed project was a difficult process needing skills and patience
that whatever we replaced the timber sheds with we didn’t know we had. The final total cost of the project
we needed formal planning permission - potentially a was £43,000. We celebrated with a grand opening,
lengthy, expensive process fraught with technical hurdles. annual show and BBQ. A great result! The new cabin
However, this initial meeting did give us the parameters and cleared site will enable to us to hold events, provide
for the new building: design, size, scale and colour of equipment and improved services to our plot holders.
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building that would be acceptable. The meeting was invaluable and saved time and effort.
Our Treasurer took on the role of ‘project leader’, drafting a specification and obtaining costing for the new building. But the costing showed we needed far more than we had in our modest reserves. So our Chairman took on the role of ‘chief fundraiser’: we obtained grants of £10,000 from The National Lotter y ‘Community Fund’, £5,000 from National Allotment Garden Trust, and £500 from Blackburn Council forVoluntary Services (see Funding Routes, Part 4). We also asked individual plot holders for donations which raised £2,500. Along with some money from our reserves, the total amount covered the initial estimates. Once we had the funding in place, our secretary’s partner drafted the technical drawings and put together the planning application - three months later we had our approval! However, by then the price of steel and other commodities were increasing substantially and it became apparent we could not afford a building of the size we ideally wanted. So we had to scale it back and apply for revised planning approval. The build was started in June but then, almost inevitably with such projects, it became apparent during the course of the work that problems encountered
with the ground works would mean we needed more money. This additional cost was covered by two interest free loans from two officers of the committee.
The new building was completed in late August 2022, the building work taking three months from start to finish. This involved demolition of two old dilapidated rotten cabins, clearing the site, building a new raft foundation and
Along with our website and monthly newsletter, this enables us to give our members an allotment site fit for the 21st century. Thanks to the charities who supported us and everyone who made our dream come true!”
By stepping back, taking a deep breath, reconsidering estimates, accounting for unexpected delays, and coming up with Plan B to meet extra costs, the association has still been able to deliver their intended project despite multiple unexpected setbacks.
Statutory Funders
Central and Local Government Funding
There is government funding for allotments, but in order to benefit you do have to be savvy about how this is distributed and how to access it. Central government
in Westminster and the devolved governments in
Cardiff and Edinburgh do not usually fund directly to small voluntary organisations, instead funding is usually allocated in a lump sum to councils and other bodies) to distribute to community organisations in small amounts for specific purposes. Your association is unlikely to find a standardised “council funding” application form to complete and return – this is not the way the process works. Do not let this put you off! Helpfully, with a
bit of knowledge, there are specific ways to benefit government funding (see funding routes, part 4).
CASE STUDY: “Elected Councillor’s funding scheme: Tywardreath Allotment Society in Cornwall” Tywardreath Allotment Society obtained funding from its Parish Council’s “Councillor’s Community Chest” funding scheme. The society wanted to fund a special
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