Page 5 - ALG Issue 1 2016

chairman’scomments
May I start my comments by wishing all our members a very Happy New Year and I hope you have all enjoyed your Christmas break.
In this part of Yorkshire we have had a fairly wet summer, a view supported by the fact that the water bill for the site to which
I belong was the smallest water bill for some years. This may well be why we have generally had a bumper crop of potatoes, runner beans and others. However, I must send our condolences to those people living only a little further north in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria that have had
far too much water and as a result, have lost their homes, their possessions and
in some cases, their livelihoods. Small inconveniences I know but I have heard of sites in these areas who have lost boundary fences and even their gardens as soil has been washed away. I have no idea how these people can be helped. Of course homes and businesses must be given priority, along with short
term ood relief, but I
hope some help may be
found for gardeners at
some stage.
it is far too wet to carry on with the usual double digging that my rather heavy clay soil requires. Let’s hope we don’t get a sudden deterioration that sets everything back several weeks.
The Rules sub-committee
are still working hard on the
rules and the supporting
bye laws, taking into
account late comments and
suggestions. The time for such
comments is now well past and
the Standing Orders Committee will, by now, have considered those Proposals and Nominations put forward for the forthcoming AGM in June. After some two years of hard work and two different sub-committees,
we have received dozens of comments
and suggestions by members, as well as reviews by associated and involved bodies. Bearing these in mind, hopefully the rules proposed by the Management Committee for consideration by the membership at the
2016 AGM in York this coming June will prove to have been worth
all the effort. Whilst all such undertakings must be a compromise, to encompass the views of as many people as is possible, I do think that the results should stand
the Society in good stead over the coming years. Having said that, I am a rm believer that rules should not be set in stone and that they should be reviewed, but not necessarily changed, frequently and that changes in circumstances, litigation and technology
On a happier
note, at the time of
writing I am checking
and re-installing my
propagators and
greenhouse heating system in preparation for the sowing of seeds such as onions, tomatoes and peppers among others, whilst outside the spring cabbage and broad beans are doing well in the mild weather
we have been having. The downside is that
must be taken into account periodically. To get back to gardening, I wish you all
success in the coming season and may all your efforts be rewarded.
My best wishes to you all,
Tony Heeson,
Management Committee Chairman
I am a rm believer that rules should not be set in stone and that they should be reviewed
Head Of ce
fromthepresident
Dear Members,
It’s the run up to Christmas as I write this, the broad beans are up and the autumn onions are growing too well in mild East Anglia. I trust you all had a happy Christmas and a jolly New Year and are raring to get going in 2016.
are part of this great Society and join us in York. It is a great and historic city and if you book now, you will be able to get some great deals for a weekend or longer, to attend the AGM and to enjoy York and all it has to offer.
If no one from your Society can attend, please make sure you have returned your proxy voting slip with your decisions on any motions to the of ce by the agreed date on the form.
Allotments and gardening have made the news in a positive way during 2015, including a recent Public Health research report that acknowledged the contribution allotments
2016 is an important year for us as we look at our rules. You will all have seen the latest set of rules to be presented at the AGM for your approval. I hope that you have studied them carefully and sent in your comments before the version was decided. Please make sure you look again at
the version that will go to the AGM. Should
you wish to make amendments to this version,
you must send in motions for amendments
proposed and seconded on the forms that
are sent to you or call and ask for them to be
sent. The amendments need to be returned to
the of ce before 7th March for them to go to
Standing Orders and subsequently appear on
the agenda for the AGM, to be discussed and
voted on by the members present.
Our AGM this year is in York and I strongly recommend that
you make a special effort to join us as this is your opportunity to make a difference to the future of your Society. Please endeavour to send at least one member of your Society or Association, along with the vote that your Society has decided on after considering the motion. These rules and by laws will shape the Society, not just for us, but for future generations of allotmenteers, so that
we may continue to Promote, Preserve, Protect and Create allotments for future generations to enjoy. Please make sure you
make to the health and well-being of citizens. It recognises the amazing work you all do, in the eld of projects for all, that ensure that our ‘hobby’ and way of life is open to all members of the Society and of all ages and abilities, no matter what. It is you and your committees that are the heart of this movement and are making a difference.
Let’s make 2016 an even greater year by striving to ll all vacant plots and lobbying for new allotments as the demand is still high and is set to continue
to outstrip supply with a further increase in demand. Don’t forget to remind authorities of their responsibilities. Lobby your local councillors and your local MPs. Let us make 2016 the year when allotment land makes its biggest increase yet.
We can do it folks. LET’S GO FOR IT TOGETHER.
Happy New Year
Karen
Your President
It is you and your committees that are the heart of this movement and are making a difference
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