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East Midlands
Welcome to our new members...
Coddington Parish Council
Hardingstone Allotment Association Spratton Town & Charity Land Association Walker Flats Allotments Society Association St George’s Primary School
Oundle Allotment Keepers Association
4 individual members
I have just completed my rst full year as East Midlands Regional Representative for the NAS, and was recently asked what sort of things I get involved with. Upon re ection, it sometimes is quite surprising what we get asked to give guidance on; these are some that have cropped up recently.
Wrong ‘cash’ crop?
I was called for advice about what a managing group on an allotment site, who had found a member growing cannabis on their plot, could do – evict him? The police had removed the plants and prosecution was unlikely, with a warning possibly being the outcome. The tenancy agreement did not cover the speci c case of growing cannabis. The member was a respected grower and had not caused any problems before. On what grounds could the member be evicted? Looking at the tenancy agreement there was no speci c clause to evict. A warning was given to the member; he kept the plot, and the tenancy agreement was changed by the membership at the next AGM.
Bullying
An increasing problem which has been presented recently is the case of committees being accused by members of bullying. It
is generally a case of committees enforcing their belief of what their rules, tenancy agreements and constitutions mean, and not what the governing documents state. During the year I have had calls from members complaining about their committee’s
actions. The general reply is that the society or association is a member of NAS; the complaining plot holder is a member of that society or association and should, in the
rst instance, use the due process of that society or association, including appeals procedures. If an af liate member contacts
the Society with a grievance against their association, we can, with their permission, talk to the association and make efforts to mediate and work towards a resolution.
AGM accounts
A recent email I received concerned changes made to a constitution that had not been communicated to members. The change was to allow the accounts to be examined by a competent person elected at the
AGM. A previous treasurer had stated to his successor that they no longer needed to get the society’s accounts audited or examined; therefore no one had looked at the accounts the previous year. However, looking at the society’s original constitution, it did clearly require a professional audit.
A copy of the society’s rules, constitution, articles of association, or any document
that controls the running of an organisation, should tell you the method of alteration and recording. If you have an outdated governing document, it is advisable to stay with this until you alter it in the correct manner, and not be challenged for changing it in the wrong manner.
Derby City Allotments
I was delighted to be invited to attend a forum of allotment societies in Markeaton Park, Derby, where Council allotment
of cer Ruth Bucknall, has formed a positive relationship with the management groups in Derby City. It was encouraging to see how well attended it was. The problems they discussed were very similar to those all over the region; management of non-cultivation, how to encourage volunteers and how to fund projects etc.
I look forward to 2018 and the interesting questions the Regional Reps are asked!
Paul Howgill
Breezehill Allotment Association Open Day
We held our Annual Open Day on August 12th, with all proceeds on the day being donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind. The NAS was represented by Sandra Motley, who presented the prizes for a special plot holder’s draw, and also for Best Plot - Trevor and Ann Osbourne, and Best Newcomers - Fred and Carol Welch.
A total of £200 was raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and a cheque was presented to Mrs Lynne Sparrow. Lynne is pictured with her guide dog Penny and husband Dave, who is a committee member.
Ian Manning, Secretary, BAA
Northampton Allotment Network (NAN) Prize-giving and Pumpkin Competition
On Wednesday 22nd November the Northampton Allotment Network
held a prize-giving evening for their Allotment competition, which was open to all Northampton member sites. The competition has been running now for many years, sometimes with a lot of entries and sometimes, like this year, with a lower entry count. Prizes varied from: newcomers, 1⁄2 size plots, full and large plots, and children’s entries.
This was also the venue for the annual pumpkin competition prize-giving. The Pumpkin Competition was hosted this year by the Harlestone Road allotments and the sun shone to make it a very pleasant day. As well as the judging, spectators were given the opportunity
to purchase home-made cakes, tea and coffee, lovely preserves, and anyone feeling the chill could have a mug of home-made spiced squash soup and a roll.
The sites cabin was turned into a Halloween cave with the windows blacked out and spider webs and skeletons abounding, which was a lovely setting for the carved pumpkins.
The heaviest pumpkin competition
was won by Graham Hack of Harlestone Road with a whopping 264lb, which broke the scales! Adult carving was won by Simon Swindell of Broadmead Avenue Allotments, and children’s carving was won by Emma Green of Harlestone Road. It was a fun lled day with lots of laughs.
The prize-giving started with a quiz to break the ice - this also had questions for the younger children so that they did not feel left out. There was a lovely buffet provided, and a bar for those in need of refreshments. NAN also held a raf e, and I went home with a nice bottle of wine and another allotment book to add to my collection.
Sandra Motley
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