Page 6 - ALG 1.21
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 President’s
scribblings
Happy new allotment year to you all!
There are also an increasing number
of developers creating new allotments as part of their housing developments; again, let us hope some other planning authorities take heed. What is really needed, however, is a directive from the government to change planning policy. We could all do our bit here and lobby our MPs and councillors, especially as there is a new Planning White Paper consultation taking place. I certainly will continue to do so on behalf of the NAS.
We can grumble about the internet and progress affecting society, but without Zoom we would have been in a right pickle. It has certainly kept people in touch and allowed us to conduct our AGM. It has also been a real bonus and extremely beneficial and in some ways far superior, in keeping the progress
of our organisation up to date. The management meetings are happening fortnightly now, allowing for decisions to be made on key issues as they occur. A much more satisfactory arrangement.
No matter what 2021 may bring, I hope you continue to benefit from all the pleasures your allotment can bring to you.
Best wishes,
Phil Gomersall
I hope you had a very pleasant Christmas despite the Covid-19 restrictions. I also hope that things will improve as the year goes on. I regard us as the lucky ones with somewhere safe to retreat to, to get fresh air, sunshine (if you’re lucky), exercise and fresh vegetables. Eee by gum!!! Allotments are great but what a year it has been. Unforgettable.
I am writing this at the back end of November; here we go again into lockdown, and now with tiers. The big difference is the weather is not as good as at the outset of Covid in March.
This has made me and many other plotholders even more grateful that we have an allotment. For those who have been shielding it remains somewhere that is still safe to go for exercise and fresh air and to maintain our sanity before cabin fever sets in. Despite the weather, there is always something to do on the allotment. I regard winter as the key time of year, doing all the tidy- up jobs you did not have time for in the growing season.
These last few months of 2020 have been quite an active time, with two research papers issued from Sheffield
University and Imperial College London, both outlining the multitude of benefits that allotment gardening can offer, not only to health but also the benefits to the environment. The newspapers have also picked up on this theme (which
we took advantage of with quotes and articles) following the huge increase in our waiting lists (the papers always look for a good headline, and demand for allotments is at a peak).
On this same note, the Duke of Cambridge and Sir David Attenborough launched the ‘Earthshot’, ‘a five-year campaign to improve the world’s environment. I was very quick off the mark here and wrote to both of them the following day to enlighten them that our allotments were already very successfully fulfilling four of their stated aims for world environmental improvements. Acknowledgements were received from both.
Despite receiving a number of negative issues from one or two allotment sites, in general I feel we are in very positive times regarding allotments, with one council granting all their allotments statutory status, a move which should be replicated throughout the country.
Eco-Loos.com
We can grumble about the internet and progress affecting society, but without Zoom we would have been in a right pickle
Composting toilets for allotments, gardens and and community spaces. From £1495. Affordable, easy maintenance, waterless and eco friendly. Delivered fully assembled.
• eco-loos@hotmail.co.uk • www.eco-loos.com • 01269 871774 • • Faerie-Thyme, Crwbin, Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, SA17 5DR •
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6 Allotment and Leisure Gardener






































































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