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London
London
Martyn Daniels
I’m very sad to say we lost our new London NAS Rep, Martyn Daniels
on the 18 December last year, very suddenly and unexpectedly. Martyn was so passionate about allotments; it was in his bones from a young age. He had a vision and a go-to attitude that shone through and helped many. He knew that traditional allotments were evolving, particularly in London with such diverse communities and growing practices with high demand and a shortage of plots. But he had a plan, and he was taking us with him on that journey.
On our own allotments on the Isle
of Dogs he was Chair and led with
all the commitment you would wish
for. Whether he was raising funds for communal projects, building trading sheds, mending memorial gardens, clearing plots or rallying the committee, he did with gusto and often with his beloved dog Lottie in tow.
Martyn’s allotment legacy will live on for many generations to come, as he successfully protected our site with an ACV and then went on to negotiate a 99-year lease. I know he was helping many of you to do the same. Earlier this year he did a piece for TV about helping others during lockdown. It was such a beautiful sunny April day. I hope the sun is shining for you now Martyn, wherever you are.
Paula Owen IoD allotments
We thought that it would be appropriate to include some of Martyn’s own words on this page.
Gardening is in the DNA – taken from Martyn’s Lost in the Plot blog (abridged)
“I was once asked, ‘How did you get into gardening?’
My answer was simple, ‘It’s in my DNA.’
I was brought up by generations of gardeners. I have seen photos of my Great Granddad’s garden overflowing with plants and laid out to impress. He won awards for his garden and I still have the mantelpiece clock he was awarded in the 30s for his ‘Best Garden in Birmingham’. I recently was told that we even had a Head Gardener in our lineage.
Being the youngest of three and with my dad having died when I was very young, I spent lots of time with my granddad and inevitably in the garden. I think I was his little helper although at the time I probably didn’t realise the impact his lessons would have on me. I remember the rituals and the endless mowing of
I was once asked, ‘How did you get into gardening?’ My answer was simple, ‘It’s in my DNA.'
the lawn. His tomatoes and cucumbers were never ending during the summer. He swore by his John Innes 2 and 3 and at the time it just looked like soil to me. There was also that pungent smell of the greenhouse winter wash down with Jeyes fluid. All this was done with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth and Grandma just looking on.
Later my mum finally got time to tend her own garden and show that she too had picked up the art of gardening.
She taught me about growing fruit and vegetables. After all, with three kids to feed, she had to be practical and she could grow crops in the smallest of space. Granddad helped me with my first garden. Of course, I did everything wrong, but he still encouraged me, and I would find little parcels of plants by the back door together with instructions.
When I first came to London it was
a shock to not have a garden. My daughter then got an allotment in Leyton and asked for help. One look at the plot and she needed it! The rubbish tip over the back had over-spilled onto her plot, the previous tenant obviously liked burning anything and everything and a jungle occupied the rest of the plot. Looking back, it was a great experience and hard work, especially given the water trough was a good 100 yards from the plot. We learnt about poly-tunnels and grew some great fruit. She now has a small back garden but raids my allotment at peak season and I have got my plot 10 minutes’ walk from home.”
Martyn was eager to get started with his aims for the London Branch of the NAS. He described in an article for this magazine how he felt the London group could make a difference, not only in the 750 sites and 30,000 plots across London, but in the environment and communities we all live in. His aspirations to improve communication using all the new technologies at our disposal, share the success of our environmental initiatives and reach out to our communities deserve to be considered as the basis for any future direction of the London Branch.
Jeff Barber, Chair NAS London Branch
Welcome to our new members...
Scotland
Kennoway Community Shed Allotments 3 Individuals
N. Ireland
1 Individual
66 Allotment and Leisure Gardener
Fruit and veg riddles answers: 1 Celery, 2 Potato, 3 Tomato,
4 Radish, 5 Carrot, 6 Sweetcorn, 7 Peas, 8 Beetroot, 9 Cabbage.