Page 61 - ALG Issue 1 2017

25 Years on and Still Digging
The City of Ely Allotments Association Annual Awards Evening,
on 14th September, had a special signi cance this year as it was celebrating 25 years since its inception. To mark the occasion special certi cates were presented to eight plot holders, who were there at the beginning and are still members.
The recipients were presented with their awards and certi cates by the Mayor of Ely, Councillor Ian Lindsay, who is also an allotment holder. The photograph shows the original chairman and now Life President of the Association, Peter Holden, receiving his certi cate.
The rst 25 years of the Association have not all been easy ones, but prior to its founding in 1991, the allotment sites in Ely also had mixed fortunes. Up until 1990 allotments in Ely had been run by the City of Ely Council with some assistance from City of Ely and District Horticultural Society. There was very little practical maintenance and the annual rent rose by a small amount each year. During the 80s, take up of allotments was low and declining; the Bridge Fen site
was the most popular site with its grow bag type black fen soil. The New Barns site was portrayed as a dubious area with less than 50% occupation, and this was after the full site had been reduced in size at an earlier time by more than half, to provide a children’s playing eld and an area for housing development, now containing the Clayway housing estate.
A site in St Johns Road had recently been taken over for development with no objections, and the Upherds Lane site, a city centre location, consisting of 19 x 10 pole plots, had good occupation, but the fence was in a poor state and rubbish had accumulated because bon res were deemed as a nuisance to the nearby houses.
In 1982, this site became a case for allotment protest. A building plan suddenly materialised, and evidence of a development drawn up in the 60s came to the fore. Various tactics and inducements were employed to try and convince tenants and residents of the bene t
of concrete over tilled land. Fortunately, it was proved that the site was Statutory Allotment Land, and the dedication and efforts of the tenants were rewarded when Nicholas Ridley, Financial Secretary to The Treasury under Margaret Thatcher, turned down the application for change of use. This all happened while the Falkland Islands were being rid of an invader, and before email and social media. Door knocking, telephone and the post were the “weapons of democracy”.
Since this time, allotment provision in Ely has improved. The City of Ely Allotments Association was set up in 1991 to manage allotment sites on behalf of the City Council. The Association has complete autonomy over setting and collecting rents, organising repairs and plot allocation.
Two small city sites, on Canterbury Avenue and Back Hill, have been obtained, extra plots have been added to the 100 already at
Bridge Fen but unfortunately one privately owned site has been reclaimed by the owner; however, compensation was gained and used to improve roadways and fencing on the remaining sites.
The Association is consulted on the need for allotment land as part of Ely’s rapid housing development. The previously rundown New Barns site is a thriving, fully tenanted well managed site, looking forward to the bene ts of a recently installed water supply.
The 19 plots on the Upherds Lane site are now providing “The Allotment Experience” for 43 local families, and will soon have a water supply. There is a perpetual waiting list for plots of at least 20 people, and there have been as many as 50 people on the waiting list previously.
Thus, over its rst 25 years, due to the dogged determination and hard work of the tenants, the foresight and cooperation of The City of Ely Council, The City of Ely Allotments Association is a great example of “localism” in action, and long may it continue.
Graham Bond
Chairman Ely Allotments Association
Mulbarton Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Association
Mulbarton Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Association (MALGA) was formed in 2010 as a result of a few of the current members attending a talk given by Karen Kenny, our National Society
of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners representative, on growing fruit and vegetables.
As a result of poor provision of allotments in our village, just south of Norwich, we decided to campaign for more allotments as at the time there were just eight allotments and a waiting list as long as your arm. Having no previous idea how to go about this we talked with NSALG and formed our organisation. With advice we were in discussions with our Parish Council and presented on
the need for allotments citing demand, health bene ts and selling the idea that
allotments are an amenity which would improve the village.
After attending frequent parish council meetings and ensuring the issue was on the agenda we eventually succeeded in being given land for about 20 allotments. The Parish Council were most helpful in clearing the land and creating access to the site. Driven on by our success our membership increased as did demand
for allotments so more work was required in raising funds through plant sales and attendance at local events and a year later we managed to secure a second site.
At this point you may think that’s it, but both sites had no mains water and so
in consultation with NSALG we decided to campaign for better water provision. Once again the Parish Council was most helpful and we applied for grants from
South Norfolk and Lafarge (local quarrying company) and this plus matching with some of our funds we were able to fund the pipework required to secure the supply of mains water two years ago.
What next I hear you ask? Well, our village is expanding and since building has begun we have been negotiating alongside our Parish Council to secure more allotment sites as part of the plan and ensured that mains water will be available now to the original allotment site.
It must be said that it has taken a lot
of work from our membership as well as support from both NSALG and our Parish Council but it does, I believe, show what can be achieved through partnerships.
Treasurer of MALGA
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