Page 8 - ALG Issue 4 2024

SNIPPETS
Article Submissions
How to Send Articles into the Magazine
Words
Please send in your article in as a word document (not as a pdf) ideally around 350-400 words with images.We may split longer articles across more than one edition.
Images
Send the images as separate JPEG files attached to the email. Also, please do not insert the images into the article – this compresses the image and makes them too small to reproduce in print. If you have very large images, then there is a free website called www.wetransfer.com that you can use to send the images to marketing@ thenas.org.uk.
Articles with images are more likely to be read. For print purposes we need a high-resolution image (at least 300dpi). We realise that many of you use a mobile phone, and they are very useful for taking images when you are out and about. So, here are some tips for taking printworthy photos with your phone:
• Get up close to your subject. • Take more than one shot.
• Crop, don’t zoom – this will retain quality.
• Do not use the flash.
• Set your photo size as large as possible.
• Use HDR – When you
enable HDR (High Dynamic
Range) mode in the camera
settings, your phone will take
three photographs at the same
time to filter out the overly light
and dark elements, and layer the best parts of each shot to create one photo.
• Use the rear camera of your smartphone. It takes much higher resolution shots
than the front camera.
• Hold your phone steady by pulling your arms into your chest or stomach as you take the shot or by resting it on a surface.
• Save your iPhone photos as the most compatible format.
DEAR NAS MEMBERS...
Through the mosaic distribution and management, allotments have the potential to serve as ready-made tools to facilitate connectivity and insect dispersal between green and urban areas, peri-urban fringes and wider agricultural and natural areas.
The results of such could promote biodiversity and a resilient food economy, both suffering because of climate change, urbanisation and agricultural intensification.To fulfil these nature-based innovative roles, allotment soil health must be prioritised.The soil microbiome is a fundamental driver of soil health, plant-soil-microbial interactions
and above and below ground connectivity, but the allotment-soil microbiome and the impact of allotment management
is currently unknown. As a Molecular Ecologist, studying ecological responses
to changes in environments through natural and anthropogenic stressors, I
am developing a research project to demonstrate the significance of allotments as biodiversity hotspots.
At present, the project is in Phase 1 - Data Capture.We are requesting NAS member survey participation to provide
insight into your plot management and/or offer potential plot inclusion in future sampling plans.
The survey will enable us to collate broad scale categorisation of management practices across the NAS. Survey options may not match an individual’s management 100%, but please select an option most relevant.The aim is to obtain as many responses as possible across the entire NAS, gaining insight into historic
& current land management. The eventual sampling of NAS plots is very much Phase 2 of the project. Robust sampling plans cannot be designed without knowing background information,
which is why the Phase 1 survey is so crucial!
Your help is greatly appreciated. If you would like more information, please contact me via email kate.randall@ northumbria.ac.uk
Dr Kate Randall
Northumbria University, Newcastle NE1 8ST
Access to the online survey can be accessed by scanning the QR code below using your mobile phone.
8 | Issue 4 2024 | Allotment and Leisure Gardener