Page 10 - ALG Issue 4 2020

Whiteleys – another London store ran a successful exhibition to further the Dig for Victory Campaign. Once again, the NAS provided valuable assistance.
WAR DAMAGE AND GIFTS FROM USA UTILISATION OF SEEDS
Certain organisations in America approached the Ministry of Agriculture during 1940 with regard to the supply
of gifts of seeds for allotment holders and gardeners in this country. The Army, Navy, Air Force and NAS and other bodies were then called into consultation with regard to distribution. It was expected that all the seed would arrive in bulk and the NAS were well set up in districts and regions to manage the logistical problems.
In some areas, war damage had been significant; bombs not only destroyed crops but very often valuable assets such as green houses, frames and huts. The NAS did follow up on war damage for allotment holders; however, three
Government departments were involved with this aspect under the War Damage Act, so in 1940 the progress was slow.
During the year however, the NAS
was wishing to place on record the valuable assistance it had received from many Government Departments and especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
By 1940 the Society had done everything in its power to harness the whole strength of the organisation to assist with the War Effort. They stated
that, when victory was won and the tyrants power broken, the NAS and all members would be equally determined to play their part in the fashioning of a new and better world.
Liz Bunting
It was expected that all the seed would arrive in bulk and the NAS were well set up in districts and regions to manage the logistical problems
international message
Dear allotment gardeners,
A difficult year lies behind us, the future is uncertain; nothing will be the same as before.
“Are we flexible and ready for the future?”
Over the past year, the Office has done a lot of work to prepare itself for the future and to provide its members with additional resources to support the individual allotment gardeners
on national level. This can be done by the issue of new documents and the exchange of experiences and knowledge.
Unfortunately, the study session
had to be cancelled, preventing us from discussing common important problems and so providing the national delegates with new findings to take home to solve the existing problems with additional, new approaches.
However, on the one hand the work
to adapt our statutes to today’s requirements could be finished and the affiliation fees increased in order to gradually regain a balanced budget and thus remain functional.
On the other hand, the Hyphens could continue to be issued dealing with specific topics, which provided knowledge both to the individual
allotment gardeners, highlighted current issues, and gave them suggestions and examples of good practice.
There is one thing we all have to be aware of: we cannot simply carry on as we have done up to now. “Business as usual” is no longer an option. We have to guide the allotment movement on all levels into other, new paths, but without throwing our past overboard, on which our predecessors built our movement.
We have to attract new and more members, not only to compensate for internal age-related departures, but
to attract new interested people. I am thinking of individual gardeners, without a plot on an allotment site, people who want a different kind of gardening, such as in raised beds in a communal plot...
The offer of new forms of plots, as for example therapy gardens and school gardens, is a necessity in order to both attract these interested parties and to offer an added value to the population in general and so to remain an indispensable element in our cities.
We must then prepare ourselves for
a mode of cooperation rather than
a mode of competition with other organisations. In order to achieve this, we must identify areas of common interest, realise that the strength lies in the number of members and that
There is one thing we all have to be aware of: we cannot simply carry on as we have done up to now. “Business as usual” is no longer an option.
together we can strengthen our impact. Of course, we must trust each other to pull together in the same direction.
The further development of our specific expertise is desirable in order to become a considered as well as a confirmed and professional partner.
Even if associations and federations are increasingly dependent on professional staff, they cannot do without the support and commitment of volunteers. They must recognise the need of the hour and organise and adapt the deployment of volunteers in such a way that they feel further motivated.
So great challenges lie ahead and are waiting to be mastered.
Let us join forces to shape the future together, so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy the benefits of an allotment garden plot and continue to contribute to the environment, society, fauna and flora with their plot.
In this optic I wish you all a good health, courage, and foresight, but also a bit of luck and success for 2021.
Malou Weirich
Secretary general of the International Office du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux
10 Allotment and Leisure Gardener