Page 47 - ALG Issue 4 2020

East Midlands
Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland
REPRESENTATIVE
Mr Paul Howgill
37 Meredith Road, Rowley Fields, Leicester LE3 2EP
07803 828 777 allotmentbaron@aol.com
MENTOR
Adam Murphy
East Midlands (North) 0845 4786 352 amurphy.nas@gmail.com
Welcome to our new members...
Barlow Hill Allotment Association
Derby Road Allotments - Eastwood Inkersall Allotments
Langham Gardeners Association
Sinfin Moor Allotment Association
Upper Midway Allotment Society Wollaton U3A Hands on Gardening Group 19 Individuals
Cottesmore Parish Council South Derbyshire District Council
East Midlands Mentor Visit
Calls to 0845 numbers cost 3p (ex VAT) per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge
Out of curiosity, I called into Clarborough and Whelham allotments as I was passing through the area, and to see how they were getting on. This is a site Paul Howgill and I visited around four years ago that was just an overgrown field.
By chance I met one of the committee members, Sue Hartley, who showed me around the site. They seem to be getting on well; the mix of new and old sheds makes the site look like it has been there for a few decades rather than a couple of years. A meadow was planted in the next field with trees.
Here are a couple of pictures – ignore the first plot on the right, the plotholder was unable to tend this as he was stuck in Scotland for the duration of the lockdown.
West Midlands
Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire
REPRESENTATIVE
Mr Tom Terrence
17 Stonefield Close, Walsgrave Keep, Walsgrave, Warks CV2 2PZ 02476 621350 tterrence@btinternet.com
MENTOR
Colin Bedford
West Midlands
0845 261 3672 cbedford.nas@gmail.com
Welcome to our new members...
Binswood Ex Servicemens Allotment Society Brinklow & District Garden and Allotment Association Clifford Chambers Allot Societ
Growing Concern Association
Handsacre & District Allotment Society
School Lane Allotment Association
Shilton Lane Allotment Association
10 Individuals
Baddesley Ensor Parish Council
Doddenhill Parish Council
How our love of allotments is flourishing during the Coronavirus outbreak
Calls to 0845 numbers cost 3p (ex VAT) per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge
How surprised I was when I received
a telephone call from Rosemary, our allotment secretary, informing me
that ITN News wanted to visit our allotments! It all appeared to stem from a little article I had submitted to the NAS during the middle of May about “Allotment life during lockdown” (to try and win £25 of gardening books!). This was then somehow picked up by ITN news, who were interested in coming
to film and interview either a new plotholder and/or someone for whom the plot has literally been a “life-saver” during the coronavirus lockdown. This could be either for their mental health, physical wellbeing, or even just for access to food. Apparently, they wanted to use it in their “Good News item”
that they like to finish off their news bulletins with these days.
We were all very excited, and after a huge amount of stress for our site secretary in organising the session... the first two dates she arranged were cancelled due to appalling weather conditions! Thankfully it was third time lucky! The day in question turned out to be the most perfect day weather wise you could have wished for! The sun certainly came out and showed our plots off beautifully! In fact, because of plotholders having more time on their hands due to lockdown and the lovely weather we all had at the beginning of it, our plots were looking great.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 47