Page 33 - ALG Issue 3 2022

nominated by the London Region. • Rod Weston was awarded the Jim
Tandy Award, nominated by the East Midlands Region which was accepted in his absence by East Midlands regional rep, Paul Howgill.
COMPANY SECRETARY REPORT- LIZ BUNTING LEGAL & OPERATIONS MANAGER
Since our last AGM in June 2021, things have steadily returned to normality
and although Covid 19 has been catastrophic for many businesses, for NAS it has provided the catalyst to strengthen the Society in many ways that we could not have imagined at the start of 2020.
With restrictions in place, it very quickly became apparent that face-to-face events would be curtailed for quite some time. Therefore, we needed to operate
in a different way and all our staff and volunteers embraced working from home and communication via Zoom. For an organisation that has thrived on personal contact with our membership, this has proved a challenge.
Over the last 12 months, government restrictions have gradually been lifted and life is beginning to get back to normal. The pandemic has changed the lives of many and to a certain extent has reshaped the way the organisation is run.
In 2019 we commenced our new five- year Strategic Plan; within this plan we have 8 main areas of concentration:
• Education
• IT
• Retention/Recruitment
• Marketing/Communication •
Government/Legal
• Reward and Recognition
• Development of the Movement • Education Enablement –
Development of People
Our work within Education and Enablement is growing fast. the Parish and Town Council webinars are proving very popular and we are now working with both SLCC and NALC. The NAS will be organising further training for regional officers within 2022 and also have pilots throughout the country for allotment practical growing/gardening training.
As I write my review, our new website is starting to be developed and hopefully, we should be able to launch this in late summer. Our current site was created in 2009/10 and has served the Society well; however, it is very easy with the rapid pace of technical development to fall behind.
Our new website should give additional functionality and be linked to our database. The launch will be phase 1, with additional phases coming in the future to enable a smooth membership experience.
Growing the membership is of great importance not only for the development of the movement but to make our presence in the allotment world really count. Over the last 12 months we
have been delighted to welcome new members as well as returning members. Your support is really appreciated.
Marketing and communication are
of vital importance to the Society. February 2022 saw the retirement of Di Appleyard who had been with NAS for ten years and has contributed to the huge changes within the Society in that time. We have very recently appointed a new Marketing and PR Co-Ordinator, Lauren Lawless. During 2022/23 we shall be expanding the marketing strategy, so look out for future developments within this area.
January 2022 saw the appointment of Dr Deborah Burn as Research and
During 2022, our Patron HRH The Prince
of Wales has given the NAS permission to use the term Platinum Jubilee Allotments for any sites created during the year. Already, we have quite a number being created and are excited at being able to use that name and making a mark in the history of the Queen’s 70-year reign
Development Officer. This position involves a wide variety of developments for the Society. We are currently working on many projects, including a new service for planners and developers to create new allotments within housing developments. Within our Management Committee and Mentors, there is a huge wealth of knowledge and this will be channelled into a service to ensure that, where possible, new allotments are created and laid out correctly in a 21st century design.
Sustainability of the Society is
another area we are working on; the sustainability charter has been created which will lead on to a Sustainability Strategy looking at aspects where NAS can undertake and make an impact.
We continue to respond to Government Consultations, including the Environment, Land Use and Planning; these are the areas most likely to affect allotments in the future and ones where the NAS has to make its voice heard.
During 2022, our Patron HRH The Prince of Wales has given the NAS permission to use the term Platinum Jubilee Allotments for any sites created during the year. Already, we have quite a number being created and are excited at being able to use that name and making a mark in the history of the Queen’s 70-year reign.
Last year for National Allotments Week, we had five webinars on a variety of topics, which were all very well attended and ranged from ‘Gardening on a Shoestring’ to ‘Producing Excellent Compost’. We also had a great deal of press attention, with radio interviews all around the country helping to raise the profile of NAS.
During the year we have had other changes at Head Office. Liz McInally
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 33