Page 51 - ALG Issue 3 2019

Northern
Northumberland, Cumbria and Durham
REPRESENTATIVE
Glen March
77 Wantage Road,
Durham DH1 1LP
0191 3866291, glendonmarch.northernregionrep@gmail.com
MENTOR
Mike Brannigan
Northern
0191 253 1618 mbrannigan.nas@gmail.com
Welcome to our new members...
Bertha Street Allotments
Blackhall & District Allotment Association Friends of Clyde Terrace Community Garden Marsh Terrace Gardens Allotments
Penrith Allotment Association
Station Road Allotment
Woodend Garden Association
4 Individual Members
Strange hybrid at
Redhouse Farm
Allotments
Imagine my surprise as I arrived at my allotment this morning to be greeted by this lovely sight.
At first glance I thought I had managed to cross my lupins with my foxgloves, especially as the flower is exactly the same colour. However, on closer inspection it was just a trick of the wind placing the two flowers together. Still, I managed to catch a few of my fellow plotholders out with my newly bred ‘Foxlupe’.
Colleen Tate
Redhouse Farm Allotments Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Northern Branch Committee: Regional Update
Hello Northern Region,
Some members will be aware and some will not, that our organisation has been going through some troubled times lately. At the heart of the difficulties was the issue of whether our organisation was historically
an independent body, which, whilst affiliated to the National Allotment Society, was not bound by its overall aims, objectives, rules and regulations. Others felt that we had always been a member of the NAS family, accepting grant assistance and guidance from the national body.
You can imagine there were pros and cons for both positions, and passions ran high. In the end, it was decided by a majority of the members present that they definitely wanted to be a part of the National Allotment Society and to operate as the Northern Branch under the standard NAS Regional Constitution. Some members did not agree and have left to do their own thing.
The Annual General Meeting of the National Allotment Society Northern Branch was held in April 2019 and I was elected as the new Chairman, along with my treasurer and several core committee members but we need more expertise to join us. The new branch committee has subsequently met, reviewed the Regional constitution and best practice elsewhere and has put together a forward plan for the
next two years, subject to member ratification.
In future, we would like to get out
and about visiting key regional
shows, directly hearing your views
and attracting new members. The committee is also considering the practicality of hosting our quarterly meetings at different venues throughout the region. The new NAS/ Lantra Training initiative is very exciting, and the committee wishes to support this initiative and ensure that its benefits manifest themselves within our patch. In addition, the committee
is aware of the need to strengthen our communications with members and
to ensure that the unique qualities of the Northern region, its allotments and members are adequately represented in the Society’s quarterly magazine.
There is much more we can look forward to and I would like to hear your views on our forward plan and also your thoughts about how we may serve you better. So please attend our future meetings.
Finally, may I say that, through our difficulties, the NAS Team at Corby and locally have given freely of their good humour, patience, time and advice
and we thank them sincerely. Also, our former Chair Evelyn Leck, who stood down at the Annual General Meeting.
Neal Storey
Chairman, Northern Branch
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 51