Page 52 - ALG Issue 4 2018

From Sheds to Stately Homes
Quarterly meetings can be full of surprises, and our August meeting at Cheslyn Hay was no exception.
The meeting began with the presentation of a cheque and certificate, on behalf of
the NSALG and Shield Total Insurance, to Mrs Sarah Jones of Bournville for the Shield Best Shed Competition 2018. The cheque and certificate were accepted on behalf of Mrs Jones by Mrs Claire Hickey and her son Rufus, who had both assisted Sarah
in the preparation of her magnificent shed for the competition. (The Shed in question appears on the front cover of this edition of the magazine.)
From the Best Shed we moved onto a presentation by Mr Derek Higott, a gardener from Shugborough Hall, a very much larger ‘shed’. The slide presentation described
the takeover of the property in 2017 by the National Trust, when Staffordshire County Council surrendered early the long lease that they had. With new management, the gardens were rapidly being transformed
and revived using some of the original plans and ideas. The colourful slides highlighted the work that had been done so far, with much more to come before the task is scheduled for completion within a ten-year plan. Every area of the extensive property
is due for an overhaul in the course of
the work. The mushroom tunnels, which featured in ‘Secrets of the National Trust’ with Alan Titchmarsh, are due for restoration as is the extensive walled gardens, once
soil contamination has been dealt with appropriately.
After a short break the business section of the meeting began with the Deputy Regional Representative, John Outhwaite, chairing the meeting.
Comment was made on the fact that 2018 was proving a very challenging year with either too much rain or too much sunshine. To date it has been a very busy year for
the Officers, with the Regional Rep, Tom Terrence, describing the many activities in which he and Mentor Colin Bedford, had been involved. The setting up of self- management, the attempted closure of sites and the establishment of new associations
were keeping them very busy. The Gardeners’ World Live event at the National Exhibition Centre had attracted a large number of volunteers to the stand this year, with some of them going to great lengths and long journeys in order to attend. Even as we were meeting, the event organiser, Riverstreet Promotions, had approached
John Outhwaite requesting even more involvement for 2019.
The date of the Annual General Meeting is 10th November 2018 at 2.00pm at Cambridge Road Methodist Church, School Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B13 9UE. John Mc Nab
West Kidderminster Allotment Society
Hello, we are the Greatfield Road Kidderminster Allotment Society.
We took it upon ourselves to designate a plot on our site to put a temporary cabin on. This was done successfully, then at the AGM two years ago we decided to put four raised beds
at the back of the cabin, in the hope of perhaps getting some elderly or indeed disabled people to use them to grow whatever they like. It has taken us a time and a lot of determination, but finally they are completed. The photo shows our Chairperson, John Lloyd, showing the finished products. We would like to thank all the people involved in the work put into this project, and also to thank Kings Seeds for the donation they made. Cynthia Styles
Secretary
52