Page 12 - ALG Issue 4 2021

Reps Q&A
Terry Dickinson – London Regional Rep
WHAT IS THE BEST THING
than most supermarkets can provide. (I know some great Farm Shops growing and selling wonderful produce, but they are not strictly local). Beetroot with stripes, yellow beetroot, carrots of many colours, Swiss chard almost all year, spinach that saves me a fortune, giant blackberries, large tomatoes, small tomatoes, ugly tomatoes – yes, I know that was all size, colour and cash related BUT they all taste better.
Plus: fresh air, friends, fellowship and FUN.
HOW HAS ALLOTMENTEERING / NAS CHANGED IN THE TIME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED?
I can’t claim to be an old hand.
It was 2002 when I came back to allotmenteering. But even in that relatively short time allotments have been recognised (we already knew this) as jewels of the environment:
Getting an allotment is now one of many peoples’ three most popular life goals (The Guardian)
There are 30,000 people on allotment waiting lists in London (Imperial College London Sept 2020)
“Allotments have the highest insect diversity of any urban habitat – higher than gardens, cemeteries or city parks, higher even than city nature reserves. Allotments teem with life...” (Bristol University study)
“Many allotments produce the equivalent of 20 tons of food per hectare – the main arable farmland crops in the UK, wheat and oilseed rape, produce about 8 and 3.5 tons per hectare respectively.” (Silent Earth, Professor Dave Goulson)
The pandemic and lockdowns have meant that, since becoming London Regional Representative, all meetings with other Regional Reps and HQ Staff have been via Zoom. I look forward to meeting all these wonderful people face-to-face (October, we hope) but
the ease of Zoom has allowed for easy exchange of views and advice on a more frequent basis. We now have a monthly
forum via Zoom, whilst pre-pandemic contacts may have been less frequent.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW PLOTHOLDER?
Start slowly. This is supposed to be fun. No matter how big the weeds are, you can transform your plot in time.
Make a plan. There are many, many books, websites and so on to look at – The NAS website is a great starting point. Talk to your neighbours.
Ask your family what they want you to grow for them to eat.
Buy good tools. You do not need many BUT quality tools are easier to use and last much longer. Sneeboer are my favourite.
FAVOURITE CELEBRITY GARDENER / GARDENING TV SHOW?
Beechgrove Gardens – any glimpse of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
IS THERE A TOOL OR GARDENING PRODUCT THAT YOU COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
My engraved heart-shaped Sneeboer planting trowel – until I recently mislaid it! Volunteers to search are welcome.
IF YOU ARE NOT ON YOUR ALLOTMENT, WHAT OTHER HOBBIES DO YOU ENJOY? Reading my newspaper and the crossword (quick) when I can, preferably with fresh coffee.
Grandchildren and all that entails: skateboarding, body-boarding, football, stories, hide and seek, chasing, cuddling, spending.
SPROUTS OR CARROTS?
I cook a lot, so carrots done many different ways, though my sprouts are growing well right now. I could not conceive of a week without potatoes of some kind or other!
ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
This is a rare chance to be at the start of something new – the first ever London Branch of the NAS. This is a great opportunity to build on the work done by Jeff Barber and the aspirations of Martin Daniels, benefit from the guidance and help from my regional colleagues – to pick up on their success and good work, and to avoid the pitfalls.
WHAT ASPIRATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR REGION?
To help create a vibrant, coherent London Branch that has a clear identity and a recognisable purpose. To improve communication and information sharing across all London allotments. To increase NAS membership across London and to ensure that every Affiliate Member has access to the Members Area on the NAS website
and The Allotment & Leisure Gardener Magazine.
WHAT DEVELOPMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE ALLOTMENT MOVEMENT?
Full recognition of the uniqueness
of allotments. They are not just “important” (GLA London Plan 2017). More land should be made available for new allotments. The Government should take action to reduce the estimated 90,000 people currently on UK allotment waiting lists. “Perhaps a tiny fraction of the £3.5 billion currently given out in farm subsidies in the UK could be diverted to purchase land for allotments?” – Dave Goulson, Silent Earth 2021.
Some London Boroughs (sadly only
a few) have estimated the cost of providing new allotments to meet demand, and the amounts are trifling compared to farm subsidies.
WHAT DOES YOUR ALLOTMENT / GROWING YOUR OWN MEAN TO YOU? I can grow the varieties of fruit and vegetables that I and my family like
to eat, and with a much wider choice
Allotments have the highest insect diversity of any urban habitat – higher than gardens, cemeteries or city parks, higher even than city nature reserves. Allotments teem with life...
12 Allotment and Leisure Gardener