Page 36 - ALG Issue 4 2021

Northern
Northumberland, Cumbria and Durham
REPRESENTATIVE
MENTOR
Mike Brannigan
Northern
0191 649 2542 mbrannigan.nas@gmail.com
10 Years of progress at Cullen Allotments
In January 2011 Cullen Community Allotment Association took possession of its allotment site and started the transformation of a muddy field into
a township of plots and huts. The site has 22 plots of 9 by 18 metres, and 13 plots of 9 by 9 metres. There are also four raised box beds 2.4 by 1 metres, and a communal polytunnel with 14 bays at 1.8 metres long. The allotment site and association are self-managed by officers and a committee appointed by members at the AGM held each autumn. All the plots are leased and there is a growing waiting list. Being self-managed imposes responsibilities, but also provides opportunities. We
are responsible for maintaining the
site with rotas for mowing, strimming and site tidying, and there are working parties for other projects.
The association has actively pursued funding opportunities and has been fortunate in receiving funding for site development projects which, over
the past 10 years, have included the raised box beds, a composting toilet, moving site taps, grass reinforcing mesh on paths, a profile metal roof, solar powered LED lighting and ramp access for the site portacabin, a pergola outdoor meeting space, and, most recently, the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme funded a solar powered mains supply for power tools and to recharge battery powered equipment.
During 2021 we borrowed a digger and made a pond in an unused boggy area of the allotment site to encourage our biodiversity. Within two weeks we saw our first frog in the water and had
dragonflies flitting about looking for somewhere to rest.
Community involvement by the association includes help with the town flowers and, in 2019, participating in a ‘plot to plate’ project to develop
a pathway to growing food locally, understanding the impact of food
on wellbeing and teaching basic cooking techniques through cooking demonstrations in the Cullen Community Centre. Unfortunately, Covid-19 disrupted the project and Cullen’s volunteering resources were diverted to help the community in other ways.
Covid-19 and lockdown in 2020 changed a lot at the allotment site; social distancing and sanitising rules kept people safe while the social and wellbeing benefits of participating in allotment life was felt by everyone. Those not having to self-isolate were frequent visitors, everyone with a tale to tell of friends and family they were unable to visit, and holidays and events postponed or cancelled. Committee meetings were, and still are, held over
The Moray Firth coast is the sunniest place in Scotland, so some things do quite well and, all of sudden, there will be a glut of soft fruit,
things do quite well and, all of sudden, there will be a glut of soft fruit, salads, cucumbers and courgettes. The area
is known for its seed tatties (potatoes) and each plotter will have their favourite variety. Brassicas do well but have
to be protected from the predations
of pigeons and the on-site plump pheasant, which come Christmas time starts looking a bit nervous. All this plot productivity is no doubt helped by the seemingly inexhaustible supply
of manure delivered in large bogies (trailers) by local farmers.
2021 and the allotment association celebrates its 10th anniversary. If enthusiasm and levels of participation are maintained there are many enjoyable plotting years ahead.
Bruce Edelsten, Chair, Cullen Community Allotment Association
Zoom. salads,
Welcome to our new members...
Sneckyeat allotment Association 7 Individuals
Growing fruit and vegetables on the Moray Firth coast in the northeast
of Scotland is, inevitably, different compared to somewhere further south; the growing season is shorter so greenhouses and polytunnels
are used to start plants and to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, etc. The soil stays cold for longer and the first sowing of root vegetables may fail. But the Moray Firth coast is the sunniest place in Scotland, so some
cucumbers and courgettes
36 Allotment and Leisure Gardener