Page 58 - ALG Issue 4 2022

London
London
REPRESENTATIVE
Terry Dickinson
07789 485331 tdickinson.nas@gmail.com
MENTOR
Grant Smith
London
0845 478 6351 grantsmith.nas@gmail.com
Calls to 0845 numbers cost 3p (ex VAT) per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge
London needs
your help!
London Regional Rep’s book recommendation
‘DANCING WITH BEES - A JOURNEY BACK TO NATURE’ BY BRIGIT STRAWBRIDGE HOWARD
Published by Chelsea Green Publishing – first published in 2019
We all love bees, don’t we?
Quote “...a recent study from Bristol University, based on data collected from around the UK, found that allotments had a higher insect diversity of any urban habitat – higher than gardens, cemeteries, or city parks, higher even than city nature reserves. Allotments teem with life, probably the result of their higgledy- piggledy nature, with a huge diversity of crops and flowers being grown, some fallow and weedy plots, old decaying sheds, fruit trees and currant bushes, compost heaps, occasional ponds and more.”
That quote is from ‘Silent Earth – the insect apocalypse’ by Professor Dave Goulson, a book I have recommended many times before and quote from unashamedly all the time.
Dave Goulson is among the luminaries that recommend we read ‘Dancing with Bees’ by Brigit Strawbridge Howard.
He is joined in his recommendations by Kate Bradbury, John Lewis-Stempel, Isabella Tree, Matthew Wilson (BBC4 Gardeners Question Time)
and many more wonderful commentators.
Please read this book – you will enjoy it.
If you are reading this article then I am flattered and relieved – though also slightly frustrated.
You, dear Reader, are not the target audience. You already read Allotment & Leisure Gardener (ALG) magazine.
However, you are probably in a position to help reach the intended audience
– quiet, unobtrusive, industrious and beavering away on their plots – all those Affiliate Members who do not get to see a copy of the Magazine, do not know their login to the Members Area on the NAS website, and have never learnt that they can get the magazine delivered at a ridiculously low price, view it online, and much, much more.
I am also the Secretary of a relatively small Allotment Society. I know how difficult it is to distribute the bulk delivery of the magazine amongst remote members. My own experience is not unique – especially if there is no ‘Community Hut’ – so I imagine other secretaries struggle as well. In fact, I know they do.
May I ask all of you who receive bulk deliveries of the ALG to review your distribution arrangements?
For the many of you that are successful then please accept my grateful thanks. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” ( Bert Lance USA 1977 )
If you have any doubts that the ALG is not reaching as many of your members as it could or should then perhaps the help of colleagues could be requested, both for advice and actual help. It is vitally important that ALL members and affiliate members get a chance to read the ‘House Magazine’.
THE NAS WEBSITE:
Then we come to the Members login. Do all your fellow members know their
login and password to the Members Area on the NAS website?
Are they reminded (say, each year) of your society/association own login and password?
In our (happily now increasing) visits to allotments throughout London, myself and the London Committee Team too often encounter Affiliate Members who remain ignorant of the benefits open to them and unaware of the ALG or their login.
Therefore, can I ask all secretaries, chairmen, committee members to redouble efforts to let their members obtain their login to buy, view, download all the good stuff that is available. There is more good stuff on the way!
ALL plotholders can help here! If you are seeing the magazine and/or know your Society login, then please check that your neighbour has the same benefits as you.
Furthermore, if any London Affiliate Member does not know their login
and password to their Membership Area then, apart from your own secretary, you can get in touch with me. I will happily give their own login and password to any member or affiliate member.
The wider the readership of our magazine, the more frequent the logins on our website and Members Area,
the more powerful a case we have
to present to advertisers, partners
and suppliers. This gives potential to improve the offers that the NAS can make to the members.
If anyone has any questions about the above, then please give me a call 07789 485331.
Terry Dickinson
Welcome to our new members...
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58 Allotment and Leisure Gardener