Chairman’s Comments

AGM REMINDER

Our AGM will be held at the New Store on Alderman Moores on Thursday 17th January 2008, starting promptly at 7.30 pm. For agenda, see your Sept ‘07 newsletter. The Harry Green Shield for best kept allotment 2007 will be presented under AOB. (see the article about Harry further on). All site keys fit the Alderman Moores’ gate. We hope to see lots of you there.

Three important practical points:-
1. There are only basic toilet facilities, but the meeting is likely to finish by 9pm.
2. Car parking is limited. There are about 25 car parking spaces throughout Alderman Moores so, for people from other sites who don’t know where they are, up till 7.20pm there will be someone at the gate to direct you. Alternatively, park on Ashton Drive. If you can walk or cycle (space for bikes beside the stores), it would be very helpful.
3. As it will be dark, remember your TORCH for walking up to the stores.

SEEDS

There is a wide range of vegetable, herb and flower seeds in the New Store. They are inexpensive and of good quality. Just the thing for those of you who did not place orders or who have realised they are short of a variety!

NEW STORE opening times

By popular demand, the New Store will remain open throughout the winter on weekends and Wednesday mornings.
SATURDAY, SUNDAY and WEDNESDAY 10.30 to 12.00.
If you have never been before, make the effort and be amazed at the variety and value of tools, netting, ground covering plastic, fleece, material which allows water but not light through (so growth without weeds), every type of soil conditioner (buy loose), gardening gloves, weed and bug/slug killers, canes, ties, even wheelbarrows and, of course, seeds.
Have tea or coffee as you peruse the library to find out how to use them all.
Bower Ashton Store
Now closed for the winter and will re-open mid-February (notice on site gates will give date nearer the time). More volunteers to help will be welcome – please contact Roy Davis on Bristol 963 2102 or 07814 141 927. Many thanks to all who offered to help following the last newsletter item.

COMMITTEE CHANGES

Some jobs and responsibilities on the committee have been re-allocated. Stan Morgan is now responsible for seed ordering and Dave Brice will deal with all other store purchases. Bob Corfield has taken over as Treasurer. Phil Cass returns to the committee as Maintenance Manager, and will cover all general areas that are not the responsibility of plotholders, plus sheds, gate locks and minor security repairs. He will work through site reps.

HEALTH & SAFETY

I was very concerned about health and safety on the site when I saw a member throwing petrol on a fire with his small son standing by his side! (flames can travel back up the vapour to the can with appalling consequences – luckily all was well in this case).

The Committee has now carried out a Risk Assessment. The details are available here. The resulting Health + Safety Summary is already on this web site and will go on site gates. Please don’t dismiss it as ‘just common sense’, but think about the points carefully as it’s sometimes easy to miss the obvious.

FIRES

Whilst fires are not banned at the moment, if billowing smoke affects the public or other members, we may have to impose a site ban. Remember that many people suffer from respiratory diseases, which makes smoke extremely dangerous to them. So please use a fire as a last resort - only when there’s no wind, and only when the material is dry.
The problem is the attempted burning of damp or green material, and shows an ignorance bordering on arrogance. Members who do this are antisocial and could not only find themselves ostracised by their neighbouring plot holders, but face a substantial fine if the public are affected.

Far better to compost the material, or take diseased material, horse tail or convolvulus roots home to the bin! Think about the environmental issues as well (see later on).

GREAT CRESTED NEWTS

We have Great Crested Newts on Alderman Moores! These little lizard-like creatures are a protected species (on the ‘Red List’ as endangered). They are up to 16 cm in length, the body is dark-brown to black with a warty appearance. The underside is bright orange with individual black markings. Females have an orange line on the tail. Juveniles are like females but may have a yellow stripe along the back.

They hibernate at the first sign of frosts by burrowing into heaps of leaves or grasses or underground and in compost bays. This makes them vulnerable when digging, especially with a spade. In Spring they mate and use ponds or damp areas but they avoid fish which can eat their eggs. Otherwise they spend their nocturnal time hunting insects in damp places. They can live to 27!

They are ‘good guys’ so we should protect them for that alone. For pictures and details see www.arkive.org/species/ARK/amphibians/Triturus_cristatus

OFFICIAL AMNESTY !

On a few plots, it has become apparent that the legal tenant has moved on without telling us and other people have paid the rent and carried on working the plot. This is in breach of the Tenancy Agreement Second Schedule item 5, and should result in the termination of the tenancy (clause [3]3(b)). However, as a one off amnesty to regularize the situation, we are prepared to issue a Tenancy Agreement in the new name, provided you identify yourself to the Secretary or Chairman by the 31st January 2008. After this date, anyone occupying the plot in place of the named tenant will be removed, possibly with the further consequence of being precluded from any allotment in the Bristol area. (Friends are allowed to help/share, but if the named tenant stops being active, the plot must be surrendered. Put yourself on waiting list, with explanation, if this is likely).

SITE INSPECTIONS - A Warning

We are going to be tough in the forthcoming site inspections. There is a long waiting list and it seems fairer to give new people a go, rather than allow people who rarely visit their plot and who do not appear to take much pride in it, to lurch on – and we want to give new people as long a crack at the growing season as possible.

So, if you haven’t already started preparing the ground for the next growing season, gird your loins and get ready at the first window of opportunity. Any primary digging (turning over the soil to bury weeds, and remove perennial weeds) should be finished by roughly mid to end March, to allow time for the soil to settle and re-establish its structure, before secondary digging (preparing the surface for seeds) later in the year.

If you operate a no-dig bed system, we will need to see evidence of defined beds and paths

We will be having the first round of site inspections in March in order to identify plots that need attention. Site reps will keep an eye on plots between inspections and report to the committee.

Please, if you feel you have taken on too much, or if you are not able to go down as often as you need, resign your plot and go on the waiting list for a plot at a later date when you are able to put in the hours. Also, if there is a temporary reason why you are not able to work your plot (e.g. operation), please tell your site rep, so that they know the reason why little is apparently being done and can tell the site inspection team that there are extenuating circumstances. But obviously it is important to let your site rep know roughly how long you will be incapacitated and to keep them up to date with progress.

IN MEMORIAM
It is with deep regret that I report the death of Alan Young of Bower Ashton. For many years we were familiar with Alan’s speech through a throat device, while he kept chickens and gardened Plot 2. His widow Barbara hopes to maintain the plot.

Ever popular, and the strong man of the Committee, our President, Mike Stephens, died at 1.30 pm on Saturday the 8th December after an unexpected short illness. He will be desperately missed by everyone. Our condolences to Kath and his family. A full report in the next Newsletter about this remarkable man.

Bob Franks

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HwDAA Newsletter

December 2007