Tyne and Wear People?

[betula]

Rixy,on my last allotment I took over a plot that was deemed deralict
I cleared it and enjoyed it.Sadly had to give it up as I moved.Good luck

[Rixy]

I have been given 12 months rent free on the allotment and boy will I need it.  Am fortunate enough to have a friend with a petrol strimmer  with blade attachments which i managed to borrow today.  Managed to chop most of the weeds down only to find that people have been using it as a bin for their empty drinks cans, bottles, faeces in plastic bags the works .  However, the first pass has been made and I can now more or less see the ground, tomorrow I will rake all the weeds down to one end, clear as much of the debris up as i can and then make a second pass with the strimmer, wish me luck, I'm going to need it.

[Rixy]

Well, here we are 2 years down the line and an update I think is now called for.  Through the hard work of my wife and myself our plot is now looking something like a proper allotment, it is far from being the finished article that I wanted it to be but at least someone can move onto there tomorrow and start growing something.   

Yes, I've decided I'm going to trade that plot for one which has recently been vacated.  In spite of all the hard work of putting up the fence, making beds out of compacted and poor conditioned soil, making raised beds and cutting terraces into the slope that my plot is situated on, putting up two greenhouses and a shed and putting compost bins in place, having had successes and some failures, I'm prepared to take on another (although this time a much) lesser neglected plot. 

I have selfish reasons for doing so, it's a flat plot, it is on the main pathway in from the entrance and it has a dilapidated potting shed and combined greenhouse that although a health and safety hazard and should carry a danger of collapse warning attached to it, I covet.

So to pastures new, I'm moving from the bottom of the hill to the top, five plots between my new and what will become my "old" one so I'll be able to keep a close eye on how that one continues to hopefully take shape.

Many other things are different now too,  North Tyneside completed and published their "Allotment Strategy" last year and have started implementing some of the recommendations.  My relationship with the Allotment Officer is on a much better footing and I now understand the problems he faced and indeed continues to face. 

So the poacher has turned gamekeeper as I've agreed to become the "Lettings Rep" for the site.   I've had a couple of very informative talks with "the boss" and have had a very productive walk around whereby we managed to agree on areas of neglect amongst  other general problems of outdated signage, fly tipping and dumping, security, pest control et al.

So there we have it a concise update with only one more thing to add -

I won't apologise for my initial thoughts and postings on this thread, they where the thoughts and feelings I had at the time.  2 years down the line and I can honestly say they wouldn't be the postings I would make today, I've had a little insight into things, I've now seen how things work and met the person who tries to keep it all together, from having a perception of someone dodging responsibility and not caring I can now see I was well wide of the mark and that the opposite was in fact true.

[Aylana]

Hello all.  Some interesting posts on this thread!  I've just moved into the Wallsend area last month and am about to put my name down for an allotment.  It seems like there is a long waiting list still though.  Any feedback on which sites are best/have the shortest waiting lists is welcomed!  I'll update with which ones I put my name down for and how long it takes etc.