new secretary

[deboydoyd]

I have just taken over as secretary of our site by default really, no one else wanted to do it. We have 23 plots, the site is quite neglected a nd run down, and I am seeking advice as to where to start to regenerate the site. I've started by getting rid of folks who hadn't touched their plots for up to 2 years (!) and getting new people on. I've been told if we set up an association we can apply for grants/funding. i have £21 in the petty cash tin, the council will only give us one skip a year, and we had that last week and filled it in half a day. Any advice gratefully received

[manicscousers]

we all pay a fee to be an association member, for that, we get a set of keys, manure delivered, pallets for raised beds, compost heaps, etc..
we have 'working sundays' ,once a month, the weekend after our meeting.. everyone turns up and helps clear the area, bring up flags and ash, fix stuff that needs it and we all have a big breakfast after, supplied by the association, surprising what sausages and bacon can do 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Try phoning local garden contractors. They have to pay to take material to the tip, so you may well find one that would appreciate being able to give you grass cuttings and dead leaves.

[deboydoyd]

Thanks. That leads to more questions manicscousers - how do you pay for the manure delivered, set of keys to what ? and how do you cook breakfast on an allotment ?

[manicscousers]

let's see, we have a committee, secretary, treasurer, chairman, couple of hangers on, or wives 
chairman knows a farmer, he'll deliver the muck, chairman collects the money(we have a bank account), pays the farmer
we have keys to the gates(grant paid for a huge fence), large communal shed(grant paid for), own shed (grant paid for)
breakfast, we have an old camping stove in the shed and a bbq, sausages and bacon on the barbie, eggs and beans on the stove, does the job 

[saddad]

You must be mad... I've been treasurer for a decade but we have burnt out at least five secretaries!!! 

[deboydoyd]

so what if plotholders don't want to be in the association ? Suppose they have to be to get in the gates ...
So how do I form an association to get grants ? We have council-provided fencing and gates, and new plot holders get a key to the gates free. Our sheds are our own responsibilty and all falling to pieces. The communal shed needs clearing out... There is a commitee of me, and a couple of people are vaguely interested in the site but not enough to help.

[ceres]

I guess it's different between a council and a private site.  On our site, new people pay a joining fee and a key deposit as well as the annual rent.  You also have to pay a deposit to put a shed up.  We have a little shop that sells canes, nets, bonemeal etc. etc  and a cafe for teas and coffees with donated homebaking.  These are open for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning run by volunteers and the profits go into site funds.

There is a seedling sale every year for which we all donate our spare seedlings / plants / produce.  There are a couple of socials on site each year wiith donated produce, competition prizes etc.  Any useful stuff left behind on evicted plots is claimed by the committee and auctioned/sold for site funds.  We do the work party thing that manicscousers mentioned.   We've just recently held an EGM to adopt a constitution so that we can apply for grants - not at all overdue, the allotments have only been in existence since 1921!

We pay for skips out of site funds - we have one in the spring and one in the autumn.  Plotholders pay for their own manure.  We have an arrangement with a farmer who delivers to your plot £50 for 4 tonnes.  We don't have to pay for water as we pump it up from underground with old-fashioned cast iron pumps.

[grawrc]

My site sounds a bit like Ceres' although we don't have a joining fee and do have an initial fee of £10 if you have a shed or greenhouse on the lot when you take it on. The committee is elected annually at the AGM. There are 9 of us (there are almost 100 plots): chair, vice chair, secretary(me), treasurer, allocation officer and 4  non-office bearers. We have monthly meetings, working parties and organise social events, competitions and seed swaps. So far we have brought 4 derelict plots back into cultivation this year. My job is mainly minute and letter writing although I find there's a lot of politics involved too and I often need to be about to sort disputes and calm folk down.

[Trevor_D]

You need to get a group of like-minded people around you, to act as a Committee. We have a Committee of nine - I'm Secretary - plus the three small-holders who share our site. And we've found that the key things for success are: a) a waiting-list, because that means you can put pressure on those folk who just pay their annual cheque and don't actually bother to turn up; and b) communication, which in our case means a newsletter (delivered or posted) every few weeks, plus a lot of walking around talking to people.

And yes, there's a lot of politics involved. And a lot of meetings: we've had meetings with the local councillor, the residents' association, the community police, our landlord, the council, etc, etc, etc....

It's very time-consuming! Good luck!

[manicscousers]

we only have us as there are only 12 plots 
but, we've managed to get 4 grants in the last 4 years, so lots of improvements, as Trevor says, you do need enthusiastic people, and you need not to get fed up when you're let down 

[grawrc]

Yes we put out a newsletter every 2 months and are hoping to set up a website. i'm currently trying to organise some winter talks for the dark days when those of us that work never see anyone. A good chance to get together and socialise and a good chance for sharing of skills.

Manics I'd love to get the lowdown on how to get grants. We'd like at least one communal shed and composting toilets but there's no way we can afford them without a grant.

[ceres]

We built a composting toilet for not very much money at all.  It's a single room with 2 chambers, one is always closed off.  We have 200+ plots and it's enough.  Ours is brick built with a tiled roof.  I think we had to buy the bricks but pretty much everything else was recycled and the work was all done by plotholders. 

[grawrc]

Any chance of some more detail on that Ceres? You can pm me if you like rather than taking over this thread.

[manicscousers]

that's one of the things we're looking at, ceres, any chance of a picture or two ? 
Anne, we had grants from the lottery fund, there's one going at the mo, allotments are eligible,
 Tel: 01636 670046
Fax: 01636 670001
Email: jryder@rswt.org
also this link is for allotment regeneration initiative, they have details of grants and things, hope this helps 
www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari

 

[Teena]

Very  interesting subject

just like the first guy I have taken over as secretary of our association  - only since april but it seems to be taking over my life some days
on the upside i now know almost all of them by name and they definately know me 
ours is a private site of over 100 plots with about 70 plotholders and all our plots are let for this year
our main problem is we only have a hedge around us and the local yobs keep coming in and breaking to sheds or damaging polys most of it is mindless and very disheartening    i have been asked to look at what fundings available
manics suggestion for help looks quite good as far i've run off so much i've run out of ink
never mind shops open sundays don't they?
cheers teena

[manicscousers]

just make sure you stress how much the community will benefit, we do plant sales, sell excess veggies, supply neighbours, are involved with schools and special needs projects..there are some wierd questions come up 

[ceres]

that's one of the things we're looking at, ceres, any chance of a picture or two ?

I just pm'd grawrc about it and sent her the same link you gave!  Great minds, eh!

I've just got a new digital camera and haven't got it hooked up to the computer yet, but (technology permitting!) I'll try to get it sorted over the next few days and post some pics of our 'throne room'.  I might need some help!

Interesting point you make about getting grants, the naysayers on the site reckon it's a waste of effort applying because it's not 'for the benefit of the community'.  I think you proved them wrong.

[manicscousers]

we had the same sort of 'not a chance' miseries before, we've had 4 grants, average 4,000 , they've changed their minds and are getting involved now 

[deboydoyd]

This is all really interesting, and I think the main problem with our site is definately lack of money. I'm going to speak to the council about charging at least a nominal fee for keys etc. And although from our 23 plots, I can count on one hand people who would be supportive (and one who is downright b****y awkward) if I can cobble some sort of commitee together. At the moment plotholders pay £18 a year to rent a plot, and £2 a year for petrol for the mower for the communal paths. Even another tenner would get us 2 skips a year...