Topic: Time for a change

[mpdjulie]

This Tuesday our allotment site is holding an AGM and they are going to be choosing a new committee.  My husband and I are both very keen to be on the committee.  Currently our committee is made up of four – I think.  There is only one person who is active on the committee.  All the rest make excuses to not go to the meetings and to take on site duties, so this poor fellow has to do it all himself.  He works away a lot so the site isn’t what it could be.  My husband and I want to make more out of the site and have quite a few ideas.  I want to take on the running of the shop which is only open most Sundays for an hour and a half.  You can’t blame the man who runs it, as I said he only has so many pairs of hands. 
I was wondering what sort of things others sell in site shops and what kind of prices can I get away with to make as much money as possible for the kitty. 
Our site is what I would call run down.  No proper designated paths, no water, dilapidated fencing, full of grass, brambles, weeds, no toilets etc… so there is a lot to be done.
Getting water would be a start as that seems to be a major problem to most would be plot holders.  But it costs so much!!  I was thinking of applying for a lottery grant but I’m not sure if that would be successful.   
Our site isn’t what you would call council run as we lease the land from the council and we don’t belong to any official allotment body.

If any one has any useful suggestions as to how their site makes money and also the running of a shop query I would be most interested.

Julie

[caroline7758]

Sorry can't help as we don't have any kind of committee, water, shop or anything laid on, really! But I think to get a lottery grant you have to raise half the funds yourselves, but I may be wrong.

[Trevor_D]

I wasn't quite sure how to go about answering this one - there's a lot more queries here than just how to stock a shop!

To get that one out of the way first - I haven't a clue, because we don't have one! But when I go to shop at our nearby one in Harrow - on Flighty's site - folk seem to be buying consumables, and because they're cheap.

But your site generally does seem to need a bit of a shake-up. My first question would be: is it just you who thinks that, or are there a few others who are thinking along similar lines? If it's just you - forget it. But if you can get a like-minded team around you, then go for it!

My priorities from your list would be to get the fencing sorted - to keep out intruders - and to get land cultivated. Get some cheap builders' fencing and get some working parties going. Put yourselves about and get a waiting list, then you can get plots let & cultivated and put pressure on those who have land and aren't doing anything with it. Get some community spirit and pride.

Toilets? A low priority. Water? A major one.

Yes, it could attract Lottery funding, but you wouldn't get it until you're a lot more organised. We've just got funding to put in a composting toilet, having seen to the fencing, put in gates & a car park, let plots, re-vamped the water system and done outreach work with schools. It took us a year to research the project and fill in the form. But the project itself is only part of it; they will only give you the grant if you can assure them you can deliver. You need to be properly constituted and run, and the finances must be sound. (In our case, the Society is coming up to its centenary, our accounts are audited, and we are regulated by the FSA, so that bit was comparatively straightforward.)

They may consider you for a grant if they can see that you are soundly run and have been pulling yourselves up, so - for the moment - I would consider that bit of prime importance. Investigate the lease from the council and see how you stand. Affiliate yourself to both NSALG and your local allotments federation. Make links with local organisations. Get the bank account sorted. Make sure you have a proper constitution. (The Lottery fund will ask to see it.)

Sort out what you can do yourselves and what you may get grants for. And remember - in most cases they will only give you a grant to install something you don't already have, not to upgrade something existing.
We put in for a grant a couple of years back to re-vamp the water system: no way, because we already had water. Similarly, we put in for a grant to erect decent fencing so that we could then have our ancient hawthorne hedge professionally coppiced & re-laid: no fence, because we already had a hedge, even though they liked the general idea!

As you gather, it's hard work - we've been at it for three years now, but I think we're getting there. Some of the site still looks a mess, but we've got enthusiasm and ideas coming from the members. They help with working parties: in the last few weeks we've done working parties to re-vamp the trenches, a local Fun Day and a couple of visits from a local Primary School; in the next few we've got a plant sale at the other local school's Summer Fair, two hedge-cutting sessions, a general tidy-up weekend and our centenary BBQ.

Sorry I can't help much with the shop bit, but if you want a bit more detail on the other stuff, get in touch.

[Flighty]

Right this is just some of what my horticultural society sells...
Packets of flower and vegetable seed (from Kings Seeds), bamboo canes (in 10's), m/p compost (small & large), horse manure, mushroom compost, gro-bags, plastic pots and seed trays; bags of chicken pellets, blood fish & bone and various fertilizers most of we re-bag into smaller (around 2kg) bags; slug pellets, weed killer, seed potatoes, onion sets, various bulbs, gloves, string, watering cans, bird food and lots lots more!
The compost, etc. is a once a year bulk delivery in Feb/Mar which this year was 15 pallets worth.
Most are priced at what we buy it for plus a percentage to cover overheads/running costs as we're a non-profit making organisation.
We also sell some plants and vegetables, and other assorted items, which members donate with the money going to local charities.
PM me if you have any specific queries and I'll be happy to help if I can.