Allotments 4 All

This is maybe the wrong place to place this so please Dan if you wish to put this in a different section please I would not be offended.

I have just gone over the edge. My IBS is getting the better of me!

I am the Secutary to my allotment site and I cannot GET DOWN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to ask my farther to go down and help me with site checks. My farther and brother placed and erected a loverly 12 by 8 greenhouse on my plot which I was going to use to
grow my crops on site, but some sod decided to take all of my lights (Glass) and leave me without a door and greenhouse. The site was trashed and so was I. I have never been so gutted in all of my life thinking that my farther and brother have spent there time constructing something that was exerlent from Nothing and to have it STOLEN hurts me. I would not mind if some mindless whats it head smashed all my glass. I would be anoid and angry but these things happen. I have been on that site for about 10 years and never have I been subjected to such vandalism. NEVER! All the sheds where broken into and all trashed including mine. My farther tried to secure my shed so I could keep a porta poti in it so if there was an ocasion I needed it I could use it.

Its not safe for that now

I will never GIVE UP NEVER

I will have a Robisons GLASSHOUSE ON SITE!
NO b@st@rd is going to get me off!

Sorry

the_snail

PS It took me 4 years to turn a derelict site into a site that has a long waiting list and I did that from my own gumsion and pleasure. I like my site and my first priority is my tenents who are under the council.

Sorry to hear about your problem i just hope the peeps who did it have a real bad life. >:(

Gutted for you snail - and I am with you on the 'never give up'

Don't let the b+stards grind you down.

((((hugs)))) so sorry hun, we had a break in this week, they where after the pumkins :(
We are not allowed sheds on this new plot as it encourages the idiots to break in !!!

I am saddened for you too SS, this sort of thing can be so painful to witness. At the very least, you know it was not personal, for all the plots were hit. My attitudes on this have been in print elsewhere, and upset other members, so I will not reiterate them here.

I am impressed by your resolve, it is so easy to become disillusioned and chuck the fork in ...

Derekthefox

So sorry Snail to hear of your vandalism problems  :'( :'( :'(  I hope you catch them as there's every chance they'll be back.   :(

Sorry Snail, you have my best wishes for your future endeavours!! more power to your elbow!! These selfish individuals have no moral fibre whatsoever, and the only words of comfort i can offer is -

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!!

Maybe not in the same vein, but the Lord has a marvellous way of evening things out!!!

All the best

KevB

Snail, big hugs from me, pleased to hear you won't let them make you give up, sounds like you have created a fantastic site.

They'll get theirs. B@stards

Hugs from me too, snail.  Keep your chin up, perhaps you can get some others on the site to volunteer for extra checks to increase the security?

Some people just have no respect.

Sooooooo sorry snail, words fail me, couldn't even begin to imagine how I would react in that situation  *shakes head in sorrow* ...wouldn't be any local developers showing an interest in the site by any chance ? .... nah , just my paranoia  ....     {:¬ (

Makes you want to leave paraquat in a half full brandy bottle..
The swine.

We've just been hit for the second time this year. They took the lock and hasp off my shed door this time. Scattered stuff about. Mindless.

This 'brave new lifestyle' of ours??

So sorry to hear your news. You must be gutted but it's good you're not giving up otherwise these low lives have won. Thinking of you.

It is really terrible when honest hardworking people cannot enjoy what they have created..The mind boggles. I have a large grass come lawn area at the side of my bungalow. I am not allowed to put a fence but I was allowed to put short posts with a rope looped between each post. Did it all properly ie metal thingies on bottom of posts (quite expensive) it looked quite neat. Then the kids started shredding the rope, have twice renewed it. Thursday I just arrived home and one of the kids was doing his best to break the rope and drag it through the posts. I shouted at him. BUT BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE MOTHER WAS WALKING JUST IN FRONT AND DID'NT BAT AN EYE LID!!  As soon as my son gets a minute we are going to replace rope with straining wire (not nearly as nice looking) Oh well  what chance for the kids with parents like that. Lorna.

Sorry to hear that Snaily.  Charlie (partially blind,96 and on state pension only) had his seeds nicked today.  Also the cloches that he made himself from chicken wire with his knarly arthritic hands.  I could have killed the buggers.  He now has no seeds to plant and has to reply on a lift from a well meaning plottie to get more.  I hate people like that.   Grrrrr !!!!!

I am so sorry to hear your news SS.  It is just so soul destroying when this happens, after all your hard work. It makes you sick! When you build  something good that is life enhancing to have people come along and destroy it, just knocks your faith in humanity, but you just can't let people like that win.  I do believe what goes around comes around, and they will get their commupance in the end.  Glad you aren't giving in, to do so would let those pathetic scraps win. Support and sympathy to you.  :( >:( busy_lizzie

It's all been said, SS, so I can only repeat how sorry I am that this has happened to you.  We get so possessive of our lotties after all the work we put in there and so the hurt is even deeper than "normal" vandalism I feel.  Hope your sense of outrage carries you through and that nothing of this kind ever comes your way again.

Baggy, that sucks! If you ask your elderly friend for a complete list of the seeds  he had stolen and pm me the list, I'll mail you replacements ( Fothergills/Johnsons ).

Very sorry to hear of all the mindless destruction SS.
It must be sole destroying to see all your efforts layed to waste.
Get the local paper involved with pictures of the damage, it might get more people keeping an eye on who/ whats going on down there.
keep fighting back.

Good for you DJ - I was thinking the same thing as I read Baggy's message.  Perhaps if Baggy could let the group know the list we could divide up the replacements, and maybe add some stuff that was on his wishlist?  Haven't done my ordering yet, so I could certainly stretch to a few extras.

Snail - 'fork' the little so and sos  ;D  Really though, chin up and think of next season  :)

Baggy. As the saying goes "The show must go on" especially for your OAP who had things stolen. PLEASE count me in on anything that is required to bring a little bit of sunshine and to let him know it (hopefully) is only a minority of people who deserve the name of SCUM. Please PM me . Lorna.

Guys - you lot are too sweet.  I sent OH down this morning with over 1/2 my pack of aquadulce and he said he nearly cried !  Went on to say he had looked everywhere for them locally (can only get local as he relies on lifts from good hearted friends).  Must admit they are a bit thin on the ground round here.  I know it's his absolute fave as he can freeze one person portions and it was him who recommended it.  If you do have any spares I would pass them onand he can have a full compliment.  He normally does 2 types of b/bean but cant remember the other.  It overwinters if that helps.  Also anything that is 'pensioners' veg - i.e. freezable and does not crop in a huge glut.  I will ask what else got nicked and let you guys know if I cant replace it.
Thanks again - I was welling up too when I saw your posts.     xx

I have just come from my plot, - it is very soggy there today.  I have found there has been another incident, the third in the last month. First had some of my pumpkins stolen and kicked around, then last week had my back fence burnt to a cinder, and this week they have broken into my greenhouse and have obviously been doing a druggy drinky thing there.  There is graffiti smeared inside my greenhouse too and they have trampled some of my leeks.  It does make me nervous every time I go to the plot as I wonder what I will find next, and I live in a comfortable middle class area.  >:( :( busy_lizzie

Hi busy-lizzie. It doesn't appear that "nice areas" or "rough areas" make any difference nowadays. You must be feeling really low, what are these scumbags like?  There doesn't seem  a way out of these problems. I just hope these incidents will not be repeated on your plot. Best wishes to you. Lorna.

Well I hear they're going to bring back some form of punishment in schools, hope that it includes helping people on allotments!! Especially OAP's on their Saturdays off!!
Now that would be a nice idea, it would also be a way for them to realise the effort that goes in!!
And by the way, Accrington Stanley are going to win the FA Cup!!  ::) ::)

Cheers KevB

Me too baggy, even us poor students can stretch to a couple of quid for your friend in a situation like this.  I haven't opened my Dobies spinach yet either, not sure if it's too late to sow now though. PM me.

Baggy - could you possibly give a list of seeds?  I'm new to this (I don't know what aquadulce is!! :-[) and so need a bit of guidance.  I'd hate to order something he couldn't really use/ wrong time of year etc.  I could pm you with a list of what I've got hanging around if that would help, but I'm hoping to do a seed order this weekend with my brother so could add some things then, if you could just give me an idiot's guide to what!!

Sorry to hear that Snail. Glad you are keeping going though.

Baggy I've pm'd you.

Baggy - have pm'd you a list.

Thank you for your kind comments. I do not normally post things like this but it came to the point where I had enough of my situation and the series of events which have hit me over this year.

I cannot understand what compelse people to commit such mindless and thoughtless acts of vandalism and theft. Still after reading this forum I am not the only person affected by this ever increasing problem. I just feel very sorry for people on here who have also been affected because I know first hand how you must feel. Still there is always next year and plenty of space to put another greenhouse. My main priority is to improve the security on the allotment site and work with the tenents and council to achieve that.

Again thank you all for your kind words.

The_Snail

If anyone gets their council to agree to put fencing up, please try and find out what they're proposing before it gets done. A few years ago, our council gave us 6ft chainlink fencing which is neither use nor ornament. One snip with a pair of pliers and the whole thing can be undone. We've just erected , at our own expense, weldmesh fencing ( and razor wire ) which only costs about the same so should have been the choice in the first place.

For information, 6ft high 3mm thick 50mm x 50mm galvanised weldmesh cost £380 + vat per 100 M, similar sized pvc coated chainlink costs £340 +vat. A large part of the cost of chainlink is the pvc coating which doesn't help security. The weldmesh would require 36 cuts with bolt croppers to come apart.
The razor wire cost £170 +vat per 100m.

So if your council offers to put up chainlink, it's worth finding the extra £47 per 100 M to have them put in weldmesh.

I hope to have palistrade or secutiry fencing erected on site. Eventually. The council is not funding it. I have to apply for an outside funding.

The_Snail

I knew nothing about allotments until I found this site and started gardening.

I couldn't believe that people rented land to have their own plots and the first thing that came to my mind was 'are they safe?'

I thought nothing like that in Australia would be safe as 'vacant' land gets vandalised immediately.  Fences & rendered walls get graffiti on them, schools in the evenings and even the bus stations at night get vandalised.  And I imagined what if we had allotments...

Then I thought 'oh, maybe the young people aren't that bad in England'.  I have read previous posts regarding this and have wanted to comment before but have thought maybe I am too naive.

But after reading this post I am so sorry to hear what has happened to you Snail and everyone else that has experienced this.

I just hope it doesn't happen to too many of you allotmenteers. :(

I have seen how much joy you all get from your gardens and it is great to have you soldier on.

Thinking of you all

Anna from Downunder

Thank You anna  :)

There is one thing I must say it takes a heck of alot to stop me from doing something I love and enjoy! It is a growing problem in this country. A search on this forum using the word vandalism and you will find out that alot of poor alotment holders have had there sheds broken into or even burnt down. They are mindless thugs that cannot understand what pain and upset they are inflicting on the person who has spent alot of time and care on there crops.

I just hope when they grow up and have there own houses and there own gardens that they to have as much vandalism and trouble as they have inflickted on all the plot holders on this forum and many others in this country.

The_Snail

so sorry to hear someone else with mindless vandals around. glad to hear your not going to give up, not after all your hard work. i sometimes wish i could put up an electric fence and hope they went for a pee against it!!

So sorry about your trouble.  These scum destroy anything good and decent >:(.  Please try not top get too down hearted or else they have won.  I sincerely wish them a plague of boils ;)

So sorry ((((snail)))) :'(, glad you hear you are bravely picking up the pieces. Respect! ::)