Yesterday a group of 30 children (aged 10/11) visited our site with their teachers to see where food comes from.
They were very well-behaved and asked lots of questions.
One girl asked what we did with our surplus produce. I told her that we usually give it away without charge. She looked shocked and asked why we don't sell it. The teacher told me that most of the children have no concept of things being given away for nothing.
Another child asked me if I was the manager of the allotments and if I got paid for doing it. Another thing they couldn't understand - that people do work without being paid.
Quite sad really.
We get a similar response from school groups too Betty... :o
It's not just school groups. There were tenants, when I ran the site, who absolutely refused to believe that I didn't secretly get paid by the council.
Sad Betty,but I'm afraid its the way of the world. They get it from TV, if you watch most soaps and other progs you'll always find someone on the make. :( ;D ;D ;D
most folk on our sites think (or assume) that I get paid to be the general secretary!! (I don't, BTW)
;)
Yerrr all right Tone, I bet he's on an earner. ;) ;D ;D ;D :-X
I think people on my site used to think I was paid too. It actually costs me money to be secretary - phonecalls to mobiles, stamps, ink,etc.
I put something about it in our last newsletter.
I agree, moan, moan, moan. I am Sec of tennis club, no new balls, no toilet paper, no milk. The minute I walk in it is moans. Then I say would you like to come on the Committee, 'sorry, I am too busy'. And yes I give computer paper, ink, stamps etc, phone, only claim for large expense. Have done it for 3 years and enough is enough, but I love it really, my moan over. Next year I will be the complainer.
Some of our members believe that we get beer and food paid for when we hold committee meetings!
Maybe having them in the pub doesn't help ;D
These are strangely emough the ones who never turn up for site days or if they do they dont so anything to help..
Same here all i claim for is the ink jets i use !!! and i feel guilty for doing that ! i give everything else free and it costs me to work for the site ;D
Think we are a dying breed of idiots ;D
squash,i collect all receipts i can for stamps etc,ad reclaim the cash from our treasurer. occassionally i put a petrol on in too,but it never fully covers the cost of my getting up to the plot for deliveries,meetings ect. am also going to ask the rest of the committee if we can fund a pay as you go phone too,sick of paying to ring mobiles out my own pocket!
As treasurer I have a bit of a reputation for being "careful"... but I think you should have a "Pay as you Go" if you are ringing on Allotment business... :-X
I believe that our site steward gets her various plots free, so I guess that's in the £100/year ball-park.
Quote from: saddad on November 13, 2009, 19:28:00
As treasurer I have a bit of a reputation for being "careful"... but I think you should have a "Pay as you Go" if you are ringing on Allotment business... :-X
doesnt help that the council continue to goive out my mobile number,so folk phone when in class or working,leave a message,which i then have to pay to retrieve
Quote from: Unwashed on November 13, 2009, 19:34:30
I believe that our site steward gets her various plots free, so I guess that's in the £100/year ball-park.
you believe? doesn't that put you in the same category as all the other moaners? why don't you find out, and then your comment would be valid.;)
Tony, the Council arrangement is that our stewards get one plot free, but our steward has several other plots of one sort or another and I've so far felt it indelicate to ask whether she pays rent on those or not.
Our site sec had a ten pole thrown in with the job, this year he gave up half, he's welcome to it with the constant moaning he has to put up with from some of the plotters, then again I did suggest we start a commitee to help with things but he wasn't keen. ::) ;D ;D ;D
Same here, free plot for Site Sec. and yes people do moan. Anyone could have applied for the job but no-one else, to my knowledge, did. Good luck to him, he gets the compost delivered even if people moan it is on the wrong day. I think a Committee is a good idea, but he also doesn't seem keen, but think we should have a couple of meetings a year. He shows new people about and has split some of the allotments so more people can have one. He is also arranging for the Council to clear the very overgrown plot next to mine, which will be good. He is trying to make the site better, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.
I pay the same for my plot as everyone else. And I don't get paid - in the past both Secretary & Treasurer got £50 a year honorarium, to cover out of pocket expenses. The last Treasurer refused to take it, arguing that as he was retired on an index-linked occupational pension he didn't need it and the Society couldn't afford it. I agree, although - like him - I submit bills for things like stationary & phone top-ups.
But I still subsidise the Society by quite a bit, when you count the little things I don't put in a chit for. To say nothing of the time & petrol.
It's the way I was brought up, though. My father would do anything to help anyone, as long as he didn't get paid for it! And he helped set up our local residents' association, which was more or less run from our house when I was a child. So I suppose I'm just doing what he did.
Our previous treasurer/secretary used to be paid £100 per month!! The current secretary (me) and the new treasurer don't get anything at all. (nor do we want anything). ;)
I get a Honararium of £104 pa (£2pw) which I use to pay my rents.. so effectively getting free plots... The Sec. and Chair get the same and we have taken to paying the rest of the committee £52 pa as they have delegated responsibilities..
:-*
Expenses only here when I remember. I must be quite a bit out of pocket even just printing agendas and minutes x 9 once a month. Thank goodness for email - otherwise there would be a lot more letters to post! Mind you, having dealt with over 600 allotment emails this year maybe email is not such a good plan!!
How much did 1200 a year add to the rent? Aarrrgh! I reinstalled Windows last week, and I've just discovered I've lost the pound sign!