Allotments 4 All

Thank you, one and all!  Very, very much appreciated - although I'd love to know what you'd said, Tim!

But we're not that down-hearted - yes, it was a bit of a wrench to decide.  Better that, than the grind and anger, struggling for months and months, only to see two thirds of our crops trashed.

Sounds silly - but we actually enjoyed Sunday afternoon on the plot a lot more than usual, me and the kids.  Take it as it comes - and no ties.

Our local councillor?  

A bunch of kids appeared a couple of years ago, wanted a plot, went round to his house, and apparently he gave them a key to the site!  As simple and easy as that!

Rental agreement?  Nope.
Parental supervision?  Nope.
Understanding of gardening?  Nope.
Understanding of other people's property?  Nope.
Any understanding of the courtesies and niceties?  Nope.

Thieves and vandals?  Yes.
Gang of friends?  Yes.
Did the friends have friends?  Yes.
Did the friends' friends have friends?  Yes.

Whose is the allotment site now?  Theirs.  How dare we interfere with their sovereign pleasure.

And have we heard anything from the councillor concerned?  Not a whisper.  B*st*rd.

So - still :), folks - and thank you all again!

Lol - Gavin

Sorry to hear your news gavin. Absolutely awfull. The councillor is to blame though, for letting them in in the first place. I guess he was trying to do the right thing, in encouraging young people to use an allotment. Shame it backfired so spectacularly.  Should be voted out for it at the very least.

Isnt there ANYTHING  you can do (short of violence and breaking the law) to reclaim the site for the genuine lotties?

Perhaps the locks should be changed, and everyone else issued a new key. Depends on the security of the site i suppose. Lock them out and they'll come over the fence likely as not. Still would be worth trying if the fences to the site are nice and tall ( ;D).

Regards  

Go to the press.

Councillors will jump as high as you request

I'm with Fingle on this one -
1. allotments are hot news at the moment - you can't read a paper or a magazine without someone extolling the virtues of their lottie!  
2.In some areas, there is funding for GP's to 'prescribe' plotting as a health benefit, and also loads about kid's health, in activities and eating
3. your lottie was on Channel 4 with the children growing stuff so there is a history for the papers to latch on to
Get a press release written, e-mail it off to the editor of your local paper and see what happens

Here Here.......

Do all you can Gavin, it may take up some of your time but you will definately get some satisfaction from it in the long run.

Les

Hi Gavin, so sorry to hear your news. Hope that life will be kinder to you from now onwards.

It's hard to say it but welcome to the club Gavin same thing happened to me. I left the site, got a couple of  new plots on a different site and started again, even though it is hard work I will not let the little s*ds get me down, so keep on gardening and you will overcome the initial shock and sickening experience of it all.

Good luck and i know you will be growing great veggies in the future.


Peter

******* ****'s ***** - BANGS head on wall.

Thank you, Ceri - I'm not seeing wood for trees!  I'd forgotten the TV bit (hehe - and I know the Allotments Office are "wary" about speaking to me, cos of the website).

That's me off for the evening - stir up a little bit of *****!

;D ;D ;D

Lol - Gavin

The press is certainly worth a go, especially where there is picture evidence. If I lived close to you Gavin you'd be welcome to everything you need plant wise, labour too.

Well, the inevitable has happened! >:( >:(

Our sheds got done over.....  Finished a bout of decorating last night in time to go out in the lottie and do some watering only to find one shed door wide open and the potting shed with a pane of glass carefully lying on the floor.

Why oh why oh why!  our allotment is secure, it is surrounded on 2 sides by a 6'6" solid timber fence, 1 side has an 8 foot hedge (which is also impenatrable and the other side well thats our house!

The nosey tykes must have climbed over for a peek, carefully took the beeding off one window pane and removed the blacked out glass to have a look in.

Well for all the tools that were there, they are still there! They took the whhels of Sophie's bike along with her seat & stem, they used a fork out of the potting shed to prize the hasp and staple of the other shed and didn't take anything, even though there is a brand new childs bike in there (don't tell me they have a conciense- probably not spelt correctly but I don't really care!).

So problem solved, new hasp and staple and lock attached to the shed and i have screwed the door shut with loads of screws. The potting shed well the windows are all boarded up inside and out.

Jeez I am f in furious..............  >:( >:( >:(

Take care all, rant over.

Keep smiling.

Les and Soph.

Bloody hell Les and Soph, that is terrible!  I feel for you all that suffer vandalism, damage and thefts from your lotties - the little shi*es should be strung up !  Words fail me!  >:( >:( >:( >:(

that's terrible, mindless.

our site has posters up offering free shed bar locks i'll have a look and see if its a local thing or if its something you lot can access...