Moor Green Lane Allotments
Newsletter – August 2021
Welcome to the first Newsletter since our AGM. We hope to issue a Newsletter monthly from now on. There is lots to tell you this month so here goes
Annual General Meeting
You can find the draft notes of the AGM on the website (or elsewhere on the website if you’re already here!). The meeting was well attended (25 present) given the Covid circumstances. The main development is that you have a new committee (see below).
Name
Plot No.
Tom Skinner
197
Carol Moore
92
Maxine Smith
127
Paul Rooney
14
Sue Turner
111
Robert Osborn
104
David Draycott
58
Maureen Westwood
190
Ann Kennefick
142
Steve Gwynne
153
William Freeman
6
Jonathan Bean
64
Oscar Cutts
236
Mark Wright
1
Dani Cotterill
61
We have met once since the AGM, welcomed the new members and elected the officers for this year as follows:
· Chair - Maxine Smith
· Vice-Chair - Paul Rooney
· Secretary - David Draycott
· Treasurer - Sue Turner*
· Pavilion Manager - Will Freeman
· Site Manager - Paul Rooney
* until January 2022 working with Maureen Westwood at which point Maureen will take over the treasurer post. We’re all looking forward to serving the association in our various roles in the coming year.
Site Security (police liaison) – Paul Rooney
Following representations, we have now agreed improved liaison arrangements with our local Police. The Neighbourhood Policing Team based at Kings Heath Police Station have the geographical responsibility for our allotments. Through the West Midlands Police “Connect and Build” programme they are seeking to re-establish community contacts particularly post-Covid which has had a detrimental impact upon local police partnerships within the community. It has been agreed that the police will now include Moor Green Allotments within their routine patrol duties and we have provided them with keys to the site. PCSO Paul Weate has been nominated as our designated point of contact and he will attend Committee meetings on a quarterly basis to discuss any ongoing concerns or issues. Paul attended our meeting this month and we agreed to have a follow up meeting with him to discuss site security both on our site and any potential for joint initiatives with other local allotment sites.
Produce Show/Fayre alert – Oz Osborn
This year’s Produce Show will take place on Saturday 11th September. With many of us being Covid cautious, we have made changes to the way we exhibit in the tent. In previous years produce has been collected into classes, each of one type. This has caused a lot of wandering back and forth in the tent. To reduce this to a minimum this year produce will be exhibited by plot.
Whether you have one item or several it/they will be on the table as a collection under your name/s in one place. E.g. If the group has flowers grown by the dad, vegetables grown by mum, a cake made by oldest child and painting of a flower by youngest, all their names would be on the card. The tent is large enough for up to 10 individuals or groups to at working at the same time.
Please bring your exhibits to the Pavilion between 9.00 and 11.00 on the day. On arrival you will be directed to the next available space< You will be welcome to take as long as you need to put what you have brought attractively on the table, and then leave. There will be time to view all the exhibits after judging. On this occasion exhibiting will not be anonymous. Your exhibit should include a card identifying plot number and the names of all those contributing. This can be a simple card or a self-designed card being part of the display. Include ages if relevant. All the usual things may be exhibited, and some less usual if you have them. For new exhibitors, there are schedules from previous years in the pavilion. In summary anything grown on the plot, anything produced (Jam, Pickle, Cake, Spirit, Fantasy Animal etc) using something grown on the plot. Artwork of any type related to the plot etc.
The exhibition of produce is only part of the day: the Show is potentially a full day at Holders Lane. The pavilion area is the focus of a range of other activities, including food to eat and take away. There will also be invited stalls covering a range of hand produced wares and live music. If you would like to host a refreshment stall selling food refreshments, gifts or plants, please contact us via madahal.chair@gmail.com
None of the above will happen without the generous giving of volunteers; no cakes or biscuits unless people bake and gift them. The tent is our own, not hired, we need a minimum of 10 people come together to erect it on the 10th September. A combination of old hands (from 2019) and new faces would be great. Contact us at the above email address to volunteer!
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