You will have spotted the note of sarcasm in the title. As we write though, there is promise of sunshine and even some warmth this very weekend - only two thirds of the way through the month. About time too I hear you say. The rain and unseasonably cold weather have set back and in some cases wrecked the crops we'd all been expecting this month. Slug heaven! It doesn't seem to have affected the growth rate of the weeds though. But life goes on. We're British, living with disappointment is in our DNA. It didn't stop us backing England in the match of the century. Full Clubhouse on Sunday night!
And to quote the fan talking on the radio the following day and dealing with another massively disappointing result - "We go again. We go again!"
Summer Fayre - Don't Miss It!
On a much brighter note, we have another Clubhouse event to look forward to on Saturday (20th July). We're hoping for better weather over the weekend, so that we can enjoy the Fayre outdoors as well as in, but we're all set for a great afternoon. All funds raised will go to this Summer's big project of Restoring the Russell Road gates. We can promise you a great range of cakes at the tea stall, pizzas at the outdoor oven, sausages and burgers at the barbecue (the range extends from sausages to burgers) and beer at the bar. There will be a whole range of craft stalls too - cards, gifts, handmade soap, ceramics, jewellery and Tools for Africa, plus face painting for kids. Come along and bring your friends. If you can't make it, tell your friends!
Annual General Meeting
Well, still on the subject of disappointment, all but 17 of you missed the big annual event on 6th July. Enough for us to get the business done, but not really enough for us to feel supported in our efforts by the wider plotholder community. We know it's partly about the time of the year - loads of people on holiday. We're moving it back to April/May next year, which should help. But there were plenty of people driving and walking past the Clubhouse on the way to their plots that morning. Oh well, we go again! Here's the list of people who have duly been elected as your committee for 23/24
NAME | PLOT NUMBER |
Deborah James | 25 |
Paul Rooney | 14 |
Maureen Westwood | 190 |
Howard Meek | 55 |
Bernard McCarty | 214 |
David Draycott | 58 |
Tom Skinner | 197 |
Ginnie Iqbal | 49 |
Phil Tyson | 59 |
Dan Longley | 71 |
Carol Moore | 92 |
Robert Oz Osborn | 104 |
Jim Daly | 224 |
Ann Kennefick | 142 |
Robert Treadwell | 221 |
And here are the edited highlights of the Chair's report which pretty much covers the year to date. " First, welcome aboard new committee members and a thank you to all the present and outgoing members for their time and efforts in contributing to making our Moor Green allotment site the fantastic green oasis that it is and in helping look after all who use it. In giving thanks, I would also like to acknowledge the special contribution made by a few individuals.
• Mark Wright: Mark is stepping down from the Committee this year after not years but decades of service. Mark has done nearly everything practical that has needed doing over that time, running the bar, supplying the seedstore, fixing the gates, you name it he has probably done it! We owe him a debt of gratitude as one of those who were looking after the clubhouse and the site at a time when allotments were not as popular as they are today.
• David Draycott: who as Secretary ensures the smooth running of the Committee, acting as our primary link with the Council and BDAC. David produces our very well received monthly newsletter to keep plot holders and social members informed and is almost literally worth his weight in gold in the number of bids for outside funding he has successfully produced on our behalf.
• Maureen Westwood, our treasurer who oversees our rent collection, banking and book-keeping arrangements. All of these have improved under Maureen’s guidance. Last year was the most hassle-free rent collection I can remember.
• Maxine Smith who retired from the Committee this year after years of service to Moor Green in nearly every role from Chair to Clubhouse cleaner.... often at the same time. Maxine’s input has been crucial in achieving the refurbished clubhouse we now enjoy.
• Jon Hiller and all the Clubhouse crew - Alan, Gemma and all the others – too many to mention by name - who again this year, despite sometimes working in almost a building site, have kept the Pavilion as a focal point of our community through thick and thin; keeping our community connected and raising much needed funds to pay for the refurbishment.
While Jon is (in his own words) ‘not a committee person’ his ideas, enthusiasm and efforts as Bar Manager are crucial to making the clubhouse the wonderful resource it is.
The past year since the last AGM - in addition to all our usual regular and annual events including Annual Produce Show, Summer and Winter Fayres, Halloween and New Year Partys ...
• The Committee agreed to reorganise and reallocate the responsibilities of the former Site Manager Post (a case of too many eggs in one basket). Deborah James is now Lettings Manager responsible for the waiting list, plot viewings and plot lettings, Dan Longley has responsibility for the site water supply and Glyn Davis has the responsibility for the site gates and padlocks. These new arrangements are a big improvement. Deborah James has reported below on current waiting list and vacant plots.
• The Clubhouse/ Pavilion. This time last year we were celebrating a new roof, we can now add a fully refurbished and rewired and redecorated interior including new floor, new kitchen and repaired gents' toilet.
• We have provided a new site office in the grey shipping container, releasing much need space behind the bar. We have re -sited the solar panels, on the 2 shipping containers and Seedstore roofs.
• We have reroofed and rewired the seedstore and are developing workshop proposals for repair and maintenance of tools there. Thanks to Rob and Phil.
• Oscar and Jonathan have built the new roof over the much used outdoor covered pizza, barbeque and kitchen area.
•The Ecogrow forest school which uses the wooded area by Cannon Hill gates is becoming more established and is a great way to introduce city children to outdoor activities.
• B30 Food Bank. For the last 4 years we have collected fresh fruit and vegetables to donate to B30 foodbank. We will start the weekly collection again this year in mid-July. Collection boxes will be at the rear of the clubhouse on Thursday evening for early Friday morning pick up.
• The Birmingham Allotment Project report and exhibition in the City Library last September featured the stories and plots of a number of Moor Green tenants. Thanks to Steve Peacock for recording these stories.
•Russell Road gates. We are currently fundraising to restore these historic gates. Currently approximately £500 had been raised.
Our areas of greatest concern continue to be –
• Site security issues. We continue to have a problem with intruders and thieves breaking into sheds and tool lockers. This includes another arson/deliberate burning down of a plot holder’s shed. This has all been reported to the police and the Council but the response is inadequate. While we continue to lobby local Councilors to seek their help in getting better help in dealing with this threat from both the Council and the police, we are also doing everything we can ourselves. This includes reinforcing the Cannon Hill Woods boundary fence in areas of most obvious vulnerability, piloting the viability of using CCTV in high-risk areas and raising funds ourselves to replace inadequate fencing. (David will report on the recent successful Lottery Fund bid).
• Potholes and deteriorating site roadways. We have lobbied the Council who made a site visit to photograph the damage and put in a bid on our behalf but to date we have not received feedback on the bid.
•The Councils ‘bankrupcy’ and any implications for allotment sites. We have met and discussed this with our local councillors who reassured us that there were no plans to raise money from sale of allotment sites. It was agreed that the best safeguard is to keep the site fully occupied and well connected with its local community.
In conclusion we will continue to give our best endeavours to maintain and improve this special place that I believe we are so lucky to be part of.
We also had reports from the various committee members leading on specific jobs as follows
Treasurers report - Maureen reported. All good. We continue to generate a small surplus - almost entirely from Clubhouse income , especially takings from the bar
Seedstore Report. Phil reported – Seedstore doing well; sold out of seed potatoes and onion sets. Big issue was volunteers. It was agreed that the Committee should undertake a formal review of the role and function of the Seedstore at an early meeting (August or September).
Plot Lettings; Deborah reported -19 plots had been let since the last summer. Waiting list now over 70. The plot inspection process was now working well, but there remains a limited number of plotholders who show no serious intention of cultivating their plot properly but resist any attempt to end their tenancy.
Site Security; David reported on the successful Lottery Fund bid for almost £20,000. £15,000 of that was now committed to a renewal of the boundary fence from the new house in Holders Lane down to the corner gate. A further proposal was awaited for the installation of cameras/motion sensitive lighting at critical points on the boundary. A pilot project with one camera directly linked to a volunteer’s phone had worked very well. A further £4500 from the Lottery Fund was provisionally allocated to this proposal.
The full set of draft minutes for the AGM will be posted on the website shortly.
What's Next?
What's the next big thing happening at Moor Green I hear the readers say? Well, I'm hoping for a bit more of a normal summer arriving in the next couple of weeks with some sunshine and warmth to ripen all those later crops. This is expecially important because the next big event is the Produce Show on Saturday 14th September, where we all get a chance to show off the best of our harvest to a small team of impartial judges and a mass of interested spectators. More detail as to how you enter the competitive bit, timetable for the day etc, to follow in next months Newsletter.
More information too in the next Newsletter about annual rent collection. It's good to keep the least popular news item to last. We'll be open for rent collecting on the following weekends in October
12th -13th 10.00 -1.00 pm
19th -20th 10.00 -1.00 pm
26th 27th 10.00 -1.00 pm
Please note the change of time. It means we don't have to compete with the bar staff for use of the card reader. Please also note the change of location. We will now be open for business at the container office behind the clubhouse. We'll post this information again in August and across the site on noticeboards in September. We'll still get people who say they didnt know, trying to pay the first week in November, but that's life. Please pass the word on to anyone who doesnt read the Newsletter, Facebook, zone noticeboards etc.
And that's about it for this month folks. Happy plotting!
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