Minutes of the abas meeting June 13th 2016
Present: 15
members from 9 sites
Apologies: Ann
Craven (Settle St.)
Minutes of the May Meeting
The minutes of the
May meeting having been posted on the abas blog-site, they were accepted as a
true and fair record.
There were no matters
arising that are not covered in tonight’s agenda
On-going
Concerns – (the abas issues matrix)
Moss Lea – There has been no progress on a Council decision
as to whether to permit individual greenhouses and sheds. It is understood the
matter has been referred to the Executive Member and to the Council’s Legal
Department.
Harpers Lane – there has been no visit by the Council’s
Enforcement Officers relating to the Rat Infestation
Smedley Avenue – now have an OMA and all previously vacant plots
have been let
Florence Avenue – there being no representative of Florence
Avenue present it is not known if any progress has been made on the car park.
Tonge Moor – the Allotments section have now
emailed the secretary at Tonge Moor confirming she may now let one plot and
promising to follow up two other (mal-cultivation) issues.
It was generally
felt that there is an issue relating to keeping secretaries informed as to
Council progress on issuing requested mal-cultivation notices and on tenants
who have vacated their plots.
Particular points
are that Secretaries need to know when a tenancy ceases (either through the
tenant leaving or through the tenant receiving notice to quit) so that plots
may be re-let before they deteriorate too far. This applies particularly to
tenants who do not pay their rent in response to the October notices, can
secretaries be informed in February at the latest of such tenants so that the
plots may be re-let in time for the growing season.
Break-ins and Vandalism
May saw a number
of small break-ins and vandalism reported. Then it got more serious – Harpers
Lane had a rotovator stolen and then there was a major set of thefts from
Ainsdale Rd.
This pattern is
being repeated at sites throughout the Borough – Moss Lea, Tonge Moor, Tonge
Fold, Sapling Rd. etc.
A number of sites
(Harpers Lane, Moss Lea, Tonge Moor) are also experiencing a lot of fly-tipping
– the need to keep site gates closed and locked needs to be stressed. We need
the Council to support site societies in any action they take against those who
persistently ignore the need to lock the gates.
Onion,
Leek and Vegetable Show – August 20th
Posters (a revised
design for use in e.g. shop windows) for the show can be obtained from the
Committee.
We still
(urgently) need sponsorship (£10 per class) for individual classes at the Show
Schedules of
classes etc. will be printed following this meeting and be made available
through the Show Committee.
There will be
stalls at the Show showing local produce (honey, ice cream etc.) and with
information on the NAS and the National Vegetable Society. If any society or
any of its members wishes to take a stall then please contact Dave Jackson on boltonallotments2014@yahoo.co.uk
Stalls will be free, but numbers will be limited.
The show is being
sponsored by the University of Bolton
Bolton
Allotment Competitions
The first round of
judging in the Fairhurst, Greenhalgh, New Entrant and Rose Bowl competitions
has been completed
The second round
of judging will take place w/c July 18th
The prizes will be
presented at the Bolton Onion, Leek and Vegetable Show on August 20th
by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Boton, Mr George Holmes
The prizes have
been provided by J Maher Ltd.
Both the show and the allotment competitions have been supported by a
grant from the Big Small Grants Fund through Bolton CVS
The
Harrogate Trip
TheTrip to the
Harrogate Show will take place on Sunday 18th Sept
The Treasurer
(Terry Farrell) needs to know who wants to go and he needs the transport
payments in advance – the July abas meeting is the crucial date.
NWCAA
The North West
Counties Allotments Association is holding its quarterly forum in
Tameside on July 3rd. All secretaries whose societies are members of
the NAS should have received notice
Abas will be represented
by the Chair (Jeff Gibson)
NWCAA
is again running their “The Best Allotment Site in the NW” Competition.
This competition is community-based and a key factor is what a site does for
its members and others as well as what it looks like. Details are now posted on
the NWCAA web-site. Entries Close August 31st
The
Allotted Exhibition
The Allotted
Art Exhibition runs from 30th June till 7th August in the Market Place
(Neo:Gallery 27 on the 1st Floor).
There is a
catalogue of the art work which will be available at the gallery during the
exhibition. The catalogue has been funded by Bolton Arts Forum.
There is also a
booklet “Allotted: the back of the seed
packet” which contains essays, stories and poems inspired by Allotments. The
booklet has been funded by the National Allotments Gardens Trust.
Posters advertising
the exhibition were made available to Site Secretaries at the end of the
meeting.
There is interest
in widening participation in this event. Although all spaces for 2016 (both in
the exhibition and in the booklet) have been taken, there is already interest
(from plot-holders interested in photography and short story writing) in
repeating the project in 2017. The Secretary agreed to investigate whether (if
we cannot find suitable gallery space) the project could be part of the Annual
Show next year.
What’s
on?
We shall have
posters at the Allotted Exhibition giving details of events (Open Days etc.) on
Sites during July – September.
Events so far
are:-
Tonge Fold – Open
Day – 10th July
Astley Bridge
Festival – July 10th / 11th – will involve Moss Lea and ?
Florence Avenue?
Sapling Rd. – Open
Day 14th August
Moss Lea – Open
Day 27th August
Shepherd Cross
Street – Mini-show, Barbecue 28th August start 2.30 p.m. entry £3.00
Harpers Lane – 11th
September
If any other site
is having an event please could they let us know. We need to get the posters
ready by June 28th (latest)
Bee
Swarms
Abas have been
contacted recently for assistance regarding Swarming Bees.
If you think you
have a swarm of honey bees and don’t have a bee expert on your site then you
should go to the Manchester District Beekeepers’ site (mdbka.com) –
click on the link to ‘Swarm Service’ – access ‘To Find a Swarm
Collector’ and follow the instructions. This will give you contact phone
numbers based on your postcode.
Any
Other Business / Date of Next Meeting
There was a brief
discussion about self-maintenance / self-management (prompted in part by the
piece from the National Chair which had been copied onto the abas blog-site).
A major concern
was how given the Council’s evident lack of resources, maintenance of sites
(even the limited activities covered by OMAS) could be afforded by Site
Societies. It was agreed that where the Council has discontinued tasks which it
previously undertook or had done by contractors most of the jobs (e.g. grass
cutting, hedge cutting) so created would involve paying a third party to come
in and do them. Societies will find difficulty in finding the funds to pay
other people to do this work. There will be resistance from plot-holders to
putting subscriptions up to pay for work which many tenants still feel is the
Council’s clear responsibility.
The Secretary reported that he had had little success in finding ways to access plant and equipment such as diggers etc. so that societies could undertake minor works. It was felt that contractors were the only answer.
Abas will investigate whether the Council can assist in finding an effective, affordable arrangement.
There was a
limited discussion of the NAS Chair’s points about the responsibility for the
allotment service being transferred to third parties. There was some discussion
about Bolton at Home’s initiatives in creating ‘hubs’ based on some social
housing estates, but concern as to whether such a model could be applied to
other areas. There seemed little enthusiasm in the current climate for either
individual sites or abas to take control.
The next meeting
is on July 11th at Astley Bridge Cricket Club
Start Time 8.00
p.m.
