Old Park Farm Garden Holders Association

NOTICE OF MEMBERS’ QUARTERLY GENERAL MEETING

• Date: Saturday, 5th September 2026
• Time: 10:30 AM
• Location: Association Hut / Polytunnel

Plot holders invited to attend.

Meeting Agenda:

Welcome & Apologies

Minutes of Last General Meeting (19th July 2026)

Site & Committee Updates:

Plot Inspections & Lettings

Water Storage & Tanks

Borrowing Site Machinery & Safety

Site Maintenance

Member Items

Any Other Business (AOB)

Want to add a topic to the agenda?

Send your item (with your name & plot number) to opfgha.secretary@gmail.com or hand it to a committee member.

Deadline: 5:00 PM on Friday, 28th August 2026.

Looking for a natural way to enrich your soil and keep your beds moist during dry spells? We have access to free guinea pig manure for allotment plot holders.

Often called “black gold” by vegetable growers, guinea pig droppings are a fantastic, organic soil conditioner:

Superior Moisture Retention: Packed with fibrous plant material, it acts like a sponge in your soil helping hold moisture where your crops need it most.

Nutrient Rich: Gentle, slow-release source of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.

Safe for Beds: Unlike raw horse or poultry manure, it is a “cold” manure, meaning it won’t burn plant roots when applied or turned into your topsoil.

Want to Try It or See How It Works?
Fellow plot holder Steve York has been using it on his plot with great results and is happy to share his experience, show you how he applies it, and help you get started.

How to Get in Touch
You are welcome to help yourself to the Guinea pig manure from the bay at the bottom of the car park near Steve Yorke Plot, 67, or arrange a quick chat/demo on site, contact Steve directly:

Phone: 0115 8491526
Mobile: 07907817421

Hi Old Park Farm Allotment Holders.

It was great to see so many involved in the voting of our new committee on Saturday, and I wanted to say thank you on behalf of our new committee.

Secretary: Karol Brier
Treasurer: Anne-Marie Newton
Chairman: Dave Murfet (Plot 56)

Committee Members: Michael Graham, Tom Jeavons, Marcia Nichols, Shaun Taylor, Paul Gibbs, Lorenzo Hines

We’ll keep you updated as we settle into our roles.

Many Thanks
Your New Committee

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who came down to help at the work party on Sunday 19th: Anne-Marie N, Winifred, Jane, Marcia, Scott, Tom H, Ray and Lisa.

The effort we all put in makes such a huge difference to our site, and it is greatly appreciated.

Additionally, before-and-after pictures will be posted on the Facebook page and hopefully here too.

Kind Regards,
Carol Brier
Secretary
Old Park GHA: Members Co-operative

Good morning, everyone

I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. I am really honored to be your new Secretary for Old Park Farm GHA and I’m really looking forward to getting to work for the benefit of all our plot holders and new committee members.

Furthermore, I would like to thank the federation for coming in to count the votes. A special thanks must go to Steve York—we asked for his help, and he did a brilliant job making sure everything was run properly this time around. I’m very grateful for his help getting us back on track. I would also like to thank Jane for taking the minutes.

However, my main goal is to make sure we all move into this next chapter with a sense of stability and cooperation. I am keen and the new committee to get things running smoothly for everyone, so please do reach out if you have any questions or ideas, you can also keep an eye on our website for the latest updates and information.

Additionally, we have a Facebook page where we can all give friendly tips and advice click on the link  Old Park Farm GHA | Facebook   

For now, while we get a dedicated secretary email and phone number set up, you can reach me directly at karolbrier9@gmail.com or contact me by calling or texting 07903602622. I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Kind Regards 

Carol Brier

Secretary 

Old Park Farm GHA: Members’ Co-operative

Dear Members,

The committee has received formal advice from Tyler Harris, Legal Adviser at the National Allotment Society (NAS), regarding our upcoming Annual General Meeting on July 18th. At the request of the NAS and the Nottingham Federation, the following advice is being shared with all members to ensure our AGM is conducted fairly and in line with our constitution:

The AGM must be run in line with custom and practice established over past AGMs and in line with our constitution.
The voting system must remain the standard “1 member, 1 vote” format, as changes to this are not permitted under the association's constitutional rules.
It is strongly recommended that the Nottingham Federation act as an independent party at the meeting to observe the registration of members and act as tellers for the vote count.
To ensure members feel comfortable, the vote may be conducted as a paper ballot rather than a show of hands.

The goal of this advice is to clearly establish the committee moving forward, allowing the NAS and the Federation to support us in forging a new path for our association.

Good evening all members,

I wanted to start by thanking everyone that attended the AGM on the 13^th June. It was fantastic to see so many people there this year. Which is why it is with regret that I have to provide this notice.

Unfortunately, despite the volume of people that joined the AGM and cast their votes, the total number of plot holder members that signed the official registration form was less that the required volume of 20 for the meeting to be deemed quorate. Although the committee do feel that more plot holders did attend, we can not officially record the AGM as a valid meeting, which is why the minutes have not yet been published.

What this means

This means that the 13th June AGM results are null and void, and the committee reverts to the structure in place prior to the nullified AGM until a new quorate AGM takes place.

In the interest of working together to resolve the situation, the committee has voted to co-opt Carol, Winnie and Tom into the committee until the new AGM, bringing our current number up to the maximum of nine people.

A new AGM will be held on Saturday 18^th July, at 10.30am in the Polytunnel.

It is vital that as many plot holders attend as possible as we will only be handing out the voting forms to those that have been verified for voting purposes, and have signed the registration document. The meeting will only take place once the quorate volume has been confirmed: 20 plot holder members, including at least 2 officers.

If you wish to be considered for either an officer role, or an ordinary committee member, please ensure that you submit your nomination form to Steve York by no later than the 12pm on Thursday 16^th July. Nomination forms will be available in paper format in the Polytunnel, or please speak to Steve of the Committee members if there aren’t any remaining.

All nominees will have the opportunity to speak at the AGM to present why they believe they should be voted for. The ballot box will be opened only once all nominees have spoken.

We will once again be arranging an independent adjudicator to accompany the meeting to count the votes.  

If anyone has any questions or concerns, or if you would like a digital copy of the nomination form, please do contact me on opfgha.treasurer@gmail.com.

Thanks

Anne-Marie