Old Park Farm Garden Holders Association

EVERYONE WELCOME from about noon.

Entries for the competition are to be made 10am to 12:45, see a previous post for the schedule. Judging starts at 1:00

Diane will be selling raffle tickets.

Vegetarian or Meat option provided free until 2:30 pm
Bring your own drinks .

Steve York will be judging the vegetables, and presenting trophies to the winners.

Winnie will be auctioning the vegetables, then the raffle will be drawn. (proceeds from the auction and raffle go to Association funds)

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Dear friends,

Martin Harris on behalf of the city council allotment service has asked me to notify all members regarding water usage  during this period of hot weather.l 

Can all association ask their members to ensure

• Watering is carried out before 10am and after 6pm.
•  that sprinklers and hosepipe timers are not used.
• Plot holders with chickens supply adequate shade and water, and birds are checked at least daily to ensure they are not unduly stressed. 

Thank you 

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OLD PARK FARM ALLOTMENTS

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR KEEPING HENS

1. Anyone wishing to keep hens on their plot must request permission from the Committee via email or in writing, stating your name, plot number and how many hens you wish to keep. Your plot will be inspected to ensure that you are able to provide enough space and time to care for your hens. If your plot does not meet the minimal standards according the ‘OPF Garden Standards Policy and Procedure’ then you will not be allowed until this has been rectified. Basically, if you do not have enough time to maintain your plot then you will not have enough time to care for hens. You must provide up to date contact numbers in case there is a problem with your hens, and you need to be contacted.

2. No cockerels are to be kept on your plot, and you must not keep more than 6 hens.
3. Hens should only be kept for eggs and not for meat.
4. You must not keep hens on your plot for the purpose for selling eggs as this is against OPF policy.
5. You MUST register your hens with the Great Britain Poultry Register. DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) requires you to do this to help the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency get in touch if there is a disease outbreak. Failure to provide the registration documents will result in the removal of your hens.
6. Hens are a huge commitment and need to be attended to at least twice a day providing them with adequate food and water and cleaned out regularly – a big clean once a week and removal of droppings and old food daily. You must keep to DEFRA Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying hens and Pullets and the RSPCA guidelines to ensure the health and wellbeing of your hens. You must not feed your hens with food scraps from your kitchen, including vegetables, as this is illegal.
7. The coop must be a minimum of 0.25 square metres for each hen, have a perch approx. 3cm-5cm with rounded edges, and a nesting box with wood shavings or suitable material to lay their eggs.
8. The run must be provided and fully secure from predators and vermin as much as possible. The run must be a minimum of 1.5 metre square per hen – this will ensure that they have enough space and help prevent fighting. Please provide your hens with areas of enrichment to be able to dig, have a dust bath, climb up steps and roost, preventing them from becoming bored. The run must have shelter/covers to protect them from all elements. You must check the run and coop daily for signs of damage and make relevant repairs.
9. Feed and water containers should be cleaned out regularly and feed should be stored in vermin proof containers.
10. You must ensure that your hens are vaccinated and wormed. You must check your hens daily for parasites and any poor signs of health (please refer to RSPCA website).
11. You must remove any sick or injured hens and seek veterinary treatment immediately. Any dead hens must be disposed of via a veterinary practice. They must NOT be disposed of on the allotment.
12. You must ensure that you have someone to care for your hens if you are away on holiday for example. You must inform the Committee of anyone going on to your plot to care for your hens.
13. Six monthly inspections will be carried out on your plot to ensure that you are adhering to the Standards set out by DEFRA, RSPCA and The Animal Welfare Act 2006. Failure to adhere to this code of practice or/and there are concerns with regards the care of your hens then you will be reported to the RSPCA.
14. You need to do your own research (please see below) and seriously think whether you have the time and money to be able to keep hens. Please seek advice if you are unsure about certain aspects of keeping hens. We would sooner sort out an issue before it gets out of hand.

For information and advice please refer to :-

DEFRA – Code of Practice for the Welfare and Laying of Hens and Pullets.

RSPCA – Keeping Hens as Pets

RSPCA Knowledgebase – this is a really good website providing all there is to know on keeping hens.

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Entries are to be made 10am to 12:45, Steve York will be around to help with presentation.

Judging takes place from 1pm, polytunnel must be empty except for judges

	Variety	Number	Description
1	Beetroot	3	60-75 mm diameter foliage trimmed
2	Cabbage	1	solid heads short stem
3	Carrots	3	long straight root even taper
4	Cauliflower	1	close solid head short stem
5	Courgettes	3	young tender 150mm long 25/35mm diameter
6	Cucumber	1	fresh young straight not yellowing
7	Leeks	3	solid parallel stems no softness or splitting clean blanching (white stem)
8	Lettuce	1	fresh clean heads roots can be in damp tissue paper and bag or jam jar of water
9	Marrow	1	fresh young up to 350mm not old hard
10	Onion	3	may be divided into red white or above and below 250 grams depending on entry
11	Parsnip	3	long even taper with tap root
12	Pepper Chilli	3	fresh bright colour typical of variety can be 1 variety or 3 mixed with short stalk
13	Pepper Sweet	3	as above
14	Potato	5	medium size tuber 200-250 grams shallow eyes
15	Pumpkin	1	even shape typical of variety
15a	Heaviest Pumpkin	1	as is
16	Beans Runner/ French	6	matched beans for size not old with the bean seed only just showing
17	Shallots	6	large firm well ripened thin necks tied
18	Sweet Corn	2	good length well set fresh tender grains
19	Tomato Beef	3	75mm+ ripe firm with stalk
20	Tomato Medium	6	approx 60 mm diameter ripe firm with stalk
21	Tomato Cherry	9	35mm or less ripe firm with stalk plus a few spares for splitters
22	Turnip Swede	1	clear skin single root leaves cut to 50mm
23	Garlic	3	solid well ripened thin necks tied over
24	Herbs Culinary	1	fresh can be in water or pot grown
25	Squash	1	as pumpkin
26	Biggest Disaster	1	a joke unusable
27	Other large unusual vegetable	1	eg kale artichoke aubergine kohl rabi
28	other medium unusual vegetable	3	eg okra may be combined with small if low entry
29	Other small unusual vegetables	6	eg peas radish gherkins
30	Other large fruit	1	eg melon peach plum
31	Other small fruit		eg grape raspberry currants
32	Apples Pears	3	3 of one variety or 3 mixed
33	Specimen Flower	1	eg dahlia gladioli rose chrysanthemum
34	Vase of three flowers	3	3 the same or 3 mixed of the same type
35	Vase of six flowers	6	6 the same or 6 mixed of the same type
36	Best bunch of flowers	1	any mixture to fit up to 5 inch vase

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Present: Winnifred Beck, Lisa Goulbourne, Steve York, Diane
York, Sarah Mugabe, James Mugabe, Charles Dewa, Barry Mitchell, Simon
Hudson, Dave Goulding, Shaun Taylor,Jane Bowden, Emma Atkinson, S
Atkinson, Cullen Gill, Paul Hibbs
Apologies:Carol Briar,

The minutes from the last meeting Sunday, the 24th of June 2025 were approved

Secretary report: 

I am still currently trying to find my way around the one drive that contains all the files, this is still a working process that I will continue to work on trying to understand. All the key changing dates have now taken place, with a lot of plots still to complete the transfer, which in turn will outline those that don’t attend often if at all. I did contact the insurance who basically said without photos of the items stolen or receipts of purchase there was not much we can do. We haven’t yet followed up on the IBC tanks for the a Association. The old park farm facebook page is up and running. Thank you Carol. Please feel free to post your progress. Wendy has done quite a lot of extensive research on the chicken policy looking over 6 different policies and putting together one that will work for us here at old park farm. I have printed that out if anyone that is interested in having chickens would like to have a read. Thank you very much Wendy for taking time to do that. I appreciate it. 

Minutes from last AGM meeting. See website. 

Date of next committee meeting. To be discussed.

Date of next general meeting. 26th October 2025 

Plot inspections in August and warnings.

The inspection of all the plots will be done in August. A curtain standard will need to be met, when entering the association we make an agreement to follow the rules and to deliver on progression. There are quite a few plots not meeting that standard at all. And I have not been here long but in general they are the same plot holders failing and receiving warnings for their standards that have then not been followed up. I don’t want to see the same people putting in the bare minimal effort just to pass inspection to then let it slide down hill straight after receiving a pass. To then do it all over again the following year. You will then be given 2 months to improve after inspection if you pass you will be watched for further period of 2 if you are not maintaining your plot after that you will be evicted. A suggestion was made by the plot holders that the committee needs to look to change the rule on evictions. 

Changing of keys. 

Changing of the locks and key has now taken place. There have been a lot of tenants that have still not completed the swap over. Which in time will I guess outline those tenants that don’t come often, if at all. 

The final lock will be put in place on the small pedestrian gate on the 15th August 2025 if you have not exchanged your key before this date you will not have access as all four gates will then have the new lock. You will need to get in touch with Lisa or Winnie contact Details on web page 

Empty plots. 

We currently have only 3 empty plots left John’s, Ray’s and derelict plot 50 on the bottom lane. we have strimmed some of them back that were worse than others.

Chipper. 

The key for the chipper has now been obtained and the chipper is currently living with me (Lisa). It has been listed for sale at £1200. Personally I think this is an unrealistic price for the item now, we paid £1349. But it is now currently being sold on the titan website at £1250 with 3 year warranty. But to buy it new takes away the hassle of some coming to fetch it so the fact we are selling at £ 50 less that the site with only 2 year and no delivery. The lowest price was discussed. And that was decided at £1000 

Multitool. 

The multi tool has arrived if you would like to use it please see Micheal for guidance and safety instruction. It must be returned on the same day as until more security has been established it lives either with me or Michael at night whichever one of us is leaving the site last if still in use. 

Guinea pig manure. 

Guinea pig poo if anyone wants it please move to your plot. It is situated in the far end car park, this is on a controlled delivery to stop the wildlife from pulling it apart

Barbecue and show roles. 

The 6th of September was the date decided for the BBQ. We will be getting together on the 10th August to arrange duties. All welcome to come along. Also if anyone has any prizes please hand them in to Steve York or Winifred or Lisa. Bring your own drinks

Plot 4 car park.
We took a vote on turning half of plot 4 into a car park. It was a unanimous vote.
Top gate.
The top gate is not currently working correctly, not sure how to move forward with this yet as we definitely don’t have the funds for a repair. I will obtain a quote for it.
A.O.B
Dogs on lead: It has come up in the past about dogs on site. In the Nottingham city council allotment site regulations under permissions section 11 it states Dog on lead and under control are permitted on site and on the dog owners own plot. Not everyone is a dog lover and some have big fears of dogs. I think it’s fair to say on your plot they can roam providing they have no way out but from car to plot they must be on lead.

Fires are still banned due to the dry weather. This ban is for all tenants. However the council will allow committee members to burn the communal fires if sufficient precautions are taken.

Fly tipping this is becoming a bit of a problem people coming in at night and dumping rubbish on the communal fire. This is classed as fly tipping if you are caught doing this you will be asked to vacate your plot immediately without receiving a warning. Your details will also be handed to the police. (The latest item is a foam and plastic sofa, this obviously can’t be burned and will have to be removed from the fire and put in a skip)

 We need to find a treasurer as Dave has expressed a few times that he wants to step away. If anyone has accountancy skill that would be interested in helping the association we would be grateful.

Thanks

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We plan to restore a derelict allotment to a state where it can be let, Everyone welcome, many hands will make light work.

Work starts on plot 50 (Bottom Lane near the Brick Shed) at about 9:30 Saturday, If you have any tools, bring something that would be useful in clearing the plot. (Strimmer, hedge cutter, Spade, fork, rake etc). If you can’t manage the early start, come along later and join in the fun.

Winnie will be cooking breakfast for the workers mid to late morning, though don’t expect much breakfast if you haven’t done any work first.

Hope to see you there

Steve

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The lock on the pedestrian gate will be upgraded to a new lock on the morning of 15th August. If you have not exchanged your key before then you will no longer be able to access the site as all four gates will have the new locks.

To exchange your key, please get in touch with Lisa or Winnie, phone numbers on our website and on the notice board in the main car park.

Steve

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AGENDA
Introduce and welcome

Apologies

Minutes from the last meeting Sunday, the 24th of June 2025.

Chairlady’s report
Treasurers report
Secretary report

Minutes from last AGM meeting.

Date of next committee meeting.

Date of next general meeting.

Plot inspections in August and warnings.
Changing of keys.
Empty plots.
Chipper.
Multitool.
Guinea pig manure.
Barbecue and show roles.
The Orchard for chickens.
Plot 4 car park.
Top gate.

A.O.B

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