Old Park Farm Garden Holders Association

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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Present:Steve Yorke (SY), David Kirkham (DK), Jane Bowden (JB), Winifred Beck (WB), Michael Graham (MG), Kay Graham (KG), Wendy Thomas (WT), Simon Hudson (SH), Barry Mitchell (BM), Lisa Goulbourne (LG), Diane Yorke (DY), Carol Brier (CB), Gary Brier (GB), Charles Dewa (CD), Tom Hutchinson (TH), Paul Hibbs (PH), Melek Portakal (MP), Steve Williams (SW), Ryan Wilcox (RW), Helen Bristow (HB), Anugaman Neupane (AN), Christine Scouthern (CS), Colin Hyatt (CH), Dave Goulding (DG), Dave Reid (DR)

Apologies: John Stooke, Chris Skinner

DK opened the meeting at 10:30 by welcoming and thanking everyone for attending. He confirmed that the meeting was quorate. He reminded people of the need to be polite and respectful to each other.

Minutes from last year’s AGM held on 27^th April 2024 were proposed by KG and seconded by SW

Chair’s Report:

DK read his report (attached). In summary, he thanked everyone who had contributed to the Association, acknowledging key individuals and volunteers whose efforts keep the organisation running. However, the Association is facing a potential crisis: if a new Management Committee is not formed, the Council may take direct control of the allotment site, resulting in a substantial rent increase for members. Currently, there are no new nominations for officer or committee roles, and the Chairman announced he will not stand for re-election due to time constraints. He emphasised the importance of member support and participation, expressed regret for not achieving a fully friendly and inclusive environment, and encouraged all members to take responsibility for the future of the Association. The choice now rests with the members to decide how the group will be led and managed going forward.

There was a discussion about the impact of allowing the Association to become ‘Direct Let’ by the Council. Although this is theoretical, the Council have made clear that there would be a 3 or 4 fold increase in rents (13p to 47p per square metre) and that several facilities currently enjoyed by tenants would no longer be available, such as skips, communal fire etc. Hedges and potholes would not necessarily be fixed due to the Council’s financial situation.

Treasurer’s Report:

DK reported on MK’s behalf that the accounts had not yet been audited, but this was in hand. There is currently about £6900 in the bank, a reduction of £664 since last year. Given the liabilities that have to be accounted for ((key deposits, rent for the council and insurance), the Association has about £1000 available until the end of September when rents are next due.

WT asked why the new locks, bought in March, were not being used. Currently, the new keys are with JS and need to be collected so they can be distributed and the new locks used.

The Committee had agreed to sell the chipper and had a buyer but needed to find the keys and take photos. There had been no insurance claim submitted following the break in and robbery and there was concern that we might be too late to do this. The new Committee would need to look at this.

DK observed that many things had not been actioned as the Management Committee had not been functioning properly for several months.

Secretary’s Report:

In the absence of John Stooke, there was no report from the Secretary.

Election of Officers and New Committee

DK reported that he had received no volunteers for officers. There was then a discussion and SH offered to stand as Chair. JB pointed out that this was not possible due to the rule change agreed last year which meant that anyone who had resigned or been asked to resign from the Committee for misconduct could not stand again. SH stated that the case against him was based on hearsay and was unfair. JB stated that she had been at the meeting to discuss his conduct and it was based on facts provided by the then Treasurer (Mark Robinson) and Secretary (JS). WB then offered to stand and was elected on a show of hands. LG offered to stand as Secretary and was duly elected on a show of hands. Subsequently Anu volunteered to be Treasurer.

Officers:

Chair – Winnie Beck

Secretary – Lisa Goulbourne

Treasurer – Anu

Ordinary Committee Members:

Carol Brier

Tom Hutchinson

Wendy Thomas

Paul Hibbs

SH also volunteered to be on the Committee, but his position needs clarifying given the rule change mentioned earlier.

The need for the Secretary to have others to support her due to the demanding nature of the job was recognised.

WB and LG led the remainder of the meeting with help from DK.

Exclusion of Roy Lawson

DK explained that Roy had appealed to the Council following his removal from the Association and the Council had supported the Association’s decision. He had been a disruptive influence on the site and had failed to follow site rules. Normally, an evicted tenant would be given 28 days to remove their possessions from their plot, but Roy had been given 3 months finishing on 1^st June. He has still not removed his possessions, so these would normally become the property of the Association. It was unanimously agreed that Roy can only return to site with the agreement of the officers of the Committee and that an inventory with photos should be made of the items on his plot before their removal. A letter has already been sent to him about these plans.

Water Wastage

Water is a huge expense with the current water bill being £736 which is not sustainable. There are still a number of tenants who leave taps on and also one who waters his plot excessively so that his raised beds are completely water-logged. The Association has a Policy on Water Usage but needs to ensure that its provisions are applied.

Unlet Plots

There are currently 11 (soon to be 12) unlet plots. LG to get the 2 lists from JS. WT and TH will take on the role of lettings.

Unused/Minimally used plots

Inspections will take place in August and the Policy and Procedure for maintaining standards will be applied.

Unmaintained Hedges and Trees

This will be covered through the inspections and Standards Policy

Keeping Chickens

WT stated that under the 1950 Allotment Act, tenants are allowed to keep chickens on allotments provided that the eggs are for personal use and that high standards of care are maintained. The chickens have to be registered and cockerels are not allowed. They may not be bred for meat. It was agreed to allow the keeping of chickens with the details to be set out by the Committee.

Organisation of the Responsibilities of Secretary

It was agreed that the Committee would look at the proposal to have a number of Working Groups that would cover different aspects of the Secretary’s role.

Water/Rent Increase

DK proposed increasing rents by 1p per square metre from 13p to 14p. They had not been raised for many years. This would add approximately £5 to the average bill. This was agreed.

Honoraria

BM once again raised the point that Officers could not be ‘paid’. JB stated that the Honoraria were a ‘thank you’ to Officers of the Association in recognition of the time that they spend working on Association business and for the responsibility they take. It was agreed to pay the Honoraria of £200 again this year and to change the Association Rules to reflect this.

AOB

• LG stated that investigating the insurance claim for lost equipment would be a priority for her.
• SW has the new locks and chains, LG to obtain list of deposits and key holders from JS
• Laptops: LG to find out about the possible Association laptop held by JS
• BBQ and Show: Although it is recognised as good for the community, it’s important to share the responsibilities for this event. SY offered to organise the show again.
• Ray – it was agreed that he could visit the site to work on a tenant’s plot provided the tenant was present at all times, i.e. he would be there as a guest.
• AGM – will be in June again, probably 14^th June 2026.
• Next General Meeting: 14^th September 2025

Meeting closed at 12.35pm.

Attachments

Chair’s Report in full

It you will allow I will read my report without taking questions and allowing discussion. Everyone is more than welcome to offer their opinions after the Officers and Committee have been elected. If we discuss issues now, the AGM will take a long time to complete

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has supported the Association since the last AGM in March 2024

These include the following, forgive me if I have missed anyone out, everyone’s help is appreciated

Steve Yorke was the Chairman until recently and has given great service to the Association in many ways over many years and continues to do so

John Stooke who is the current Secretary and has been the Secretary for a number of years. John has contributed enormously to the Association and has represented the Association in through many difficult situations and given his time freely

Melek Portakal recently volunteered to be the Association Treasurer. Melek stepped forward to help out the Association and her willingness to help me (and the Association) shows her generosity.

All the Committee members who have served the Association. They have given up their time for meeting, they offer their views so that members are represented in Committee meetings and often are the people who give up their time to work on the site or help out the Association in addition to their contribution to Committee meetings

Thank you to everyone who has worked on the site, helped cut hedges, fill pot holes, mend fences, met with the Council, attended Federation meetings, picked up litter, made bays for chippings, burnt fires, inspected plots, cut grass, worked on locks, attended and spoken at General meetings, taken time to give feedback, the list is long and I will have forgotten more than I have listed. Everyone’s support of the Association is appreciated, and the Association cannot function without the support of its members.

Thank you all for coming today and giving up your time. Today is an important meeting.

Thank you everyone

Having said that the Association could be in a crisis

The Association has not done the things we need to do to govern ourselves effectively and this leads to a risk that the Council may decide to run the site itself

To repeat what I have said previously, if the Council run our allotment site, they have said that the rent we all pay will increase 3-4 times. The Council is currently reviewing their rents and the rents they might be increased by more than 3-4 times. That means that there would be an increase in the rent bill of about £60 or more per plot. £60 is in my opinion an underestimate.

If the Council run the site there is no guarantee that the site will be any better managed than an effective self-run site. Ultimately the choice is ours.

At the moment, I am the Chairman, John is the Secretary and Melek is the Treasurer. There are more than a full complement of Committee Members, Winnie, Lisa, Charles, Tom, Marcia, Anu, Carol, Ryan – I think that is everyone, have I missed anyone out?

I asked for nominations for the officer roles and committee members. I have to tell you that I have not received any nominations. Nominations may be received during this meeting but there is a risk that we will not have an effective Management Committee and if we do not have a Committee then the Council may decide to run the site directly. It might not happen immediately, but it is a real possibility.

The choice is ours.

Your Association needs your support, it needs volunteers, and it needs them today

Personally, it has been an honour to be the Chairman of the Association for a short period of time

I have tried to lead the Association fairly, and in the best interest of all members, and the members are the Association. I have tried to be open and allow everyone to a chance to raise their views. I have tried to communicate openly, there has been, and should not be any hidden agendas. I would like to see the Association be a friendly and inclusive place where members and their guests can enjoy their plots and create a sociable community. My observation is that the Association is not always a friendly and inclusive place. I have not been able to lead the Association to be such a place. I am sorry for that. The statement I posted on the website on aggressive and abusive behaviour was in response to how people had behaved on site. The only way for us to have a friendly community is for everyone to try to be friendly. The choice is ours.

I wish to state again in that taking decisions that, in my opinion, are in the best interests of all members, in the best interest of the Association, means that I could not please everyone. One side, or both sides, in a dispute often feels that have been hard done to, not listened to, or not been treated fairly. All I can say is that I have tried to be fair and reasonable, I understand that people can feel disappointed by decisions that are taken, but we cannot always get what we would really wanted.

I need to tell you that I have come to the conclusion that I will not stand for re-election (in a few minutes time).

There are not enough hours in my day to be the Chairman in the current situation, and I am standing down to allow a new approach to be agreed by you that can help the Association move forward.

I wish the new officers and Committee well, they will have my support

The choice of who will lead and run your Association is yours today, please contribute to the discussion and vote.

Treasurer’s Report in full

I will read out the Treasurer’s Report on behalf of Melek. In truth, I have committed to supporting Melek as Treasurer and reading this Report is part of that support.

The Association does not have any immediate cash issues. There is cash in the bank – £6,948 as at the end of May 2025. This is £664 lower than year earlier, a year in which the Association bought a chipper and bought some replacement locks.

There is a large water bill to pay in June. This is £736 which is larger than our usual Water Bill and which has reduced our bank balance in June significantly.

Our bank balance needs to cover our expenses up to the new rent bill receipts in September and October. An estimate of uncommitted money is about £1,000. You and the Committee will need to decide whether this is a reasonable cushion against unforeseen expenses.

The 2024 accounts have not yet been audited. The unaudited accounts show a deficit of £462. This includes a decision to buy a chipper for £1,344. Without the chipper the Association would have had a surplus of £882. The auditor has been contacted and will be asked for her help and I am waiting on her reply.

There are items relating to the Association’s finances for discussion today that I request the members consider and express their views on today.

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AGENDA
Introduce and Welcome: Lisa Goulbourne, Winifred Knight, Wendy
Thomas, Tom Hutchinson, Simon Hudson, Carrol Williams. Paul Hibbs,
Steve York, Micheal Graham.
Apologies
Anugaman Neupane

Minutes from 14th 2025 A.G.M Meeting
Date of next General meeting: 27th July 2025 10am Polytunnel (all plot
holders)
Date of next Committee Meeting: 27th July 2025 10.45 Polytunnel
Keys lists and deposits from John +contact details:
I am still currently working with John to get the OneDrive handed over.
The new keys are now with Lisa and the committee has decided on a few
dates the hand over will take place. These dates and times are listed
below. There will also be a notice put on all the gates outlining the details
stated here. From the first date the locks on all gates will be swapped over
to the new ones, except the small pedestrian gate on the middle lane,
allowing everyone access during this process.
12th July 10-2
13th July 10-2
19th July 10-2
20th July 10-2
If these dates are inconvenient for any of the key holders an alternative
notice to arrange a separate time will be available at the polytunnel.
Insurance +crimes no:?
Wendy has sent over all the crime numbers,and Dave has emailed the
insurance details in which i will chase up week beginning 7th July 2025
Roy? (letter to Roy)
Look to change water usage: (IBC tanks)
We are looking into alternative water storage for plot holders asking a few
companies to donate IBC tanks. A discussion was made about a water ban
after 9pm. Or the possibility of a timer to try and stop water use after this
time. This was also to cut off the hoses that people have forgotten to
disconnect.
Discuss roles:
The roles that have been established are:
Development Group: Simon, Carrol
Lettings: Wendy and Tom
Maintenance Group: Paul, Michel, Ryan
Events and social Group: Winnie, Lisa, Carrol, Steve Y
Yearly inspection of plots, rules to be enforced.
Update facebook:
Carrol is going to re look at the facebook page and we will all work to get
things posted on a little more often. Comments and feedback would be
great. (remember to be kind)
Chicken policy
Wendy is still looking into the (DEFRA) code of practice.
Wendy is going to email Jo Tarrent to inform her we will be having chickens
on site when policies are in place.
Equipment:
The committee has purchased a new 5in1 multi tool with three year
breakdown cover, costing £236 and a decision to purchase a wacker plate
was also decided when a reasonably priced one is found.
We are currently try to get new keys for the chipper so it can be sold and
the money can be put back into the association.
BBQ set date and duties:
The BBQ AND SHOW has been set for: 27th September 2025. Bring your
own alcohol.
If you have any donations for the raffle please give to Steve York.
A meeting will take place on the 10th August 10.30. In the polytunnel to
plan the BBQ and Show.
Accounts
A.O.B
The top car park needs attention; the area is very badly overgrown and is
not being used appropriately. The gates are a little loose. Fire pile needs
relocating.
Chipper + keys covered in agenda.
Hedges and Plots, could everyone pay attention to these please as the
inspections are just around the corner.
AGM minutes will be published shortly.
Steve Williams will be updating webpage.

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