Old Park Farm Garden Holders Association

As members of Old Park Farm Allotments you are again entitled to 50% discount on all packet seeds and 15% off every other item. Offer lasts until September next year.

You can order online and your order will be delivered to your home address. www.dobies.co.uk

We have a few catalogues and order forms for those that don’t want to order online. They will be in the association’s hut.

This is the new code: GD 11 90 F

Please do not give it to non members of our association.

This notification will also go on the main notice board.

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I am happy to be able to say that after all our appeals we have had some people come forward to join your committee. There will be no need to have an EGM now. However, if anyone else is thinking of stepping forward then please do. The people who have come on board have done so to stop the association from being run by the council and to keep the rents affordable for all. I am really pleased to say that David Kirkham will take over as secretary from me on the 1st of November. David’s garden is on the main drive 2 up from the association polytunnel next to Charles. I hope you will all give him a lot of support.

David will be helping on Saturday morning at the workday. If you are around even though you can’t help in the work come and introduce yourself. To committee members that have yet to meet him, this would be an ideal opportunity to have a chat before the next meeting on Saturday 2nd November, please note the change of day.

Regards

Jackie

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Sorry I must have misread the letter from Dobies, evidently, we will be allocated a new code for this year. I am still awaiting the package which will have the catalogues and new code in it. I will circulate it as soon as possible.

Jackie

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We are hoping to get more work done on the site this Saturday the 12th from about 9am onwards. We will have a skip on site to start getting rid of some of the rubbish. There is plenty to do still but I think we can see the wood for the trees. We are still concentrating on moving as much of the bricks and rubble into the pathway as possible. So if you cannot help on Saturday Morning you are more than welcome to wander on-site and move a barrow load or two.

Jackie

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We are still looking for more members to come on the committee we have meetings on Sunday 6th October at 10am and again on Sunday 3rd of November. 10am start in the polytunnel lasts for about 1 hour. We need a Chairman and Secretary or enough to help share in the tasks traditionally done by the secretary, with the Chairperson then having an overall view of what needs doing and when. If the committee does not think it has enough people to run the association efficiently then we will hold an

EMERGENCY GENERAL MEETING ON SUNDAY 17th NOVEMBER

there the future of the association will be discussed and what choices there are to carry the association forward. A working association will keep your rents low when compared to around £200 per plot plus water with the council. Personally, I think you have some really good people on the committee so please come and join them. Put the EGM date in your diaries and look for confirmation at the beginning of next month.

I have officially ended our status as a CIC this is because the lease the council is looking to give us ends the need for Trustees who would have personal liability over the allotment land. Also in the future, any committee may wish or need to raise funds and this would make running a CIC more difficult.

We collectively spent enough at Dobies to allow the discount scheme to continue this year. The arrangements are the same as is the code number. However, a few spent a lot of money and 2 of those are leaving the gardens. So it’s up to you if it continues after next August. I should have some catalogues soon. But the winter collection is on their website.

Thank you to those that came to the BBQ it was good fun especially thanks to extra help from Adam and Jane on the burger turning and Ronny and Winnifred on fundraising and those that helped set up. The afternoon cost us about £40 which is not bad for a 50/60 person BBQ.

To help in communication which is very time consuming and wastes paper and plastic please encourage your fellow allotmenteers to log onto this web site and follow. If everyone who was able to do so just did it would save so much time.

Steve and I will not have a garden up here by the end of October. I will continue to do some work for the association for a while so I will retain a key, if you want to have a chat about the future please feel free to contact me.

Regards

Jackie

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As we are leaving the allotments I am selling my Mantis Deluxe XP Tiller as per the pictures. This model is the biggest one available with a 35cc 4 stroke petrol engine so very powerful. I bought this new about two years ago and it’s been used less than a couple of dozen times. New, these things are £450. If anyone is interested in buying it give me a ring on 07939 677311 and make me an offer before I put it on eBay. Thanks – Steve M

This tiller is featured in this YouTube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ_jkBffJ6o at around 3 mins and 26 seconds minutes into the vid.

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I run the website. I publish what I am told to publish nothing more. Today I want to say something personal to me.

Today we had a communal work day, a day when people are asked every few weeks, to help out for just a few hours, so that the allotments can be run for everyone’s benefit. It was sunny and warm and a lot got done by the following usual few: Steve Yorke, Steve Porter, Steve Williams, David Kirkham, John Stooke, Jane Bowden and Jackie Medcalf. Honourable mentions too go to Adrian Robbins, who worked yesterday, and Kay Graham and Peter Groves who are normally there but couldn’t make it today. I was there too. Well done to the band who always turn up and work for the rest of you so you can garden with no responsibility except to yourselves.

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Hi folks.

A reminder that rent is due by the end of the month, see your bill for payment methods. You can pay in person on 21st / 22nd and 28th / 29th between 10am and 12.30. Please bring your bill. Mark Robinson your treasurer will be taking payments in the polytunnel on Sunday 22nd. I will take payments on the 3 other days and will be in my garden. If you have difficulty in paying by the 1st of October now is the time to discuss it with me. If you are vacating your garden I need to know now, please.

On Saturday 21st September. Our few volunteers will be working on the pathway again and on Harry’s old gardens. Your help would be appreciated, it’s only for a couple of hours but more hands to make the work progress would be brilliant. We need to get the work done so we can mark out the new gardens and get tenants on as soon as possible. Which is in everyone’s interest, in the future the council will not give us a discount on non-tenanted gardens which means individual rents may need to rise to cover the deficit.

As you know we need more Committee members we ask that you give an hour or so of your time once a month so it is not arduous and you don’t have to attend every meeting. Every hour volunteered after that is a bonus. We are suggesting the secretary’s role could be split down so job sharing some of the tasks would work out a few hours per month over the year. If everyone on site gave a minimum of 2 hours a year we would be organised.

We need someone who could manage the Web site, which actually takes up very little time is just mainly putting posts up. So if you know how to manage a web site or your partner does, please offer your services. Please contact me for an informal discussion if you are interested. Interest does not mean you commit yourself. Talk to me, please.

Unless we get the volunteers we need we will probably hold an EGM in a couple of months time to discuss how the association goes forward.

Regards

Jackie

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