Secret Allotment

Dear fellow allotment plotters,

The first meeting of the new committee took place on Sunday. Here are the minutes. Don't forget to make a note of the key dates for events in your diary!

Best wishes,

Claire

 

Committee meeting Jan 08.doc (54 KB)

Time:   2:00 pm 8th October 2006
Place:  Aylmer Road Allotment (Mike's Plot)
Apologies received for non-attendance from David, Helen, Sebastian/Sam, Rachel and Simon

Business:

• Fiona welcomed as new plotholder.
• Any plotholders not on mailing list need to be added (Brenda).
• Mike Met Ted Butcher from, Haringey Parks Department, who was delighted with the progress all the plotholders had made.
• Mike negtiated a 2 year free discount for new plotholders as a form of encouragement to take on overgrown plots.
• Plot 16 will be the wildlife zone and no rent is expected for that plot.
• A dirty plot notice will be issued to Miguel.
• Mike has resigned as Chairperson but will remain as Allotment Secretary.
• Donny was nominated as acting Chairperson until the Spring AGM.
• A communal polytunnel was mooted as a future use of communal funds.
• Coppicing of trees around the allotment is planned for the winter months. The guiding principle should be to increase the managability and usability of plots. Particular attention will be paid to the oak tree between Elisabeth and Ed and Gabby's plot, as well as trees in the wildlife area and trees verging on the golf course.
• Any felled logs should be kept for mushroom growing purposes.
• Dumping of wood and brambles in the wildlife plot should be halted until a better plan of action is considered.
• Manure will be deposited just outside the communal shed area.
• Future minutes will be posted on the website, mailing list and communal shed noticeboard.
  

Actions:

• Ed will sort out Bank details with the Cooperative bank. Link here.
• Sam will try and get hold of the wildlife report from his friend so that it can be published on this site.
• All plotholders will try and collect cardboard and carpet for mulching purposes.
• All volunteer plotholders will meet at 11:00 am on Sunday the 5th November 2006 for the biannual manure shovelling task. Mike will provide transport in his red van. Cake and soup will be served upon completion followed by a traditional bonfire to be lit at 3:00 pm.
  

Items to purchase with communal funds:

• Grille and acrylic window panes for communal shed. Also a decent padlock and a key for every plotholder.
• Short bar chainsaw from ebay.
• Engine for rotavator from ebay.
• Noticeboard for communal shed.

Minutes of Aylmer Road Allotment Association (ARAA) Meeting 21^st June 2006

Victoria Pub, Highgate

Present – Mike, Elizabeth, Natalie, Gabby, Rohen, Sam

Apologies – Donny, Ed, David, Helen

Minutes of AGM – approved

Waiting List

Mike outlined how he, as site secretary, will be managing the waiting list on behalf of Haringey Council. He will be paid £12.00 by Haringey for his trouble. Plot 9b has been allocated as the process of termination was completed by the pinning of a termination notice on the shed door. (This followed 2 recorded delivery letters to the tenant being returned.) Sandra et al finally decided to give up their plots and couldn’t be persuaded to keep one. Donny will take over 10a as he has been working part of it already freeing up 10b and 9a. It was felt that 2 tenants, each having a half plot (5 pole) would be preferable to one, given they need a lot of clearing.

Mike will now contact people at the top of the waiting list. He will also approach everyone on the list and give them the option of taking on any other plots. If no one is interested, and this is very likely given they are much neglected, he will recommend existing tenants who would like to take them on.

Allotment Forum

Mike regretted he was unable to attend the last meeting. He was also unable to print off the minutes prior to the meeting to discuss the content with the committee. He will therefore post them on the blog for anyone interested.  The next meeting of will be on 15^th July.

 

Finance

Gabby will open an account in order to accept the £350 annual payment from Haringey Council ASAP. She will need the minutes of this meeting and the constitution. The signatories will be Mike (Chair), Donny (Committee Secretary), Sam (Treasurer) and Gabby (Events Coordinator), any two of these will be able to sign cheques on behalf of ARAA

 

Minutes

It was agreed that Mike draft minutes of this meeting and work on them with Sam for presentation in an acceptable format for a bank. 

 

Survey and Pollarding/Coppicing of shading trees

This was done and ?? is working on it between paid jobs (Sam to tactfully enquire when he might be able to finish them). It was agreed that no work will be done prior to the surveys recommendations being fully understood and a plan of action being made.

 

Wildlife Plots

Plot 7 seems like an ideal site for this project. It was agreed that more was involved than simply designation and a commitment to some maintenance was necessary, in line with the survey’s recommendations. Mike will approach the council to see how this can be officially worked.

 

Rubbish Collection

Helen will coordinate the next collection of rubbish by the council on the 1^st July. Ed and Gabby will be able to help and will call Helen if their plans change and they can’t in order that no one be there when the lorry arrives.

 

Next meeting

A provisional date was set for Michealmas on the Friday  29^th September 06

 

 

• The vixen's current predilection for making off with leather goods (including Mike's car key fob) was discussed and plans were hatched for the recovery of said stolen goods.
• Attendance was good. No apologies were received for non-attendance.
• Brenda and Jill were contacted prior to the meeting to inform them of its taking place and to check on their intentions for their plots.
• Mike is working through the the waiting list.
• The constitution was signed by all attendees and the Aylmer Road Allotment Association was formed.
  
• The officers of the committee were appointed as folllows:
  • Chair: Mike
  • Committee Secretary: Donny
  • Waiting List Officers: Helen and Mike
  • Treasurer: Sam
  • Bank Signatories: Gabby, Donny & Mike
  • Repairs Officer: Ed
  • Recycling Officer: Rohen
  • Events Officers: Gabby and Natalie
  • Legal Officer: David
• A yearly £25 subscription fee was decided upon to cover the site rent of Plot 16, manure donation to Kentish City Farm and other projects.
• Plot 16 was chosen as a nature reserve. It was decided that water rates should not be charged for this plot. Mike will speak to Anne Jones.
• Tim (friend of Sam) will visit the allotment on 11:00 am on Saturday 13th May to conduct a wildlife survey and answer any questions that plotholders may have on nature conservation issues.
• The committee will author and send a letter of support to the Lea Vally Allotments with regards to their battle against the mishandled Olympic Village development.
• Clearing of the rubbish on Plot 16 will take place on Saturday 13th May at around midday.
• A bucket will be left near the allotment exit for golf balls found on the plot. The balls can be sold at the local golf shop to raise funds for the allotment.
• A visit to Audley End will provisionally take place on 10th June 2006. It is hoped Mike Thurlow will give a 2 hour guided tour.
• The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 21st June 2006 at 7:00pm at the allotment. Bring some food, a barbecue will take place after the meeting!
• The remainder of a drinks kitty, totalling £28.50, was allocated to cover Tim's costs for visiting the allotment.

• Apologies were received for non-attendance.
• The sample constitution was reviewed.
• It was decided that the manure heap should be replenished before it is all used.
• Second plot ownership was discussed.
• Clause M[2] of the constitution was changed so that a "qorum of seven members" was required.
• The next meeting will be the AGM in 28 days where executive committee roles will be decided and the constitution finally endorsed. A signature is required from every plot holder who wishes to be a member of the new association. This meeting will take place on Monday 8th May 2006 at 8:30pm at the Victoria pub.
• Waiting list management was discussed.
• Mike will send the altered constitution to Anne Jones to forward to all plot holders for signing and then this should be returned to Mike.
• It was agreed to remove the net from Helen's pond to prevent the frog spawn getting stuck in it.
• A consensus was reached on fitting a ballcock to the first water butt.
• Natalie will affix a laminated sign to the gate, informing all plot holders of the formation of the associaton.
• The vixen on the allotment has born her litter and is now lactating (apparently). She is being kept well fed by Mike.
• The association will affiliate with the NSALG according to clause 8 of the tenancy agreement.

The inaugural meeting of the Aylmer Road Allotment Plot Holders took place at 2:00 pm in The Victoria, North Hll, Highgate. Attendance was seven and apologies were received for non-attendance.

Here are the minutes of the meeting:

• We will adopt a constitution. Examples found on the internet will be circulated and discussed and one will be selected.
• Mike was elected as Chairman of the committee and also Farm Liason Officer (FLO).
• Hiring a shredder was discussed. It would allows us to shred brambles or felled trees and to cover the paths, rather than having bonfires. However, a better solution, to assign a communal long term compost heap on one of the plots, was preferred. This plot should be chosen and cleared for this purpose.
• A team effort for "manure movement" was organised for Sunday 12th March 2006. Meeting at 11:00 am at the allotments, we will use Sam's van to collect as many bags of manure as we can from Kentish Town Farm. The FLO will confirm this with the farm.
• Plot holders will read their tenancy agreements to see if there are any issues relating to forming an association.
• A website will be created. This is it! Also, a mailing list will be formed for all plot holders and efforts will be made to ensure that everyone has access to it.
• Gumtree will be used to try and find as much carpet as possible to help mulch areas of the allotment, especially where Japanese Knotweed is present.
• Plans for a raffle, open day and a summer party were discussed.
• Affiliation with an organisation such as NSALG was thought to be a good idea.
• The map of the allotment will be scanned and hosted on this website.
• The next meeting will be held at The Victoria on 1st April 2006 at 5:00 pm. It is intended that the constitution will be endorsed at this meeting.