Allotment Newsletter

NOVEMBER 2019

Wellesbourne Allotments have been feeding local residents for nearly 200 years

On The Plot

2nd Nov 6pm Bonfire Green Shed

8th Nov Jeremy Wright MP will be visiting the site

Poo time is upon us. Deliveries are expected during the first few weeks of November, so make sure you check your phone for a message from Richard. If you have not yet sent Richard your order, do so now on 07748 968 637 ! Supporting Those Living With SAT WEST MIDLANDS REGION - AGM Dementia 2nd NOV Wellesbourne Village Hall 2pm - 4.30pm. All Welcome

Last Month Rainbows End - A Pot Of Beans

1 WAA are proud to have been asked to host the AGM of the West Midlands Region of The National Allotment Society

The meeting will be opened by our Chair, Ian Hope, followed by a talk "Growing Vegetables for the Family” by Mike Hinton

Allotment Scheme

Despite not being able to offer online ordering, we do hope Plot Holders will order from Kings Seeds, by post, using the form enclosed in the catalogue, by phone Tel: 01376 570000 or by email: [email protected]. Seeds in the Members Catalogue are priced with the 40% discount applied to National Allotment Society members. Non-seed items are not discounted. Carriage charge is £2

As well as saving money through this scheme, Plot Holders will also be raising valuable funds for WAA.

THE WELLESBOURNE TREE

Rounding up a year of celebrations. This promises to be a great evening.

Reserve your seats now !

Kineton Village Hall CV35 0LB

If you would like to go with other Plot Holders, a few have a l r e a d y b o o k e d f o r t h e T h u r s d a y 2 1 s t N o v . performance. Car sharing possible, please email: secretary@wellesbourneallot ments.co.uk

2 November On The Plot

Plot Holders Bonfire from 6pm Sat 2nd Nov Come along to the green shed and enjoy games and a chat around a warming bonfire. Bring your own food, drink and sparklers. No fireworks please

The former, Attorney General and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, M.P. for Southam and Kenilworth, will be visiting the site on the 8th of November. We will, of course, be raising the issue of The Diocese of Coventry’s ambitions to develop our site for housing, as well as other issues concerning allotments both locally and nationally.

Latest

SAVE OUR WELLESBOURNE ALLOTMENTS

2019 has been a busy year for the SOWA campaign and all of our efforts have significantly raised the national and regional awareness of the site, as well as creating more opportunities to forge closer links with local groups.

AUGUST 2019 - Following the Plot Holders vote to reject the Diocese proposal in Jan 2019, we again offered to buy the land from The Diocese at current Agricultural Rates, but for the second time, our offer was refused. Since then we have received no formal communication from The Diocese. No formal planning application has yet been made by The Diocese.

VIGILANCE The allotments are not currently identified by the District Council as a preferred or reserved site for development. Whilst this offers some protection, we will continue to seek all opportunities to build as many layers of protection and support we can.

The most significant way every Plot Holder can assist the campaign is to maintain their plots to the best standard they possibly can achieve. Showing there is a high degree of enthusiasm and commitment to each and every plot is a crucial part of the site’s protection. Please regularly visit the WAA website, join the Facebook Page or read the notice board and make a note of Plot Inspection dates and ensure your plots are sufficiently cultivated and are free from weeding seeds. Thank You.

If your personal circumstances change and you find you are struggling to maintain your plot please ask for help from your Section Rep. For contact details see our website or at the end of this newsletter. 3 Latest

OSCARS - Dementia-Friendly Plot at Wellesbourne Allotments. Supporting August 2019 - Following the BBC CountryFile feature on the allotments, and the official opening Those Living of the plot, we have begun working with OSCARS to With Dementia create the framework required for the long-term management of this innovative project.

Plot Holders with receive a full report at the 2020 AGM, which will address the issues that have been raised by Plot Holders, including its name, management and funding.

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Join our Facebook page to add your own allotment stories and be notified of new posts

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Visit www.wellesbourneallotments.co.uk

4 Click here to see the full article in November’s edition of Wellesbourne and Walton

5 WELLESBOURNE ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION

We are vibrant community of around 150 Allotmenteers, working 97 Plots on a 7- acre site at the edge of Wellesbourne. We are proud of being a friendly and inclusive Association, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds who share a common interest in growing their own food. Our latest survey showed more than 600 villagers receive fresh and wholesome allotment produce from our plot holders.

Earliest records show Wellesbourne residents growing their own food on our current site before 1734 when it was designated as Common Land. The Wellesbourne Enclosure Act of 1734 gave ownership of our current site to the local St Peter’s Church requiring residents using the land to pay rental to the village vicar. The site was then later officially identified (and we believe gifted to Wellesbourne) as ALLOTMENT GARDENS in 1838, making our site more than 180 yrs old - one of the oldest in the UK.

Some of our current plot holders can count back at least three generations of their family who have grown on the site while others are new to the area, new to allotments and bring their young children along to their plots. As well as supporting many local community events & groups we also run our own community initiatives. www.wellesbourneallotments.co.uk

WAA Committee 2019 - Contact Us

Chair - Ian Hope Secretary - Anne-Marie Ortu Treasurer - Ken Manning

Press and Communications - Sharon Underhill & Wendy Necar

Section Reps

Plots 1 - 16 Ken Manning on Plot 24A & 31A Plots 17 - 31 Malcolm Larby on Plot 31B Plots 32 - 46 Simon Oram on Plot 33B Plots 47 - 61 Mary Geisler on Plot 59F

Suggestion Box if you do not wish to email, telephone or message us through social media, please use the suggestion box attached to the notice board.