Little Stoke Garden Society AGM, 8 February 2010
Annual Report
I would like to thank all of the committee members for their hard work this year. It has been a particularly busy year, re-establishling the committees remit, with some new members.
Garden Society
The membership currently stands at 195.
Thank you to Dave Badminton for keeping the membership and allotment list updated and also to David Hutton for working with Dave distributing all of the mailings.
May Open Morning
The Committee organised a very successful Open Morning held on Sunday 31 May 2009. The Open Morning was a big success, with lots of positive feedback. Thanks to all of the committee members who helped made the day successful and of course members who came along to support the morning. A large number of members attended the morning andwe had excellent sunny weather. We signed up 9 new society members.
We are holding another Open Morning again this year on Sunday 30 May 2010, 10.00 am-12:00 noon.
Allotments
Most of the allotments are taken with a waiting list of 32 Stoke Gifford Parish, 24 non-Stoke Gifford Parish. The committee, in consultation with Stoke Gifford Parish Council has closed the waiting list for the time being and priority is given to Stoke Gifford Parish residents.
Members of the committee have spent a considerable amount of time this year re-letting allotments and keeping the allotment site, car park and tool shed tidy. The upkeep of allotments is an ongoing problem; allotments are checked by committee members every 6-8 weeks at peak times in the year and notice given to tenants with allotments not being cultivated. To support this process Stoke Gifford Parish Council agreed amendments to the Allotment Agreement. Copies will be issued to all current allotment tenants, during Shop opening hours during 21st and 28th March 2010. The committee is particularly keen to quickly re-let allotments due to the long waiting list for plots. Would allotment tenants also please help by keeping the allotment site and tool shed tidy.
Stoke Gifford Parish Council have been approached regarding obtaining additional allotments, but the current situation is that the council have been unable to obtain additional land. The Parish Council put in a lottery bid for money to support extending the allotments, but this was rejected.
The committee this year has struggled with several thefts; one large break-in to the site where nearly all of the sheds doors were forced, damage was done to the boundary fencing and property taken from some sheds. The Parish Council has replaced the damaged boundary fence with sturdy metal and chain-link fencing.
We have also had to deal with thefts on a smaller scale, internal to the allotments
- items taken from allotment plots ie bags of compost and cabbages, fruit, plus larger items such as a Garden Society wheelbarrow and a tenants’ rotavator.
As these thefts continued over a long period of time, the gate padlock was replaced and new keys issued to all current allotment tenants.
There have been a number of repairs to allotment property by committee members or partners:
Toilet door lock fixed –John Ballinger
A broken tap standpipe - John Szczelkun
Hole in Tool shed floor repaired – Jim Brierly
Painted the inside of the Shop – Paul Eason
Blocks added to extend the wall between the toilet and tool shed – Paul Eason
Shelves removed in the Tool shed – Paul Eason
Additional number signs for allotments – Paul Eason
Shop opening times changed – John Ballinger
Burst pipe in allotment toilet – Stoke Gifford Parish Council
Replacement fencing (metal and chain-link) – Stoke Gifford Parish Council
A big thank you to all who helped with the above repairs, plus any that may have been missed from this list.
Also thank you to Frank Middleton for help with cutting the grass at the allotments on a regular basis, his help has been appreciated.
Newsletters
Our Secretary, Jan has produced regular newsletters throughout the year – thanks to Jan.
Website
The site continues to attract visitors, with regular updates posted and the AGM minutes are now on the website. A ‘Message Board’ has been added to website. Thanks to Dave Badminton for keeping the website up-to-date.
Monday Evening talks
5 speakers were arranged for 2009/10 evening sessions. This year has seen a drop in numbers attending the talks, which has been disappointing as there have been some interesting sessions. The talks will continue next year and to encourage attendance it is hoped to book more gardening related speakers.
Annual Show
The show was a great success this year with record numbers of entrants; almost double the number of adult and children entered.
Again another successful this year, with approximately the same amount of orders received as last year, 41 orders, £1423.00. Thanks to Jim and Sue for processing all of the orders.
Shop
The shop continues to attract members, with a slight increase in trade following the Open Morning. The shop opening hours are still Sunday 10:00-12:00.
Les, Treasurer will give a report of the outcome of the plans for a new shop.
Message from the Chair
The Chair would like to remind members of the Garden Society that committee members and work carried out by the committee members is voluntary. The Society manages the allotments on behalf of Stoke Gifford Parish Council. Any support or help that both members and tenants of the allotments can give would be most appreciated by members of the committee.
Linda Eason, Chair
Updated 08/02/2010