Welcome to the 2017 allotment year! The committee hopes you are all itching to get back to your plots and make this a great growing year.

One of the best things about being an allotment member is feeling you are part of a shared community. For the Association to work properly, we must all help to keep our community tidy and well-maintained, but working parties are also there to help each other, especially those with problem plots or in need of an extra hand. This is why your membership of the Association includes the expectation that you attend to at least one community working party per year.

Please help. The working party dates for 2017 are below. The Committee has listened to comments from members who aren’t able to make weekends, and has therefore agreed to trial two mid-week working parties, subject to sufficient demand, in May and June as the nights get longer. We will review how many sign up for these to determine whether or not they are viable.

Sign up for any of the dates at Doodle here: http://doodle.com/poll/y8i736zhngh34bur

Last year, we finally managed to clear several troublesome plots for new members to use, to demolish the old shed and replace it with a shiny (well green) container, and fill several very large skips with rubbish. This year, we have more plots to clear, a community garden to build, and a project to ready a plot to construct a communal polytunnel.

If you have other jobs you think the working parties should address, please email the committee or talk to one of us and we will see what we can do.

Working party meet-ups: We will always meet in the Orchard and children’s play area at the starting time where you can sign in so that the Committee can monitor attendance. Please make sure you are suitably dressed with appropriate footware, and that you bring gloves with you. Basic tools such as secateurs, spades, loppers etc would be helpful (the Association does not have these). If you have strimmers or other powertools, these are used at your own risk and you must confirm with the Committee beforehand that you have read the manufacturer’s instruction manual and understand how to operate the machinery safely. IF you use power tools at a working party, you must wear all the protective clothing stipulated in the manufacture’s instruction manual. A basic risk assessment will be carried out in advance of each working party and will be available on request. There will always be at least one member of the Committee present who will have a mobile phone in case of any issues (name and number will be notified before each working party). If you are First Aid trained and will be at a working party, please let us know in advance. A First Aid box is kept in the Committee hut.