Rosendale Allotments Association is pleased to announce three job vacancies:
Community Education Officer; Community Outreach Officer; and Project Support Officer
All three positions are part time with flexible working hours; and scheduled to commence in July 2012, and last for 21 months.

All details about the project, the positions, the person specifications and the method of application are here available on our website.

We look forward to receiving applications. Please do not send applications requiring a signatory on receipt as the office is not routinely manned. Receipt of applications will not normally be acknowledged but the outcome of the selection process will be communicated to all applicants via email at the end of the selections process. If you would like an acknowledgement of receipt of your application, and/or prefer to be informed of the outcome of your application by mail, please supply a stamped addressed envelope, or envelopes.

• project-support-officer1

• job-vacancies

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A great example of the renewed community spirit was the recent volunteer weekend on the 17th and 18th of March.  Saturday was a miserable rainy day, but still a loyal group of workers turned up to demolish the old storage compound behind the stores.  A large skip was quickly filled and the site made ready for the builders to move in. We fought our way through vicious brambles and shifted countless rotting pallets before sitting down for some well deserved lunch.

Pek provided some delicious soup and bread to keep spirits up. If you weren’t there, you missed out.

The one grumble that got voiced was that there weren’t that many of us there. This is a problem that we often face; we just don’t get enough volunteers to get things done. We need allotment holders to help so that we can keep facilities like the stores and the library going. If anyone can think of any innovative ways to get more people involved then please speak up at the AGM or post your suggestions at the committee hut.

If you can volunteer for any of this work then please contact Rachel on 02077372892 or email: rs@jaspere7.demon.co.uk

Allotment news

Our Facebook group now has 121 members and it really is worth joining if you haven’t already done so.  Recently there have been announcements about manure and scaffold plank deliveries. Also offers of willow branches for fence weaving, bulk buying of chilli plants and an invitation to a pub quiz.

It would be great to see people using it as a place to ask for advice and allotment tips as well. Perhaps you have a favourite recipe for using up those summer gluts of beans and courgettes.

If you know someone at the allotment who does not have access to the internet then please pass on news to them. The notice boards on site have now been repaired so it is also worth looking out for the latest updates there too.

Thefts

Sadly there has been a recent spate of thefts from allotment holders. This time the incidents have taken place in broad daylight. People have had cash and personal belongings stolen from their plots as they work just yards away.

Remember to shut the gate behind you as you enter and exit the site and only let in plot holders that you recognise.

Please be extra vigilant, look out for people you don’t recognise and report any crimes or suspicious behaviour to the police.

Email contact PC Alan Stewart
Alan.J.Stewart2@met.police.uk.
He is our local safer neighbourhood officer.

Dates for your Diary

TUESDAY 24th APRIL 2012

Rosendale Allotments Association
Annual General Meeting

7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start
The Crypt
All Saint’s Church,
Rosendale Rd/Lovelace road

NOMINATIONS FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP AND RESOLUTIONS SHOULD BE RECEIVED BY THE SECRETARY ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY 18TH APRIL 2012

ANNUAL REPORT AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE AND AT COMMITTEE HUT

• nomination form

• agm-2011-minutes1

• agm-2011-minutes11

• raa_accounts_2010_20117

• The Big Lottery Local Food grant.

At last year’s AGM we were still discussing how to raise the additional funds to match the grant from the Lottery. Fortunately, because of the difficulty of all groups trying to attract grants, the Lottery changed its rules and allowed us to re-apply for additional funding. We did this and were successful. At the time of writing we have just received the official confirmation of the grant from the Lottery. We have the builders lined up, have planning permission, have demolished the old stores and have made the site ready for the building work to commence in April 2012.
The grant will make a huge difference to our facilities. Apart from having our own meeting room and for offering courses on all aspects of gardening, for our members and for the community, we will at last have running water, toilets, office facilities, cooking facilities. There will also be a new stores building with electricity, light and heating. Also there will be some paid project workers to help deliver the grant’s educational side.
The grant will require a commitment from our members to help with fitting out, landscaping, hedge planting etc. Hopefully all members will do what they can to help make this project the great success it promises to be.  It has involved a big commitment in time, effort, and enthusiasm for some years, especially Catriona Andrews and Rachel Sharp.

• Grants.

No new grants were applied for but the 3 earlier grants have now been largely spent leaving a little over for outstanding commitments. Under the Lottery Awards For All grant, 5 new community plots have been allocated, a communal tool shed established and some funds made available for each group to have some facilities for their service users.  A survey has also been conducted by an outside organization to advise us on a long term plan to improve the site’s safety for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
The Grassroots grant has been spent on extending the shed, and establishing a library/resource centre. An excellent collection of new books have been bought covering all aspects of gardening, and members have also been generous in donating furniture, books, magazines and other resources. Unfortunately, we have not been able to open the resource centre as often as we would like, due to the shortage of volunteers. The committee is considering relocating it into the new building once it is completed. Thanks to a grant from Lambeth Council, we have been able to replace the main gates and fit digital locks.

Until such time as additional grants/ other resources are obtained, the main gate is the only one which permits disabled access. Members who have disabilities and need a plot nearer to the main gate should contact the committee who will do what they can when a suitable plot becomes available
Any help from Members with experience in obtaining grants will be gratefully received. Grants are time consuming to apply for, and difficult to obtain in the current financial context.  The Spa Hill allotment site, for example has a small multi task tractor, paid for by a grant. Think what we could do with that!

• Communal tool shed.

Thanks to the A4A grant, we hope to extend the range of tools that can be borrowed, and their availability for use by members but this will depend on the construction of the new stores building and the stores re-opening. Tools will be able to be borrowed by all members via the stores. A list of tools will be provided and placed on the notice board.  Other allotment groups have a core of volunteers ready and able to maintain these tools, sharpening blunt instruments etc, and we will need to have the same type of group to maintain our communal tools.

• Volunteer day and volunteers.

RAA was approached twice by outside organizations offering to do some volunteer work. We had two groups of volunteers who worked hard in beginning the task of clearing the overgrown ditch and painting the committee hut and we are very grateful for this assistance. Unfortunately our committee member who was to be our volunteer co-coordinator had to resign and we have not had anyone willing to be the replacement. We had one weekend of volunteering in March 2012 which cleared the site for the new building and cleared much of the bottom ditch. Three more volunteer weekends will be held in 2012. Members are reminded that all the work of the association is performed by volunteers and we need the participation of members to keep the site maintained and other routine tasks completed.

• Social events.

The annual barbeque was held in September 2011. We also had a seed and seedling event in the spring. Hopefully, with the new building there will be more opportunity for socialising, and sharing our ideas ….good and bad, and having a laugh….

• Rent rises.

The committee unfortunately had to raise rents considerable this year because of rising costs and because of the need to embark on a long term plan to spend more on site maintenance. Our landlords, Dulwich Estates, review our rent every seven years and 2011 was a year for a review: the amount we pay to Dulwich Estates thus rose by the rate of inflation over the last seven years (about 20%). The water bill is also a considerable part of our expenditure. The maintenance tasks included clearing the dump near the top of the site, and although this was expensive it was a task that had to be tackled in this way. We have also had to replace the locks on the other gates and by the end of the financial year will have done more long overdue maintenance projects. The 2011 AGM was held over 2 evenings because of the discussion about grants and the need for rent rises.

• Special general meeting.

Some members were dissatisfied with the running of the association, the rent rises, and financial management. A special general meeting was called to consider a vote of no confidence in the committee. It was a lively, very well attended meeting for which the committee prepared background papers and updated financial information. After much discussion the motion of no confidence was defeated.

• Waiting list.

About 30 new plots have become vacant this year and will have been reallocated by the time of the AGM. We still have about 800 people on the waiting list which we have now closed. But in the process of reallocating plots it is clear that a lot of people on the waiting list have either moved or not updated their contact details so the committee had decided to contact all those on the list to make a more up to date list. Those newly allocated plots this year have been waiting for at least 4 years. It is clear that the demand for plots greatly exceeds supply which means that those who have got plots are very fortunate.

• The stores.

We have not been able to open the stores as often as we would like due to the shortage of volunteers for the rota. Once the new stores building is available we will hope to be able to open it regularly on both Saturdays and Sundays and would encourage all members to participate and help with the rota. We have sold off all the stock at rock bottom prices and will restock anew when the building has been finished. Thanks to all those who helped with the final sale and Pek who managed the stores.

• Manure.

We continue to get regular deliveries of deliveries of raw manure, and this year have finally persuaded the delivery people to deliver to the Peabody gate as well as the main gate. However members continue to complain quite rightly that when the manure arrives it goes too quickly because a significant minority are too greedy and take more of their fair share. We urge members who are there in the day time not to hog the manure so others are left perpetually with nothing. One member even reported that a large number of bags had been loaded up and taken off-site in a van, and on another occasion the whole lot had been bagged up into three separate loads by three small groups of people.

• Communication with members.

Thanks to Andrew Pembroke who has set up the Facebook site, and also Pek Choo, who has started a newsletter, we have improved the means of communicating with members. We can also use the web and email as nearly two thirds now have access to the internet. Members are encouraged to update their email addresses and, if no internet access, regularly consult the notice boards. The rise in the price of stamps makes normal mailing very expensive.

• Plot Inspections.

Plot inspections occur twice a year and members written to and warned if their plots don’t pass the tests. A number of plot-holders were warned this year and did put their plots in order before the second inspection. The committee will again carry out two inspections this year, the first in May, and be stricter in ensuring that the overall site is being well used and that people are abiding by the Rules and the bye-laws. Plot holders complain when their neighbours have neglected the paths, neglected cultivation keep rubbish on site.
Vandalism, Arson and Thefts.
Unfortunately there have continued to be a number of incidents of vandalism, and breaking into sheds with tools and other things being stolen. A shed was also burnt down. Some members have also had produce stolen from their plots. All such incidents should be reported both to the committee and to the police. Members should consider adding their possessions on their allotments to their household insurance as the Association’s insurance does not cover any compensation for these items. The Committee has spoken to Peabody Estates and Network Rail about the state of the fencing for which they are responsible, and believe that it has obtained an agreement from these bodies to rebuild their fencing. The Committee is examining options for improving the fencing near the two entrances on Lovelace Road, as well as making safe a wall near one entrance.

• Rent taking and Record keeping.

We are endeavouring to update our records, especially as regards sharers.  Hopefully this will be easier when we have the new building and internet and PC access on site. Meanwhile the rent taking this year went very smoothly and nearly everyone paid on time. We have to thank Marco who was on duty all the time and is finishing updating the records. We also thank all our members who paid up promptly and without hassle. Please ensure that when your contact details change that you let the committee know.

RAA Committee
April 2012

Here are the final plans (pdf document) of what will now fill this void. Click on the image below for bigger and more images. Congratulations to all who have helped us get this far with the project - especially Catriona Andrews and Rachel Sharp.

Saturday and Sunday 10am-12pm

Pentin Javalin (early potatoes)            £1 per kg

£20 per 25kg bag

Desiree (main crop potatoes)            £1 per kg

£20 per 25kg bag

Yellow Onions                                    £2 per kg

£30 per 20kg bag

Red Onions                                    £2.30 per kg

£40 per 20 kg bag

We are still looking for votes in our competition to find a name for the newsletter. Here are the entries:
•    The Plot Thickens
•    Green Stuff
•    Hot Off The Plot
•    Green News Digest
•    Our Monthly Greens
•    Veggie Bull(etin)
You can vote on our facebook page or our email address raanews@hotmail.com or post a letter ‘FAO Newsletter’ to the committee hut.

Rosendale school scarecrows

On Friday 6th of January, traditionally known as ‘12th night’, Rosendale School had a scarecrow making competition to make scarecrows for their school allotment. They then had a procession up to the allotment where they installed the scarecrows, gathered round a bonfire, toasted marshmallows and had jacket potatoes.

Alongside Rosendale and Turney School we have several other community groups who have allotments on site

Garden4Health - A group for sufferers of fatigue-related illnesses such as ME and Fibromyalgia

Rathbone Society- Supporting young people and adults with learning disabilities

Fathernature -Supporting relationships between young fathers and their kids

Maudsley Group - Supporting people with Mental Health Issues

Lambeth Family Link -Supporting parents of children with disabilities by providing clubs and activities for children with disabilities

Allotment news

Work is soon to start on the new building, but first we need to get rid of the old stores. On the 11th and 12th February there will be a huge sale of all the current stock and you can help in two ways. Firstly you can buy as much of it as possible, it all has to go! You could also volunteer a couple of hours over the weekend to staff the stores. We already have some volunteers but could always use more. Remember that after this weekend you will not be able to buy any supplies on site until after the new building is completed so make the most of the sale.

Potatoes and onions were ordered last year before we had a date for the stores closure and hopefully these will have arrived in time for the sale.

Once the stock has been sold and contractors have removed the roof we can then start to demolish the stores building. More volunteers will be needed, so if you are handy with a screwdriver then please sign up. It should be fun, like the barn raising scene in the film Witness, only in reverse.

If we don’t do this ourselves we will need to pay someone else to do it. As a bonus, those who volunteer will be able to take some of the wood from the building to use on their plots.

If you can volunteer for any of this work then please contact Rachel on 02077372892 or email: rs@jaspere7.demon.co.uk

Reptiles and amphibians

Froglife is a national wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles - frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards - and saving the habitats they depend on.
They are planning a series of workshops later this year and need input from allotment holders in London. You can help by filling in a questionnaire for them.
http://www.froglife.org/dragonfinder/.
Hopefully we can get them along to our newly built meeting room later in the year for a workshop.

Dates for your Diary
February 11th &12th, 10am-3pm
The Great Sell-Off Stores-Sale
Everything is being sold off with at least 25% off.

Unusual vegetable of the month

Some plot holders have been growing Achocha, an unusual vegetable from South America that is remarkably easy to grow.
It is impressively productive; in fact it can take over so plant it well away from other crops. Achocha loves our variable UK summers, can be used raw in salads when small a bit like a cucumber but the best thing is that they really taste just like sweet green peppers when fried.
Pek will bring some Achocha seed to the seed swap next year if you fancy giving it a go.

Stores
The stores are currently closed for the winter and due to the new building going up next year it looks likely that the stores will not open in 2012.
If any one knows of a well priced garden centre or online shop that they would recommend for use in the meantime then please let us know.

There will be a big sell off of the remaining stock in the new year so watch this space and get ready to grab a bargain.

Committee news
Open fires are only allowed between 1st November and 31st March.  We have had two visits from Lambeth council’s Environment and Pollution Officers due to our residential neighbours complaining that plot holders are burning plastic and rubber as well as leaving fires unattended.  We can be liable for a fine of up to £20,000 for this.  Please remember that we are only allowed to burn organic matter and fires must never be left unattended.

The committee are on the lookout for new members. It can be a great way to meet other plot holders and you could really help the allotments to run more effectively.  You don’t need any particular experience to be a committee member just the willingness to get involved.  Currently they are particularly keen to hear from anyone who would like to take on the roles of treasurer or volunteer co-ordinator.
If you are interested please contact Paul Robson vieurobs@gn.apc.org

What’s the latest about our new buildings?
We are happy to report we are very optimistic about getting the full grant finally confirmed soon. Lambeth has granted us planning permission, and all that remains is some final legal paper work which the Dulwich Estate requires as a condition of our lease.
The buildings have been designed by The Garden Escape who will oversee the project. But we will have to ensure that the old store building is dismantled, and for that we will need your help, as volunteer input is part of the grant conditions.
HMRC now recognises RAA us as a charity so we can now claim back additional funds from the tax office for any donations received, so long as donors provide their address. Some very generous person donated £500 anonymously via the website donations button but did not provide an address. Would they kindly let Rachel Sharp know in confidence who it was so that we can take advantage of the Gift Aid concessions. Thanks to all those who contributed to the building fund, which was used to pay for the planning permission application and the professional survey, we had to have done for the plans.

The library/ resource centre.
Thanks to the Capital community fund Grassroots grant and some contribution from the Lottery Awards for All grant we now have a wonderful and comprehensive collection of books and magazines about all aspects of gardening but especially for allotment holders, currently housed in the committee hut. What we lack are volunteers to man a rota so that the library can be open. Please volunteer by ringing Rachel Sharp on 02077372892 or email her at rs@jaspere7.demon.co.uk. When we have enough volunteers we will open at 11 till 1pm on the second Sunday in the month.
Each newsletter we will highlight a category in our collection: this time mentioning the good array of books on DIY projects for the gardener such as building sheds, green houses, raised beds, garden seats, cold frames, etc. The National Society of Allotment and Leisure gardeners send us multiple copies of their great quarterly magazine: Allotment and Leisure Gardeners so members using the library can get free copies.

Dates for your Diary
January 22nd 2012
London Potato Fair
Sydenham School
Dartmouth Road
London SE26 4RD
10.00am - 3.00pm
Entrance Charge £2.00 UNDER 16s free
http://www.potatofair.org

Entrance Charge £2.00 UNDER 16s free
http://www.potatofair.org

After a period of discussion the motion below of no confidence in the current management committee was lost with 74 votes against, 26 votes for and 5 abstentions.

Thanks to all who attended and especially for the excellent chairing.

Petition text:
Under named Plot holders do not agree with the £25.00 plot rise we would like to see the letter from Dulwich Collage our Landlords asking for this rise. The price rise should have been brought up at the AGM as the members have to agree to it. It’s not up to the Committee to make this decision, this is a 90% rise if nothing is being done about it we will call a meeting if we have 420 Allotments the money coming in off this rise is about £10.000.00 plus. We demand an extra ordinary meeting to take a vote of no confidence in the currant management committee all officers of the managements committee must attend this meeting. Which will take place in the specified fourteen (14) days from today the 1/10/2011 we also demand that the committee produce audited accounts from 2005-2010 for both the general allotments and the stores. All cheque book and paying books and all keys for the office and stores to be at this meeting. Is it possible to have a independent chair.

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Motion to be discussed: This meeting has no confidence in the current management committee of Rosendale Allotments Association