Our first full year as an allotment association has ended, topped off with our AGM on the 19th October. Thanks to everyone who turned up on a wet cold evening, it was much appreciated.
The highlight of the year for me was the Flower and Produce Show held in September - the first in St Ives for 15 years. It was a great success and the sub-committee who organised it are planning to expand the number of classes and so the overall size of the show. As I am writing this, we have already put the 2011 schedule on the HRAA web site (see 'Produce show' page). I hope that after this year’s show more people understand the rules of the game and that competition will be that much keener next year! But above all the show should be fun and I think I can honestly say it was one of the more enjoyable things we have done this year, certainly in terms of organising it.
On to more mundane matters. The work of the allotment association continues, particularly lobbying on your behalf with the Town Council. To this end, John McKinnie and I were at their amenities committee meeting on the Wednesday 27th October arguing HRAA's case in the public forum against a proposed change in the way rentals are calculated, which included an overall rise in rental income for the Town Council. We managed to get a decision deferred and we will continue to scrutinise and where necessary challenge the figures which the council staff put forward for the estimated running costs of the allotments. Attending Town Council meetings might be seem about as tempting as having teeth pulled, particularly when The Apprentice is on the telly on a Wednesday evening, but if you want to see how the such decisions are made you might want to come along to the next amenities committee meeting on Wednesday 24th November.
You will see from these activities that we continue to work on your behalf to put on social events and also to fight our corner with the Town Council. The next question is what more can we do for members going forward? We are currently planning to arrange for delivery of green waste compost for the use of members. Further details to follow once we know the likely cost.
There has been much discussion of developing a communal hut, store, meeting point and area for arranging delivery of compost and mulch. We have already put as many steps as we can to prepare for an application for lottery funding (including amending the constitution and beginning discussions with the council over leasing land to put a hut on). However the Committee cannot do everything on its own. What we need now, if this is to go ahead, is a sub-committee to plan and arrange it and to manage such a facility going forward. I hope that you will consider helping out and respond positively to John's email asking for volunteers to help.
Finally the committee has noted the discussion at the AGM regarding the appropriate level of HRAA membership fees. As I explained at the AGM, we began the year with only £31 in the pot, yet to rent a room for an evening event generally costs around £45. More significantly, to put on an event like the Produce Show meant costs of £327 this year, ignoring the hidden costs such as committee members printing programmes and posters themselves. Next year the costs will be greater. While the Produce Show in the end made a profit, the association cannot run without an adequate cash balance. Thus we need membership fees to allow us to cover our costs and put on bigger and better events in the future.
Please do give us your feedback about the events you would like us to put on, or conversely the things you don't want us to do. In the meantime, we will be looking at alternative structures for membership fees, and at ways of contacting those plot holders who currently are not members of HRAA. Do remind everyone who balks at the thought of paying a membership fee that they can easily get all their money back from our discount scheme with local retailers.
So all I have left to say is have a great autumn. I hope you’re still benefitting from late raspberries, sloe gin is steeping in the kitchen cupboard and your first parsnips are sweet and tasty.
Richard
