BOWBROOK ALLOTMENT COMMUNITY

BOWBROOK ALLOTMENT COMMUNITY AN INTRODUCTION TO BOWBROOK ALLOTMENT COMMUNITY March 2018 BAC MISSION STATEMENT We aim to provide an attractive, friendly and safe environment for members and their children, to grow and harvest fruit and vegetables, in harmony with the wildlife that surrounds us. We will endeavour to develop our green areas into orchards, meadows and rest areas and to encourage the use of organic practices and the recycling of green waste. Welcome to BAC www.bowbrookallotments.wordpress.com

This booklet is intended to give new and existing members of the BAC all the information needed to help the site run smoothly and to deal with any problems. The booklet outlines the way the site works and includes an explanation of how we manage the site and what we expect of members. The formal Constitution & Rules is now in a separate volume. The Constitution & Rules set out in some detail how we how we make decisions and includes the rules we require members to follow so we can get on with growing fruit and vegetables in relative peace and quiet. Background Our allotment at Bowbrook on the western outskirts of Shrewsbury was set up in 2009 and is known as the Bowbrook Allotment Community (BAC). The site is owned by Shrewsbury Town Council but is managed by our members. Description of the Site The site is situated on the B4386 (Mytton Oak Road) opposite Oak Lane and consists of 92 half plots, following an enlargement in 2013. It has a complete security fence, a composting toilet, a large surfaced car park, and two community huts. There are also a number of mains water standpipes and water butts for the use of plot holders and we have purchased a number of lawnmowers and other items of machinery for use on the communal areas and pathways as well as making other improvements to the site. Unfortunately, there is no electricity supply to the site and therefore there are no lights or power points. Site Management BAC is not run by Shrewsbury Town Council but by BAC members, who elect Officers and Committee members each year to organise the operation of the site, make improvements and manage any issues or problems. All members with a plot on the site are eligible to stand for Office or the Committee at the Annual General Meeting which is held each year before the end of March. Please remember that Officers and Committee members are volunteers and freely give of their time without recompense. Waiting List The Membership Secretary maintains a waiting list of people who would like a plot on the site. There is a turnover of plots for a variety of reasons and the next person on the list is always asked if they want any vacant plot. Persons who reside within the wards of Bowbrook, Copthorne, Porthill and Radbrook are given preference over persons residing elsewhere in Shrewsbury. Becoming a Member of BAC When you join the BAC, you will be asked to complete a single or joint (for a shared plot) membership and tenancy agreement form and pay your subscription and rent for your plot for the year. Subsequent subscriptions and rents are payable annually on or before 1st April. Information about the fees are sent out to all members in February and March. Page 2

Keeping your Plot under Cultivation You are asked to abide by the rules of the BAC and in particular, to agree to maintain your plot properly. Whilst it is accepted that not every member has the time to keep their plot in perfect order, we do expect your plot to be kept tidy and under cultivation. It is unfair on people on the waiting list if a plot is not being productive so we check every plot regularly to make sure members are properly looking after their plot. Keeping weeds down is also important as they can quickly spread to adjacent plots, as is mowing the communal paths around each plot. Looking after your Plot We know that looking after an allotment is hard work and requires a lot of dedication. If you are unable to look after your plot properly, for any reason, and you cannot make arrangements for the work to be carried out on your behalf, please offer your resignation and let a BAC Officer know so that they may offer the plot to someone on the waiting list. You should also note that the Committee conducts regular inspections of plots to ensure that they are being properly looked after and anyone who leaves their plot in a poor state may be expelled. Paying for Stuff We ask members to pay for anything they use on their own plot which BAC has provided, such as petrol for the rotavator and barrows of compost and manure, as soon as they have been used or taken. Payment made by cash or cheques should be put in an envelope in the post-box in Hut 2 with information on who has paid and what it is for. You can also pay by BACS/Faster Payments or PayPal. The BAC bank details are sort code 30-97-62 and account number 28212968. Please use a reference with your plot number in it and email the Treasurer with details of your payment. For PayPal, you can send your payment to bowbrookallotments@gmail.com. Please make sure you mark the payment as being to friends and family rather than for goods and services, and use your PayPal credit balance or your linked bank account rather than a credit card to make the payment or we will end up paying for the transaction and will have to chase you for the cost. The Treasurer gets an automated email from PayPal when a payment has been made, so, as long as you state what the payment is for and your plot number when you make it, you don t need to do anything else. The Management Committee The BAC Management Committee is elected every year at the AGM and is made up of members of BAC who have agreed to help to organise the site on behalf of all BAC Members. A list of current Committee Members, their plot numbers and email addresses is posted on the notice boards around the site. If you want to help with the site management, you can join the Committee. Please contact a BAC Officer if you are interested. Page 3

Committee Meetings Committee meetings are generally held once a month, except in the winter and summer holiday period. If you have an issue that you would like raised, please contact a Committee member or make an entry in the Comments Book in Hut 2. A summary of each meeting is emailed to members after each meeting as well as being posted on the noticeboards for those without email. The BAC Website & Facebook Pages The BAC website is www.bowbrookallotments.wordpress.com. The website has all the information members and prospective members need about BAC, including copies of the Constitution & Rules and other useful information. On Facebook our site is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bowbrook/. Access to the Allotments The only access to the allotments is via the main gate opposite Oak Lane. The gate is locked with a combination lock. The combination number is known to all members but it may be necessary occasionally to change this for security reasons should the need arise. If this is required, we will let all members know when it happens. SITE SECURITY VERY IMPORTANT If you are the first member at the site in the morning, you should unlock the combination lock, open the main gate, then re-attach the lock to the slider, close the pin and re-scramble the numbers. If you are the last person to leave the site you should ensure that all the huts are locked, close the main gates after you and make the main gate secure with the combination lock and make sure the numbers of the lock are scrambled. If you have any problems with locking up, there is a telephone number on the gate for emergencies. Never leave the site insecure telephone the emergency number or one of the Committee to lock up if you cannot, for whatever reason. Health and Safety The Committee take health & safety issues very seriously and a risk assessment of potential hazards on the site is carried out once a year. A copy of the risk assessment report can be found in Hut 2. Parking BAC provides excellent free parking facilities for about 20 cars. We do not allow cars to go off the car park onto any of the green areas but we do have a heavy duty communal trolley, which is located in Hut 1, as well as a number of wheelbarrows, to help members to carry heavy items from the car park to their plot. Page 4

Access to the Huts and Toilet Access to the community huts and the toilet is by key. The key to open Hut 2 is kept in a coded key-safe by the door to Hut 2 and the keys to Hut 1 and the Toilet are kept just inside Hut 2, to the right of the door. New members are informed of the code for the key-safe when they begin their membership. Hut 1 Hut 1 is reserved for storing garden machines & tools, including the equipment we have bought for communal use. The door can be opened using the key which is kept in Hut 2 and the equipment is secured by a cable and combination lock. New members are informed of the code for the lock when they begin their membership. Members who use Hut 1 to store tools and equipment should ensure that it is clearly marked with their names and plot numbers. BAC accepts no liability for lost or damaged equipment when stored in the Hut. If a member notices something wrong or broken in Hut 1, please report it to Committee member or tell us via the comments and suggestions book as soon as possible so that it can be repaired. Hut 2 Hut 2 is used as an information centre and library and also houses the first aid box and a list of first aiders. It has a comments & suggestions book and also the BAC post box which can be used to pay for compost and manure or to leave messages for the Committee. Only four Committee members (the Chair, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Membership Secretary) have keys to the post box so anything you put in there is secure and will get to the right person. Toilet Facilities A composting toilet is provided for member s use next to Hut 1. Instructions on the use of both the sit down and urinal facilities are posted on the walls. Please ensure that you leave the toilet, as you would wish to find it. There is a vinegar and water spray available to use as an anti-bacterial agent should you wish to clean the seat or spray clean the urinal. One of the Committee members has volunteered to keep the toilet clean but it is not a pleasant job if people are not careful about what they do there! Security of the Huts and Toilet It is essential that members keep the Huts and Toilet secure by locking them if they are not working in the area around the buildings and keeping the keys safe and secure. In particular, the key for Hut 2 must be put back on the hook in Hut 1 and Hut 1 must be kept locked unless there are plenty of people about the site. Water Taps Mains water taps are distributed around the site for members to water their plots. The use of hosepipes is allowed, but these must be hand held and not attached to a sprinkler. Please use water from the mains sparingly and use watering cans fed from a water butt if possible. The mains water supply is turned off during winter months to prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting. Page 5

Water Butts We have almost enough water butts to provide one for every plot but we now require members to provide guttering on their sheds before we provide a butt. We encourage members to water wisely by using rain water collected in their water butts. For more information on wise watering, please ask the Green Spaces Coordinator. BAC Tools and Equipment We have a number of lawnmowers and other items of mechanical equipment for the use of members to help keep the green spaces tidy and to help members on their own plots. Members may use any BAC tools and equipment as and when needed but should be aware of the dangers of using powered tools. The equipment may be used on members own plots but should not be taken away from the site. Any member who is unsure about the use of the powered tools and wishes to have a short introduction to their use should ask a Committee member. If a member uses any petrol driven BAC equipment on their own plot, they must contribute 1 or 2 towards the cost of petrol, depending on how long the equipment is used. For guidance about how much to contribute, each half-hour of use of the equipment uses about a litre of petrol which currently costs about 1.30. Keeping the Site Tidy In order to keep the site tidy and to make mowing easier, any personal belongings, materials, tools, equipment, composters and water butts must be stored within the confines of each members plot boundaries unless they are being used. Members will be requested to remove any materials left on the green spaces or green paths. This includes pathways surrounding the plots near the perimeter fence. Picnic Benches We have provided a number of picnic benches on our green spaces for members to use. You are welcome to have your lunch or a rest at them and they can be used for friends and family to have a picnic on a nice day. Green Spaces We are fortunate enough to have a number of green spaces around the site. It is not our intention to convert these to more plots. Instead, we have developed them to provide meadowland, flower and shrub beds, orchards, homes for wildlife, safe play areas and nature trails for children and relaxing places for adults. Manure and Compost Deliveries We have an area at the end of the car park to keep bulk manure and compost and the Committee arranges for compost to be delivered in the spring and manure to be delivered in the autumn. Members may purchase this at an agreed price per barrow load - the price is significantly less than buying it yourself. While every effort is made to ensure that the manure is free from herbicides, BAC accepts no liability for this. Page 6

Composting All members are encouraged to compost as much waste material as possible on their own plots. Many members have used old pallets for this purpose but there are one or two more interesting compost containers. Grass cuttings, cardboard, shredded paper, raw vegetable waste, egg shells, ground coffee and used tea bags are just some of the things that can be sourced from home and put in your compost heap. The Council s green bins (which are kept in the car park) are for waste from the green spaces only and should not be used by members for their own plot waste. Shredder/Chipper In 2015 we bought a shredder/chipper to help keep the site tidy. Although it is mainly for dealing with prunings from the green spaces, we hold a number of chipper days for members to chop up their own bulky waste such as sweetcorn and brussels sprout haulms so they can be composted more easily. Bonfires Bonfires are not allowed on the site. If you have problems with how to deal with any of your own green waste and cannot compost it, the Committee can provide advice on how to trench or when the next chipper day is. If you don t have a car to take waste home, please ask a member of the Committee for advice. Use of Synthetic Garden Chemicals In 2018 we changed our rules to limit the types of chemicals that can be used on the site and on members plots in particular. The AGM decided that we should all be organic as we hold our plots in trust for future members and most of us already practising organic principles. Guidance on organic gardening can be found in the handbook The Principles of Organic Gardening which is available for downloading from the BAC website. This is intended to provide advice to members - compliance with the handbook is not compulsory, except in respect of the use of synthetic chemicals. Members should be aware that no synthetic chemical herbicides, insecticides, molluscicides or fungicides are allowed anywhere on the site except for glyphosate (which may only be used as a last resort for killing weeds on hard surfaced areas or areas with bark chippings) and ferric phosphate slug pellets. In particular, slug pellets containing metaldehyde or methiocarb must not be used anywhere on the site as these can be extremely harmful to other wildlife. Dogs In 2010, and reconfirmed in 2018, we decided to ban dogs, apart from assistance dogs, from the site even if they are on a lead. The main reason was that it would be difficult to guarantee that owners would be able to stop dogs from defecating or urinating on paths or other members plots and in recognition that members are custodians of their own plots rather than owners and future plotholders may not want to grow food on a plot where there could be traces of dog faeces, however careful dog owners may be. Members who need an assistance dog should seek guidance from the Secretary before bringing their dog with them to the site. Page 7

Buildings, Structures, Greenhouses and Cold Frames Planning permission for sheds on each plot was granted in 2009 and 2013 and we also allow greenhouses and cold frames for members who want them on their plot. Members who want to erect either a shed, greenhouse or cold frame should ask for advice from the Secretary before starting construction as there are restrictions to their size and the materials they are made of. We allow members to erect fruit and vegetable frames but we have specifically banned walk-in polytunnels comprising a metal or wood frame covered with stretched polythene or similar sheet material from the site. BAC Trading Post We have a trading post, located by the toilet, for excess or useful stuff which you don t want but others might like. If you have any surplus plants, cuttings or other useful items like pots or seed trays that you no longer need, please leave them at the trading post. Surplus seeds may be left in the Seed Swap Basket in Hut 2. If you see something you like, please may help yourself. Hospice Trug During the growing and harvesting period, a yellow trug can be found in Hut 2 which is for members to place surplus produce in. This is then taken to the Severn Hospice once a week the day of collection is written on the trug. Due to their extensive freezer facilities, we are assured that nothing goes to waste. Affiliations BAC is an affiliated member of the Royal Horticultural Society. The benefits include: Promotion of selected shows and events on the RHS website event finder Information pack offering society related support and advice Access to the largest network of gardening clubs in the UK Annual visit to an RHS garden for up to 55 members Quarterly magazine and e-communications Monthly copy of The Garden magazine Gardening advice from RHS advisors Entry to RHS competitions Contact Information If you need to contact a Committee member, here are some contact details: Julia Bradbury (Joint Secretary) Di Higgs (Joint Secretary) Annie Young (Membership Sec) Peter Bradbury (Treasurer) Pete Haycox (Green Spaces) jpbradbury@gmail.com dinah.higgs@talktalk.net bac.mem.sec@gmail.com ptbradbury@gmail.com pete-haycox@hotmail.co.uk 01743 241734 01743 271138 01743 357583 01743 241734 01743 363605 March 2018 www.bowbrookallotments.wordpress.com Page 8