And welcome also to all our new members. I hope that you are finally enjoying the spring weather after the long cold and wet winter. It is nice to be picking asparagus now and seeing the fruit trees in blossom. We have had mercifully few frosts during flowering (at least at the time of writing) so I am keeping my fingers crossed for plenty of plums and pears later in the year.We’re now half way through the year for the new committee and it is worth mentioning some of our plans for the future. One thing a number of members would like to see is a communal hut or meeting place.
A hut or other building where we can both meet and store materials, enables the Association to more easily sell seeds, compost, fertiliser etc in order to swell the coffers, and also gives a venue for social events, flower shows and meetings. As the Association is still relatively new, and trying to build a community spirit, some sort of place to gather as a group would be really valuable. Apparently there was a hut in the dim and distant past, but it burnt down and was never replaced as the allotment site became neglected over recent years. Since allotments are now flourishing again, now is the time to plan to improve the facilities for everyone who is an allotment tenant.
To buy a secure, vandal-proof portacabin probably costs in the region of £1600, second hand. What we need to do is consider a series of fundraising activities and applications to lottery/grant funders to try and double up or money in a number of steps. We have already applied for a Huntingdonshire Green Community Award. This will net us £250 if successful (we will find out about this in June). If we got this, then with other money we have raised, if we could get to £400, and then apply for a small grant to double this to £400 to make £800, and then double again perhaps with a lottery fund, we would be up to £1600 - enough to buy a hut.
Clearly it isn't going to happen over night, and because of the state of the council's finances, there is apparently no cash to be offered from that side. So, if you have any ideas for grant schemes we could apply to, local firms, or even builders or local schools who are getting rid of second hand portacabins, then please let one of the committee know.
Finally, I look forward to seeing you all on the build for wildlife day on the morning of Sunday 16 May, and keep busy in the meantime with weeding and watering !
Richard
Richard Weightman
Chairman
