How volunteers transformed Groby’s allotments

March 2026   Whilst councils provide basic local services for residents, much of the day to day interaction has to be left to volunteer groups. And there are many, from Groby Juniors to Scouting, from Groby Sings to mums and toddlers, from walking groups to Saturday Tasters sessions, to mention just a few.

The County Council library is now staffed by volunteer assistants and fund raisers, and one of the services that the Parish Council has a duty to provide is also managed by volunteers, on land provided at a peppercorn rent. Groby Allotment Society was formed in 1983 and ran for many years before taking on the complete management of the 2 local sites.

Allotments were a local service just begging for a makeover. At a recent meeting a Parish Councillor, who has no vested interest as an allotment tenant, said that when the council had a committee looking after the allotments they made a “right bl**dy mess of it”. It took time, but the Society transformed that mess into allotment sites the village can be proud of.

So what have the volunteers of the Groby Allotment Society achieved?

It’s a long list, which goes far beyond just cutting the grass on the ‘roadways’.

INFRASTRUCTURE
managed the asset to better serve the community and divide plots to meet increasing demand and the needs of a growing village

organised volunteer groups to help with maintenance

invested in equipment to enable volunteers to undertake work previously outsourced

created an area for social gatherings

organised a members only fund raising shop for gardening essentials and discounted seeds

improved access to rain capture water and mains supply

resurfaced Ratby Road car park

dealt with fly tipping

created a website to interface with the local community

modernised payment methods to keep pace with the transfer from cash to a digital economy

formed a Co-operative registered with the Financial Conduct Authority

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

encouraged the cultivation of the freshest possible food for local consumption

provided toilet facilities saving unnecessary trips home

created raised beds to help those unable to tend a normal plot

in addition introduced wheelchair friendly beds for those who have very much reduced mobility, where people can sit down to garden

provided defibrillator access for the community in conjunction with the URC

offered a health alliance to the local surgery

arranged social gatherings and encouraged social networks amongst members

created a centenary garden for quiet reflection

SITE SAFETY AND SECURITY
ensured all access points are key controlled to provide improved site security, reduce crime and protect Parish Council land

maintained cctv in conjunction with the URC

installed new fences on a public right of way through Ratby Road site

improved tenant safety with easy access for the emergency services

ENVIRONMENTAL
collected rain water to reduce mains water usage

helped reduce CO2 emissions by growing food locally and avoiding transportation to shops

having regard to neighbours by restricting bonfires to winter months

promoted wildlife and the maintenance of a green corridor to the heart of Groby

encouraged the planting of pollinator friendly plants on plots and in the centenary garden

created other wildlife-friendly items such as bee hotels, bird boxes etc.

continued to be a voice against selling allotments for development, with the ensuing impact it would have on local services and village centre traffic

The icing on the cake

All this has been achieved at virtually no cost to residents, which is a pretty good deal for hard pressed Council Tax payers. By contrast the essential costs of keeping our village a green and pleasant place by maintaining the remaining open spaces, amount to around £100,000 per annum, even before adding a proportion of admin costs, National Insurance or pension contributions.

Groby Allotment Society forms a Co-operative

February 2026   Groby Allotment Society has followed the recommendation of National Allotment Society that allotment associations with more than 25 members adopt a Co-operative Society structure, a form supported by Co-operatives UK. The Society has been registered by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 as a Co-operative Society. This legal structure provides limited liability and is considered the most appropriate, secure, and legally sound model for managing allotment sites.

The tenants of Groby’s allotments were unrepresented as a group until 1983, when a plan was developed without consultation and behind closed doors to swap land on Newtown Linford Lane for part of the allotments. The allotment land affected would be used for housing. At a time when the village was growing rapidly this was perceived as a potential threat to Groby’s green open spaces and the tenants met and decided that professional advice was needed.

The National Society offered legal advice and support to members, but not to individuals only to organised bodies. The Groby Allotment Society was created in response. Unlike Groby CIC which, after the initial fundraising for buying the Meadow, had time to consider the best legal entity to create, the allotment society only had time to form an unincorporated association of local allotment gardeners in order to access guidance from the National Society.

This unincorporated form was to serve the tenants well in the years that followed, but what began as essentially a protest reaction to the land swap deal gradually became something more as the tenants realised that those parish councillors who ran and organised allotments did not have practical experience or ‘skin in the game’ to use a current expression.

 The Society took on more 

Gradually the Society took more and more of the day to day running of the allotments, relieving staff and councillors who had many other issues to deal with as the village grew. The informal association endured, the allotments were well managed and improved, and ultimately the Society and the Council entered into a lease agreements for both sites. The Society supplemented its income with grant applications which enabled the building of toilet facilities and, more recently, new fencing costing £20,000.

Problems with a Trustee model

At the time of the signing of the leases the implications of being an unincorporated association were not fully understood. Such an association is not a legal entity, so the leases had to be signed by individuals, in this case the Chair, Treasurer and Secretary at the time. But the period of the lease, 25 years, is a long time and circumstances changed, and now with 7 years left to run only one of the signatories survives.

This may not be seen as a problem, as the Society is financially secure and supplements rental income with fundraising activities. It has no loans or debts. However, officers of unincorporated societies face unlimited personal liability for the debts, contracts, and legal obligations of the organization. Although the Society has full Public Liability Insurance, officers - particularly committee members - are liable for actions taken on behalf of the association, including negligence, property issues, or breaches of contract.

This is an unfair and intolerable burden to place upon residents who have dedicated themselves to improving facilities in the village, and one which the Groby Allotment Society felt should be remedied.

The Co-operative  is the best model 

The Co-operative Society is considered the most appropriate, secure, and legally sound model for managing allotment sites, and places the management under the scrutiny of the Financial Services Authority. The Society has followed the NAS recommendation to use its model rules, subject to minor changes to meet local circumstances. The final stage is for the Parish Council to consider the assignment of the lease to the Co-operative.