Kettering Allotments Society
Annual report 2022 - to be presented at the AGM on Wed 15 March 2023
A successful year with some challenges. Our Committee and Stewards are working well to improve our sites further.
As the world emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, some longer term consequences came to light; rising food prices gave allotment plot-holders an extra incentive to make the most of their land. 2022 gave us storms in February, then a prolonged drought and heatwave throughout the summer. In Kettering we had to wait until November for any substantial rain. Some crops suffered, many thrived; it was a great year for tomatoes and apples, but very poor for runner beans.
On the night of 18 January 2022 there was a full moon and a clear sky. A serious break-in occurred at Scott Road. The shipping container that we had thought was secure was opened and its padlock cut through. Many rotovators and other power tools were stolen. The Scott Road members rallied around to fence a gap in the boundary hedge that was used by the thieves to access the field. Great community spirit was evident; the improved boundary has made the field more secure and fortunately no further break-ins have occurred there. Unfortunately Margaret Road has been plagued by many less professional break-ins, particularly in the autumn and recent weeks. Measures have been taken to try to improve the security at Margaret Road, but there are limits - it is a field after all. For now, our best advice is to not leave valuables in sheds, do not fit padlocks to shed doors as the thieves will just smash the lock or door if they think we have something interesting inside.
February saw some stormy weather and a few structures were blown over. Fortunately there were no injuries when a shed roof landed in a neighbour’s garden in Windmill Avenue. Having public liability insurance to indemnify us in possible worse-case scenarios allows the committee members to sleep a little more easily on stormy nights.Our continued membership of the National Allotments Society also gives us great backup and support, including access to expert advice.
The winter storms brought welcome rain and a return of flooding near the river at Margaret Road. At the AGM last March it was agreed to reduce rents for the affected plots. This has implications for the Society’s budget. Since the AGM there have been interesting developments. One incident of flooding happened during daylight hours and the stewards were able to observe that the water did not come from the river. Further investigations by the Council have indicated a possible blocked drain coming from the Grange area. Some work is being done to repair or unblock this drain that might possibly see an end to the plot flooding. The committee is keeping a watching brief and liaising with the Council to be kept informed.
Northfield Avenue experienced significant disruption when National Grid dug a deep trench to install another high voltage cable under the track. These cables are to provide electricity for all the new houses and businesses being built to the East of Kettering. One positive outcome was that National Grid put gravel down to leave the track in a good condition at the end of their work. Repairs to the gate were also made to make the site more secure. On a similar note, the new houses at Scott Road (Gavin Close) were completed and the track improved partially. A new swing gate was installed and seems to be working well so far.
The Society continues to have a constructive and positive working relationship with our landowner - Kettering Town Council. Several meetings were held with councillors and we are in regular contact by phone and email. Some positive outcomes have resulted already. The Council has indicated that they do not intend to increase the rent the Society is charged for our leases; some asbestos was removed from the overgrown land adjacent to Scott Road; we are asking for Council help to improve the fence at Windmill Avenue and the Margaret Road flooding problem is being monitored jointly.
Northfield Avenue has seen several improvements thanks to the hard work of our stewards there. A new strimmer was purchased and overgrown vacant plots re-let to people on the waiting list. Our policy of dividing large plots in half to new members reduces the waiting list twice as quickly and means plots are less likely to get as badly overgrown. Heras panels were used to reinforce the wooden fence at Northfield Avenue where it was rotting and in danger of falling over.
Margaret Road has seen continued and significant improvements. The stewards team there worked very hard. A large amount of rubbish has been cleared; the legacy of many years of neglect. Several skips have been filled. The current stewards are now enforcing the tenancy rules, so in future years this problem should be much reduced. Rules are enforced with diplomacy and courtesy, but inevitably there have been a small number of disciplinary panels called. Our disciplinary policy is firm but fair and gives opportunity for all sides to state their case and get a just outcome.
Fires and tyres were the source of some controversy. Tyres are not allowed on our allotments; they are toxic waste and over 100 have been removed this year, at some cost in both time and money. If anyone tries to bring a tyre onto a plot now, they are asked to remove it by stewards. Fires may also be a problem when smoke disturbs our neighbours and pollutes the air. We received some complaints from the environmental health department and revised our bonfire policy accordingly. During the intense heatwave and summer drought we enforced a temporary ban on fires and barbeques to minimise risk of wildfires.
Committee policy documents are reviewed regularly and a new policy on fences around plots was adopted. Our Waiting list Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Waste Management Policy and Disciplinary Policy have all been reviewed this year.
Our Society’s Facebook group has grown and proves a valuable way for our community to communicate. The monthly newsletter on WordPress also helps to keep the channels of communication open. The Committee always welcomes suggestions and comments from our members; these will be added to meeting agendas and given due consideration. This year we had a Society social gathering in September to award the annual prizes, including the Bridgstock Cup, won this year by Sarah and Dale Dexter. Another fun social event was the annual competition at Margaret Road in October to award longest runner bean, heaviest marrow and pumpkin etc. Despite heavy rain just beforehand, the event took place in relatively dry conditions and a great time was had by all.
Committee membership has changed during the course of the year. Rachel Moulton and Gosha Jarwemska stepped down in order to focus on other commitments. We thank them for their service. We have been fortunate to appoint a new steward for Margaret Road, Bec Profit and look forward to voting her on the committee at tonight’s AGM. Sheren Everson and Rob McIntyre have also asked to join the committee and will be voted on at the AGM.
Our legal status as a society is regulated by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). We are registered as a mutual society under legislation (Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, for a Co-operative Society.). Our current constitution is not compliant with this legislation. What we refer to as our constitution is known as “Rules” by the FCA. Our “Rules” need to be submitted to the FCA and are published on their website portal. The most recent “Rules” for our Society on their portal are dated 1956 and are not fit for purpose in 2023. The current document we use as a constitution is non-compliant as it does not mention shareholders. Fortunately there is a model template available from the National Allotments Society (NSALG) that we can use with minor tweaks so it is relevant to our Society. This template has been approved by the FCA for allotment societies. Our AGM is the opportunity for us to adopt these “Rules” by voting for the proposal. Please note that these “Rules” are very different to the tenancy agreement that we commonly refer to as our rules.
The treasurer will report on our financial situation in detail, but it is worth mentioning again that one of our biggest expenditures and the most unpredictable is mains water. Future years are more likely to bring droughts and deluges so it is more important than ever to collect rainwater in barrels and tanks, to mulch as thickly as possible and reduce our use of expensive mains water. If you are wondering what you can do on your allotment to help the climate emergency, the best answer is this: collect more free rainwater and mulch as much of your plot as thickly as you can. The free tree shreddings, kindly provided by local tree surgeons on our fields are ideal.
Our sincere thanks go to all committee members, stewards and helpers who have spent their time and effort working hard to maintain and improve our allotments and Society. As we look forward to another growing season, hopeful for a bit more rain this year, but not so much that we get floods, let us consider again how we can help ourselves and each other by collecting rainwater and mulching the soil wherever possible.
Russell Attwood, secretary March 2023