The Local Government Association (LGA) has published an online update to the 2nd Edition of Growing in the Community entitled A Place to Grow. The update seeks to address some of the problems that local authorities and devolved management allotment associations are facing as a consequence of the increased demand for allotments. New advice is provided about managing waiting lists and non-cultivation, as well as information about how to design a new allotment site.

'A Place to Grow' is available to download here.

ARI is producing three new factsheets to accompany the update, giving in-depth information on these subjects:

• Managing Non-Cultivation - now available in draft. Comments welcome.
• Designing a New Allotment Site - available soon.
• Managing Waiting Lists - now available in draft. Comments welcome.

 

Growing in the Community, 2nd edition

The 2nd Edition of Growing in the Community -  A Good Practice Guide for the Management of Allotments published by the Local Government Association is now available to purchase online as a pdf file. 

To purchase a copy click here. 

New research by the University of Sheffield suggests that current land contamination risk assessment models do not give consideration to the health benefits of allotment gardening, despite the potential of these benefits to more than fully compensate the risks associated with growing food on contaminated land. The paper highlights a general need for a new generation of risk assessment tools that also predict overall consequences for health to more effectively guide risk management in our increasingly risk-averse culture. 

This paper is a useful tool for anyone engaged with the assessment of land for contamination during, or prior to, its use for allotment gardening.

ARI would like to thank the authors for their kind permission to make their paper freely available via the ARI website.

The paper by Leake et al can be found in the ARI Resource Centre.

 

Tinker & bloom, a local organisation delivering environmental participatory
arts projects, has been given funding by Heritage Lottery to deliver a
project that will celebrate Bristol's allotment culture.

Working along side the council's allotment department and the New Museum of
Bristol, tinker and bloom will be interviewing allotment gardeners about
their experience of having an allotment. These interviews will make up part
of a touring exhibition which aims to be platform to share top gardening
tips and favourite recipes as well as raising awareness of the value of
locally grown food and the role allotments play in people's lives.
Gardeners will also be invited to visit schools and share their knowledge
and experience with younger generations.

If you would like more information about the project or would be interested
in talking to tinker & bloom about your experience of having an allotment,
we would love to hear from you. Please call Eileen on 0117 9078 369.

www.tinkerandbloom.blogspot.com
email: mailto:tinkerandbloom@blueyonder.co.uk?subject=link to tinker and bloom email

The Welsh Assembly's Sustainability Committee is to conduct an inquiry into allotment provision in Wales. The terms of reference for the enquiry are to explore the ways the Welsh Government can support and provide opportunities for the increasing interest in allotment and community gardening, and to examine ways these activities can provide wider benefits.

The enquiry will consider the following:

• The demand for allotment sites in Wales and availability of sites (public and private)
• The barriers/constraints (for users and providers)
• Innovative approaches to the provision of land for allotments
• Evidence of the wider benefits allotment gardening can bring and opportunities for allotment holders (e.g. health, environmental, community, bringing products to the marketplace)
• The need for and suggested areas of intervention from the Welsh Government.

The Committee would like to hear from as many people as possible about their views on these points. Written evidence must be submitted by 1 April to Meriel Singleton or Sustainability Committee, National Assembly for Wales, Ty Hwyel, Cardiff Bay, CF99 1NA.

Further information about the Committee's inquiry can be found at their website.

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative will make a submission to the inquiry.

ARI is pleased to welcome new staff member Sanja Ratkusic, ARI Forums Co-ordinator.  This new post will involve co-ordinating Allotments Officers’ Forums in each of the nine English Government Regions. Sanja has been involved with allotments before joining ARI: she was Chair of Greenwater Pool Allotments Association and a Horticultural Worker at the Comfrey Project – an allotment project working with refugees and asylum seekers. Sanja, will be based in ARI’s North East Office.

Sanja said, “I am really looking forward to being part of such an inspiring and worthwhile project. Allotments have always played  important role in my life and lives of my local  community, they also have a huge part to play in dealing with national and global environmental issues. For these reasons I am very pleased to be involved with an ARI project and I am looking forward to the years to come.”

 

Following the successful first meeting of the Northern Ireland Allotments Forum last autumn, a further event will take place on 15 March in Ballymena. 

ARI, working with our partner organsiation FCFCG, has appointed a voluntary convenor, Austin Herron, who is now working alongside local authority officers to find out what they have planned in the way of new allotment provision. A small grant from the Enkalon Foundation has enabled us to set up the next meeting, and two of the existing Allotment Regeneration Initiative mentors (from Scotland and Wales) will also be attending, in order to pass on their first hand experience of supporting local authorities and allotment groups. 

Austin can be contacted by email here.

In our Autumn/Winter 09 Newsletter we featured stories from three allotments associations that have installed alternative energy on their sites. These stories can be found using the links below. We hope these examples will inspire you to get going with your own plans!  

• Spa Hill Allotment Society, Croydon have installed a wind turbine,
  
• Narborough and Littlethorpe Leisure Gardeners' Association have installed a solar panel on their site's porta-cabin, and
• Lidgett Lane Allotments in Leeds have installed a pole-mounted solar panel.

Energy Saving Trust Green Communities Service

Gives community groups an opportunity to host their own Green Communities course. Green Communities courses can cover project planning and delivery of a community energy project, energy efficiency, sustainable energy use and renewable energy technologies, how to conduct energy audits for community buildings and old or listed buildings, funding a community energy project, and how to get involved with the local authority planning process.
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/cafe

In a nutshell, this is a plain English guide which aims to explain how your local authority works.

There are five sections:

• National indicators
• Sustainable Community Strategy
• Local Development Framework (Planning)
• Civil contingency plans
• Your group's own agenda
   

It has a useful list of the national indicators relevant to environmental groups.

Published December 2009 by the Community Development Foundation.

To download a copy click here.

The British Beekeepers Association's leaflet giving guidance and advice for allotment managers considering allowing beekeeping on their allotments has been updated September 2009.

The Association has a wide range of other resources available for allotment managers. Visit the Association's website for details of other publications and the training courses run by its members.

From 12 October 2009, new measures are being introduced to help prevent unsuitable people undertaking paid or volunteer work with children or vulnerable adults.

It’s called the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been set up to help implement the Scheme and make decisions over who should be barred from working with vulnerable people. Those decisions are legally binding too. Failing to comply could result in both the employer and the employee or volunteer being prosecuted, or even going to prison.

Full information, including the new referral guidance and form is are available here.