Jeff Barber, Mentor for London North
I am an association secretary with links across two East London boroughs. The ARI mentor work was slow to start but the ARI London regional seminar in September 2005 linked more names and faces and the enquiries started to build up.
Visits to allotments often show me unexpected gems: on Rosendale Allotments, a large private site in Lambeth, about a dozen plotholders share their plans, hopes and disappointments on a Sunday morning walkabout touring each other's plots. Cost nil, benefits many - not least the exchange of information and the social cohesion set up. The flow of ideas and information has been two-way: the visit to Archfields in Hendon showed me a lot about what can be done.
The London site representative meetings, forums and federations have helped to widen the circle. Not all boroughs have them and although different allotments often share much in common, there is no one-size-fits-all structure applicable.
Contact with borough allotment officers has been productive. I organised a London Allotment Officers Forum at the Walthamstow Assembly Hall. Even those who did not attend were interested in the idea. All Allotment Officers present felt that their roles could and should go beyond simple crisis management and lettings. All supported the idea of a regular forum, hosted by a different borough each time, to see what each is doing and to bring their committed allotment holders to London-wide notice.
The wide range of good things being done is striking - sometimes where nothing more is sought other than the satisfaction of a job well done. But for individuals, associations, federations, health workers, allotments officer or local councillors, network building lies at the heart of the message of enhancing capacity and competence. Only connect.
For the past two months there has been a second London Mentor; Ian White from the One Tree Hill site in Southwark. He is already making himself known across South London and together we look forward at what lies ahead with great interest.
First published: ARI Newsletter Summer 2005