The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
@ S KG AS
The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter Spring 2016
From the chairman With Christmas a couple of months behind us, winter is finally drawing to a close. Spring is a time of renewal – air and ground warm up, and nature is shaken from its annual reverie in order to start work. Buds swell, burst, and insects start the process of pollination all over again. Of course, we too come out of our own hibernation – albeit somewhat limited – and return to our plots. We have plans for a better year and hopes that the weather will aid, rather than inhibit, our efforts. With a new year begun, it will shortly be time for the society’s AGM. This is one of the formal bits of business we have to do to be able to run the sites as the council is only our landlord and gives us no support. In order get the most out of our time on our plots, we need people to help do a few practical jobs around the place. These can be as simple as putting loo roll in the toilet blocks, up to running the society’s finances. We can always do with more help, but we are very short of stewards now on all sites and looking to enrol some more. There are no set hours or jobs, nor any great responsibilities. It’s more a case of being the eyes and ears of the committee and helping with letting plots, hiring out machines and helping fellow members with problems that occur every so often. Without stewards, things slowly start to break down. Locks don’t get oiled, there’s no one to arbitrate petty disputes or to pass on problems for the committee to tackle.
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If you can be there to help your fellow members and support the committee, let us know via a steward or come along to the AGM on Wednesday April 6th and offer your help. See further details on page 2. For those who have a hankering for a slightly more involved committee role, our secretary, Ed Oliver, has given us notice that he and Margaret are planning to move out into Essex. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it is very selfish of him to put his future happiness above the security of the society. So, his position is vacant (see details on page 2). Despite this betrayal, I would like to offer Ed my sincere thanks for all the hard work and dedication he has put into being your secretary. The trading huts at Goodmayes and Vicarage Lane are now stocked with high quality seed potatoes and onion sets. If you prefer to get yours from certain discount chains, that’s your look out. You’re entitled to gamble with your harvest, but be aware the yields from those cheap sources are generally considerably lower – half or less – than from our sources. So, go and buy your seeds – or bonemeal, lime, Growmore, etc – from your trading hut. You can get small amounts at great prices and you don’t have to carry them home on the bus. Finally, don’t forget that if you want to clear and burn anything on your plot, use common sense and follow the rules. If you don’t know the rules, get a copy before you light that fire. By June 1st, the usual ban on bonfires will be in place until the end of September. Pádraig Floyd, Chairman, Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society
The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
The Society’s 88th Annual General Meeting Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society Ltd Registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1893 Registered Office: 2 Airthrie Road, Goodmayes, Ilford, Essex, IG3 9QU Company no. IP10805R
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The 88th Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held at the Goodmayes Community Centre, 616c Green Lane, Goodmayes IG3 9SE , on Wednesday 6th April 2016 at 7.30pm. Complementary refreshments will be available after the meeting and there will be a free raffle with one ticket issued to each attendee. AGENDA 1. Welcome Address 2. Presentation of prizes (Lists of awards and prize winners overleaf) 3. Minutes of the 87th AGM held on 15th April 2015. 4. Matters arising 5. Chairman’s report 6. Treasurer’s report 7. Secretary’s report 8. Membership Secretary’s report 9. Trading Secretary’s report 10. Election of Committee for 2016-17 (Members are urged to consider joining the Committee to help run the Society). President Site stewards for Chair Benton Road Vice-chair Wards Road South Secretary Wards Road North Treasurer Goodmayes Trading Secretary Vicarage Lane South Membership Secretaries Vicarage Lane North Committee members At present we need more site stewards at Goodmayes, Benton Road, Wards Road North and Wards Road South. Please consider acting as a site steward, which could involve a small commitment reporting problems to the committee, or getting further involved in plot letting and maintaining communal areas. We will also need a new society secretary for the coming year onwards. For anyone interested, a description of the role, which need not be too exacting at the basic level, is available from e.s.oliver@hotmail.co.uk and support will be available to the new postholder. 11. President’s Address 12. Motions for discussion (Motions must have a proposer and seconder and be submitted to Padraig Floyd (Chair) c/0 2, Airthrie Road, Goodmayes, IG3 9QU by 9th March 2016). 13. Any other business 14. Raffle draw Followed by refreshments Members are cordially invited to attend the AGM to have their say in the running of the Society. If you won a cup or an award certificate in 2015 (see list on page 3) these will be presented at the meeting.
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The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
Competition winners 2015 Alderman Clark Cup 2015 (best allotment)
1st: Karnail Banwait (Benton Road) 2nd: Harvinder Singh Toor (Benton Road) 2nd: Swarn Doal (Benton Road) Highly Commended: Oscar Marvel (Goodmayes) Bernard and Joan Crowe (Vicarage Lane South) John Mackin (Goodmayes) Peter Southern (Vicarage Lane South) Avtar Heer (Vicarage Lane North) Herbert Persue (Vicarage Lane South) Jed Lee (Goodmayes) Lisa Hearson (Vicarage Lane South)
Chatting Cup 2015 (new starter) 1st: 2nd: 3rd: 4th:
Elena Vintila (Goodmayes) Mita and Anant Patel (Goodmayes) Kiptiatu Nicol and Peter Gulliver (Benton Road) Mahbubul Alam (Benton Road)
Score (0ut of 100) 92 88 88 86 86 85 84 80 78 77 76
70 67 57 53
Alan Hooker Trophy 2015 1st: 2nd: 3rd:
Swarn Doal (Benton Road) Jed Lee (Goodmayes) Sheila Nisbet (Goodmayes)
Festival vegetable competition 2015* Basket of vegetables 1st: Karnail Banwait (onions) 2nd: Swarn Doal (fruit) 3rd Jed Lee
Three vegetables of the same variety 1st: Karnail Banwait (cucumbers) 2nd Swarn Doal (apples) 3rd Ed Oliver (onions) 4th Swarn Doal (tomatoes) * Commemorative rosettes were awarded at the Festival
Society Service awards Ladies service award: tba Mens service award: tba
If you won a cup or an award certificate in 2015 these will be presented at the 2016 AGM on Wednesday 6th April 2016
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The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
Allotment Festival, 6th September 2015 We were lucky with the weather and six hundred members of the public each paid £1 at the gate to enjoy a sunny afternoon looking at the allotment plots, listening to music, buying jam, chutney and vegetables, and browsing the information and local organisation stalls manned by our invited guests. Including children we must have had around 800 visitors. The festival was visited in an official capacity by the Mayor of Redbridge, Cllr Barbara White. She also formally opened the new raised bed garden and then joined in at the band marquee to sing a couple of classy jazz numbers accompanied by her husband on his clarinet - few of her visits get such privileged treatment! The society would like to extend its grateful thanks to all the past and present members and their families and friends who made the event happen by assisting in many ways. It is impossible to list everyone who helped but society president Paul Dye deserves a special mention for his determination to put on the festival this year. Paul co-ordinated a small committee which shared much of the organisational work so this year’s event was
not such a huge burden for one person. We should also recognise the amount of effort Sue Cunningham has put in to running previous festivals. Her help, advice and experience was again vital this time. The day was financially successful - takings were in the region of £2,500 which more than comfortably covered the day’s not inconsiderable expenses. A quick breakdown of some of the bigger stalls shows that the refreshments took 0ver £680, produce stall £500, ice cream/strawberries £380 and auction £105. Your donations of cake, vegetables and home-made jam and chutney made this possible - thank you. Remaining jam and chutney will be available for purchase at the trading huts in October. However, the event is not just about money. Of greater importance is the chance to raise the profile of our allotment society in the local community, to promote green issues, and to encourage an ongoing supply of allotment holders, helping to safeguard the future of local plots in the face of increasing pressure for housebuilding sites. So once again, a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to everybody who helped!
Clockwise from top left: visitors enjoy a sit in the sun listening to music; the Mayor of Redbridge opens the raised bed garden; some future allotment holders were keen to buy the big pumpkin; vegetable competition entries; the Eastbury Concert Band entertains.
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The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
Society business Viewing the newsletter online
This newsletter, along with the previous ten editions, is available to view on-screen in colour at www.issuu.com/skgas This issue has been posted to all members to ensure that everyone is informed of the AGM, as required by our society rules. If we do not have your email, or if you have recently changed your email address, please send your details to e.s.oliver@ hotmail.co.uk
Fires
In common with council-run allotment sites, fires are not allowed between 1st June and 30th September. This is chiefly due to the nuisance that smoke can cause to our neighbours - we do get complaints about this that have to be dealt with by the committee - and also the risk of grass fires spreading out of control. This also applies to fires within metal containers, which can still produce plenty of smoke. If plotholders ignore this ban their future membership of the society is at risk. Please respect the rules.
Paths and plot numbers
Across all our sites, the condition of some paths is giving cause for concern. Plotholders are responsible for the upkeep of the paths around their plot, so please make an effort to trim the grass and level any uneven areas with soil (not stones as these may fly up during mowing or strimming). Extracted weeds and long grass should not be left heaped on paths and are best composted once dried in the sun. Please ensure your plot is clearly marked with its number - in situations where there are several adjacent unlabelled plots it can become difficult for the site stewards to work out which plot is which.
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Weedkiller
The committee understands that weedkiller is an option if you have taken on a very overgrown plot, but if you choose to use it please take the utmost care not to let overspray reach adjacent plots. It is preferable to spray on a windless day or if there is a light breeze use a shroud on the sprayer to avoid chemical reaching areas it shouldn’t. Bear in mind that many members like to grow vegetables that are 100% free from exposure to chemicals, and if your spraying damages a neighbour’s crops you will be liable to compensate them.
Thanks
We owe thanks to all the site stewards and other volunteers who carry out many different tasks for the good of the society and its members, from arranging delivery of woodchip and manure, to strimming and mowing communal areas, laying hardcore on worn driveways, volunteering in the trading huts and opening the hut and making tea for committee meetings. Notably, thanks are also due to those Benton Road members who filled a skip with rubbish and the Goodmayes members who turned out in bad weather for the working group session on December 13th. Byelaw 5 states that ‘Members are expected to take part in the maintenance of sites and the running of the Society wherever possible’ - at the very least please collect up a bag of litter and take it home to your dustbin, or perhaps trim some long grass in a communal area if you have shears or a strimmer handy. You can do this without waiting to be asked!
Welcome pack
A welcome pack containing useful information for new members has been produced over the winter. If you would like to receive a pdf copy by email please request one from the society secretary at e.s.oliver@ hotmail.co.uk
The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
Macmillan Coffee Morning - September 2015 As you may be aware the Society has held a Macmillan “World’s Biggest Coffee Morning Event” at the Goodmayes site for several years now. People ask me “Are you selling cake for Macmillan again this year? We really enjoyed it last year! So it has become an event to look forward to both as a social occasion and a charity event, a great combination. 2015’s Coffee Morning was well attended by members, their families, friends and our allotment site neighbours’. The day kicked off as usual with some members volunteering their precious time on a Sunday morning by setting up tables; the tea urn; chairs and hay bales for seating; tables decorated with vases of flowers; collecting and carrying water to keep the tea and coffee flowing; serving on the cake and refreshment table where all the cakes were made by our members. A long list of much help and assistance that were major contributions to open the event on time at 11a.m., and the overall success of the Coffee Morning, plus the weather was superb! Other kind gestures by members and regular Coffee Morning attendees were donating prizes for a Raffle; giving books and beautiful
allotment grown Dahlias to sell; a huge Pumpkin was donated for auction and raised the princely sum of £10! Carole Theodore sold beautiful hand made greetings cards and donated a large amount of her sales and of course lovely pots of home made jam and chutneys were donated and sold. Once the 2 hour event had finished, many hands helped put everything away and tidy the area used. All of this activity by our Society raised, (imagine a drum roll please) ... £409.20p!!!!! This is a fantastic sum for a 2 hour event and I am so proud that you, our Society achieved this. I would like to thank all that gave their time and contributed to the Coffee Morning in so many ways. A huge thank you to all that came along bought and scoffed cake, tea and coffee for a charity that does great work. 2016’s date for your diaries is Sunday 25 September, 11a.m. to 1p.m. Hopefully see you there! Many thanks for your kindness, generosity and community spirit. Marian Hogg
And here’s what happened to the donated pumpkin (from the Ilford Recorder)
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The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
Trading hut news Members will be pleased to know that both trading huts are back in business after the winter break — Vicarage Lane, which is looked after by Peter Trimby and his team of helpers and Goodmayes, where Paul Dye is assisted by a group of nine other volunteers working on a rota. Both are open every Sunday from 9.30–12 noon, for sales and hire of strimmers and rotavators. A large vote of thanks is also due to the hard-working members who recently received delivery of the new stock and devoted many hours to weighing out bags of seed potatoes and onion sets for sale. Seeds No less than 57 varieties are for sale between the two trading huts. Our suppliers are Tuckers of Ashburton. Taking advantage of discounts because of bulk ordering, we have reduced the packet prices by at least 10%, so for example, Parsnip Gladiator F1 is reduced from £2.00 to £1.80 and Sweetcorn Earlibird F1 Hybrid from £1.90 to £1.70. We still have a few seeds left over from last year with prices slashed by 50%. Seed potatoes Nearly 30 sacks have been shared between the sites. Both trading huts have popular favourites for sale — Charlotte (first early), Desiree and Cara (main crop). In addition Goodmayes has Kestrel and Marfona (second early) and Vicarage Lane Rocket (first early), King Edward and Robinta (replacing Romano). Prices of all varieties have been held at £3 for a 3kg net. Sales are on a “first come, first served basis” so avoid disappointment and purchase early. Spread out at home (egg boxes are useful) until they have chitted and are ready to plant out. Onion sets & shallots Both Sturon and Stuttgarter Giant (white
onions) are for sale at £1.25 for 500g bags, Red Baron £1.50 and Jermor Shallots £2.25. Composts, fertilisers and canes Horticultural Supplies from Suffolk have once again supplied our needs, with 62 bags of compost, 41 bags of fertiliser and bales of 8ft and 4ft canes. Top quality multipurpose compost for sowing and growing is for sale at £5.50 a 70 litre bag, all John Innes composts are £4.30. For a general all-round fertiliser it is difficult to beat Growmore at £2.70 for a 3kg bag, less than last year! Blood, fish and bone, Maxicrop Seaweed extract and others are on the shelves. Look at the descriptions in your hut to decide the best to suit your needs, or ask the staff on duty. Both 8ft and 4ft heavy duty bamboo canes will be for sale at the same price as for last year: 40p and 25p each respectively. Sundries A range of other items are to be found: jute string, polypropylene twine, netting, buckets, watering cans, hand tools, spray bottles, Bug Clear insecticide, Slug Gone wool pellets, Miracle-Gro plant food, etc, etc. Message for the new season Do make full use of the trading huts. The range of things we have for sale should help you to make the most of your allotment and raise a bumper crop this year. Generally, the prices we charge are very favourable compared, quality for quality, with what you can buy elsewhere. You can be guaranteed to receive a friendly welcome from the volunteers and if you have a problem, they may be able to help. The advice is free! Happy Gardening!
Tony Skeete
Tony Skeete passed away unexpectedly at home in Ilford on 27th December 2015. The funeral took place on 29th January 2016 at St. Andrew’s church, Ilford. A memorial mass will be held in Barbados in April 2016. If you require further information please contact Debbie (daughter) on 07958 293014 or debbiedebs10@gmail.com. The family have identified two charities to which donations can be made in memory of Tony, Dementia UK and Save the Children. Debbie has kindly arranged to donate some of Tony’s tools to the society, for which we are very grateful.
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The Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society newsletter
Recipe: Dried Apricot Jam Once all your allotment fruit that you may have frozen to eat or make jam has been used up over the winter months. You can use dried fruits to get you over “jam-less-ness” until the new fruit season. This is a recipe from one of my Mum’s old Dairy Diaries she bought from the milkman years ago, I have made it and it is yummy on fresh baked bread or toasted crumpets. Dried Apricot Jam – Makes approximately 4 300gram jars of jam Ingredients 500g whole dried apricots, chopped. The juice of 3 large lemons. 1.5 kg of jam sugar. Method Put the apricots in your preserving pan or large heavy based saucepan, cover them with 1.5 litres of water, cover with a clean tea towel and leave them to soak overnight. Before you start to make the jam, pop a saucer or small plate into the freezer to chill down (this will be used later to check the jams setting point). Put the preserving pan or saucepan of apricots and water on the hob or cooker, add the lemon juice and bring gently to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the apricots for 30 minutes or until
they feel tender to the point of a knife or are starting to break up. Remove the pan from the heat and add the jam sugar, stirring continuously until all the sugar dissolves. Put the pan back on the hob or cooker and bring the jam mixture gently up to a rapid boil. Let it boil for approximately 20 minutes or until setting point is reached. Setting point can be checked by putting a teaspoon of the hot jam onto the saucer retrieved from the freezer, let is sit on the saucer for a couple of minutes, if you push the jam with your finger and it wrinkles up, then it is ready. When ready, taking great care and preferably using a jam funnel, pour the jam into hot sterilised jars, put on a waxed disc if you wish, carefully clean away any jam dribbles from the rims of the jars and put on the jar lids. It should store for 6 months at least. Enjoy!
Raised bed plots at Goodmayes Lane Some of the raised bed plots that were constructed last year at the Goodmayes Lane site are still available and on offer in the first instance to existing society members who might be struggling to manage a traditional plot due to age, illness or infirmity. If you qualify to exchange your plot for a raised bed contact the society secretary on 07902 486629. If these are not filled by society members we will offer them to local charities such as a stroke rehabilitation group or advertise them more widely outside our society.
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Marian Hogg