General News

Please be guided the Allotment Trading Hut will close it's doors this weekend (Sunday 12th December) and will re open for business on Saturday 8th January. A big thank you to everyone who continues to support the trading hut, and we take the opportunity to wish everyone a very happy christmas, and a happy, healthy new year.

Our good friends at Galleywood Horticultural Society host regular events and speakers, Thursday 28th October, host an evening with Tom Hart-Dyke. Described as a modern day plant hunter, Tom was kidnapped in South America for 9 months whilst hunting rare orchids.

A Poster of the evening is attached, with the evening commencing at 7.30pm at the Keene Hall, Galleywood. Anyone interested should contact Richard Studd whose contact details are on the poster.

Kidnapped, Tom Hart-Dyke Link : 2021octoberghsrevisedposter

Orders for Manure are now being taken at the trading hut. We are unsure at this point how many loads of well routed manure will be available, last year it was 16, and all orders will be taken on a first come, first serve basis.

The price this year is £41.00 per load. As usual is you do not want a whole load, we can try and pair you up with someone else who may only want a half load (Half load £20.50). The final date for ordering is 14th November, and deliveries will be made early December.



It is essential to ensure your plot is clearly and visibly numbered and where you wish the manure to be delivered to is also clear. If the delivery is unable to be made to your plot and left in the adjacent roadway, it must be cleared within 7 days to your plot.

If possible it would be hugely helpful if the plot holder is available on the day of delivery to ensure everything gets dealt with smoothly.

Unfortunately the Melbourne Park Allotments were the subject of various break ins on Wednesday night / Thursday Morning. Association members have been notified where possible, and the incident reported immediately to the police and city council. If you have been affected by this incident, the police incident reference number is 42-151172-21.

various tools were found scattered around the areas concerned and if you are missing anything some are on hand at the trading hut - See Karen or Tony.

In the meantime we would remind all plot holders to refrain from keeping any items of value in your sheds.

The Association organised a visit to Hyde Hall this year, free entry courtesy of the Allotment Association's annual affiliation to the RHS. A group of 20 must have had second thoughts on the morning as the heaven's opened and the forecast was grim, however, on arrival at Hyde, the weather cleared and miraculously held off for the day.



Quite a number had never visited previously and commented they would be returning, and these RHS gardens which are so close to us provide inspiration whether you are a flower, vegetable or general grower.

Considerable improvements have been made at Hyde Hall recently, and the world vegetable gardens represent just one of these and has some rather unusual fruit and vegetables being cultivated, some of which have appeared on our plots!!!



Everyone seemed to have an enjoyable day, and we are considering the organisation of a visit next year, hopefully to coincide with a special event the RHS may be holding on site (if possible).

A huge thank you to Karen Lawrence for organising.

We will all be aware of the government and Boris Johnson's announcement in relation to easing of restrictions from 19th July. It's probably not too much of a stretch to suggest great emphasis was placed on 'careful', 'sensible' and the fact the pandemic is far from over, but the situation is slightly easier in view of the vaccine roll out program.

Having considered all the facts, we have decided for the short term not to relax any requirements surrounding the trading hut in the short to medium term, as it is clear the third wave numbers continue to rise, the Delta variant is more transmissible, and to mitigate risk we intend to maintain our current position.

This means no change at this time in the trading hut, and a face mask must be worn. I hope everyone continues to understand our cautious approach and thank you for the continued support of these measures thus far.

The Wilderness Foundation are extending their activities on site with a group aimed at the younger generation. This group will start for an initial week from the 26th July, and then on Saturday Mornings after. It is essential to book, and if you aware of anyone who may be interested, then please pass the details of the organisers on. A copy of the poster is attached, and the contact point is carolin@wildernessfoundation.org.uk

The Melbourne Park Allotment Association are members of the RHS and as such this allows us access to a RHS location, through an organised visit free of charge to our own membership. We are therefore organising a visit to Hyde Hall on the 24th July.

We have a limited number of ticket available and you must pre book through Karen Lawrence or via Tony at the trading hut. It is not possible just to turn up on the day as we have to give Hyde Hall three weeks notice of numbers.

Please therefore book your place with Karen Lawrence or Tony at the trading hut, and in view of limited numbers, this is being offered on a strictly first come, first serve basis. You must be a member of the Association and the last date to notify your interest for a place is 1st July. The only condition is you will need to find your own transport to Hyde Hall.

Due to a large accumulation of tools and equipment we are holding a tool sale this coming weekend, 12th and 13th June during trading hut opening hours 10-11 am Saturday and Sunday. Bargains to be had.

The latest featured plot holder is a relative newcomer to the site, Flora Nica, plot 14 who has turned an overgrown, unkempt area of allotment into a hugely welcoming space, inspired by memories of home. A big thank you to Flora who shared the pictures of the site in it's original state, which bears absolutely no comparison with how it looks today, and for providing the words for this article.

As a child in Romania I used to help my parents in the garden almost every day after school from early spring until late autumn. I have so many happy memories of eating juicy strawberries and cherry tomatoes right there in the garden while spending time with my family. So having an allotment has been on my wish list for a while because it means that I could “grow” a bit of home here in UK. As the first lockdown was beginning in March 2020 and I was working only part time, I decided that it was just the right time for me to pursue my dream and apply for an allotment. I did my research about location, parking and other facilities and Melbourne Park just stood out to me.

I applied online for a plot and prepared myself for a long wait. But surprisingly only few months later I got an email about an available plot at Melbourne Park that could be mine if I didn't mind it being “a little bit overgrown”. I was so excited that I went to see the plot the very same day. Although the plot was badly overgrown I really liked it and soon after I became the lucky tenant of Plot 14 😊



On 1st of July 2020 I started clearing the plot. It was really overgrown, had a dead tree that needed removing and there was a lot of rotten wood left behind by the previous tenants. I did sometimes asked myself: “what have I done?” But every small patch that I cleared just kept me motivated to do better the next day. Amongst the weeds I found raspberry canes, rhubarb and a blueberry bush which I jokingly call my “inheritance”.



It has taken a lot of hard work to bring the plot where it is now but it was all worth it. My husband helped me build a pretty shed that I call my happy place and I also have a small tool shed that I have built myself from reclaimed wood.



I have enjoyed every single day spent at the allotment so far and it has kept me sane through these scary and uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The allotment itself has been exactly what I was hoping for but I was pleasantly surprised to discover an amazing sense of community that I wasn’t expecting on such a large site. I felt welcome from the beginning and everyone has been so helpful and kind. Many of my allotment neighbours gave me lovely fruit and veg from their plots which made me feel very happy and grateful.

I love the on site little shop, Karen and Tony are doing an amazing job offering for sale almost everything you could ever need for your allotment at very reasonable prices and even the manure deliveries are so generous(my first one will last me for many years to come).



I couldn’t grow much last year but I have great plans for this year. I have prepared the soil and I am going to use a crop rotation system to grow potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, cabbages, lettuce, carrots, strawberries, sprouts and lots of fresh herbs and flowers. I can’t wait to see what will grow best.

I look forward to spending many happy days working hard and enjoying lots of delicious fruit and veg and I also hope that 2021 will be a much happier and more normal year for all of us.

With the continuing gradual relaxation of restrictions caused by the COVID pandemic, we are pleased to announce the re - opening of the cabin facilities on 1st May. However, we would remind everyone COVID exists and will continue to exist and with this in the short term we are grateful to some additional volunteers who have kindly agreed to extend the cleaning schedule of the facilities on behalf of the Association.

There are however some important points to re - iterate to all.

1 - It remains the individuals sole responsibility in terms of use of the facilities. Anyone using the facility understands they do so entirely at their own risk. If you are uncomfortable with this principal please do not use.

2 - Additional anti bacterial spray and paper towels have been left in the cabin and we would request EVERYONE, before and after use, wipes down and sprays all touch points they have come into contact with. Whilst we have organised additional cleaning during the week, it is essential individuals also take responsibility, and it is on this basis we have decided the time is probably right to re - open the facility. Once again, if you feel you cannot do this, then please do not use the facilities.

We hope everyone will help out and do their bit to ensure we can keep the facilities open for us all to make use of and enjoy once again.

We will also be keeping an eye on infection levels locally, and take a balanced view in terms of risk in terms of the cabin. Hopefully if everyone does their bit and helps us ensure we remain as COVID vigilant as possible there will be no need to consider taking any decisions regarding further closure.

We would like to thank everyone in advance for their patience during these times.

The arrival of generally better weather and the gradual relaxation of all the COVID restrictions we have been living under hopefully heralds a return to normal. Thanks to various volunteers several much needed jobs have been undertaken on site.



Peter H sprayed all the weeds around the base of the trees in the community orchard, and now these have died back, several volunteers ferried wheelbarrows of clippings to surround the base and further suppress unwanted weed growth. All the trees were then given a thorough watering.



Whilst this was taking place Peter H and Tony cleared the brambles around the exit signpost and give this a general tidy up, before attention was turned to the furniture which required some urgent repairs.



A huge thank you to Richard Harris, Dave Wallace, Ian Moore, Peter Hunnable, Karen and Tony Holbrook for all their efforts. We should also thank Kevin Baskill who regularly trims the orchard to keep all the grass down, no mean task and greatly appreciated.

The trading hut took delivery of a new stock of timber in readiness for re opening on 17th May. The usual supply of 2x2, 2x1.5 and 1.5x1 lengths remain available, with any decking or other wood available as required by order.

However, the timber prices in general have increased quite considerably, and we are advised by the suppliers likely to rise again in the not too distant future. Despite the increase in price, the timber still represents good value. Do check at the trading hut as some of the lengths of timber supplied may have changed.



As a polite reminder - please remember to follow social distancing, and wear masks when using the trading hut, and would appreciate everyone's patience as we continue to operate a 'one in at a time policy' to ensure we continue to keep ourselves safe and well.