AVIAN FLU

NOTICE TO ALL POULTRY KEEPERS

DEFRA have issued an instruction to all poultry keepers (regardless of size of flock or whether they are DEFRA registered or not) that all poultry should be kept (wherever possible) indoors between December 7th 2016 and January 6th 2017.

If poultry cannot be confined indoors then steps must be taken to keep them out of contact with wild birds. This should be done in a manner which considers the welfare of the poultry.

This is due to the risk of a particularly virulent strain of avian flu entering the UK, primarily brought in by migratory birds from continental Europe and Siberia.

OPEN DAY PICTURE - JOHN BURNS

More pictures of Open Day thanks to John Burns

The gate to the site on Open Day morning

The inside of the show tent

The flower display

Master Gardener exhibit

The prize giving

The Soft Toy Tombola

The Marquee

Pev and Lorenzo entertain

Ostrich Apocalypse in the tent

Mick Carcione "dressing" his entry in the scarecrow competition

BONFIRE 2016

SOCIETY BONFIRE 2016

We know that some, perhaps many, members had been hoping that we would be holding our annual Bonfire party in November. However after receiving the following communication from our insurers and obtaining subsequent information from the Council (see below), the Committee has decided that such an event cannot take place this year.

From Bluefin Insurance

Good afternoon Mr Jackson,

Following our discussions regarding the Bonfire to be held on your allotment site I can confirm Liability cover is extended to include this subject to less than 100 people being in attendance and the following criteria being adhered to:

Bonfires

Planning

·         The Police and Fire Brigade authorities will be consulted at least fourteen days before the event and their recommendations have been complied with in full

·         The relevant HSE guidance will be followed by the organiser;.

·         An event risk assessment has been carried out by the organiser;.

·         Spectators will be kept at least 25 metres from the display/bonfire and the display area will be roped off;.

·         Bonfires will be sited at least 50 metres from any buildings or vehicles and there are no roads, railways, overhead cables, woodland, bracken or similar combustible materials in the immediate vicinity

·         Special consideration should be given to major roads (i.e. motorways), main railway lines, airport runways.

·         Organisers should seek permission from the relevant party (in our case the Council**)

Procedures - Organisers

·         One member of the committee or other body organising the display will be in direct charge of safety matters and not engaged in any duties or activities which would prevent them from exercising general supervision;.

·         Qualified first aid personnel will be in attendance and means of summoning emergency assistance will be available;.

·         There will be at least one steward in attendance

·         These stewards should have full instructions about their duties, adequate communications equipment (e.g. mobile phones, walkie talkies), and know what to do and who to report to in the event of an incident

Procedures - General

·         No petrol or paraffin will be used for the purpose of lighting any bonfire;.

·         When on own premises a full inspection of the site will be carried out and any bonfire will be completely extinguished before leaving the site at the end of the display;.

Please inform us should the Allotment Association decide to have a firework display as this will require further referral.

Many thanks, Allotments Team, Bluefin Insurance

** On 14/10/2016 – The Head of Neighbourhood Services stated that:-

·         Bonfires on Allotment Sites after dark could not be public events – since the Council regard allotment sites as potentially unsafe places after dark. Events therefore would need to be restricted to Plot-holders and their guests. (Any plot-holder should accept responsibility for the behaviour and safety of anyone they invite including children. After discussion the Committee felt that even were those attending to sign a waiver to this effect it would not necessarily protect the Society against action in the event of an incident ).

·         No material may be brought onto the site for the purposes of the bonfire

·         No fireworks would be allowed

·         An event management or risk assessment plan must be submitted in advance by the organising society

·         Proof of insurance which specifically covers bonfires must be provided

(Two sites who are going ahead with their bonfires have taken out separate events insurance to allow them to do so, costs of £60 and £100 have been quoted by the respective secretaries).

Faced with this information the Committee decided at a meeting on 18/10/2016 that an event which met the insurance criteria could not be organised within the time frame allowed and at reasonable cost to the Society.

A suggestion that the event go ahead without insurance or Council approval was rejected on the grounds that

·         We cannot control who comes to the fire

·         If there is an incident then the Committee would be jointly and severally responsible for any damages awarded to any individual (whether member, plot-holder, guest or interloper) who suffered harm.

·         Committee members were not prepared to put themselves at this level of risk.

Accordingly there will be no Society Bonfire this year.

Harpers Lane AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Harpers Lane Allotments Society will take place at Hollywood Rd Social Club, Hollywood Road. Bolton at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday 29th November.

Main items are:

• The presentation of the Annual Reports
• 
  
• The presentation of the Annual Accounts
• The Election of Officers and Committee
• The Presentation of the Society Prizes

All members listed as having paid the 2016 subscription on the list prepared at 22nd September are eligible to stand for election and / or vote at the meeting.  Partners and buddies are welcome to attend to join the discussions and ask questions.

Anyone wishing to table an item for the meeting should contact the secretary Margaret Jackson on harperslane.coop@yahoo.co.uk or by 'phone.

OPEN DAY VIEWS

Taken by Paul Williamson

Open Day 2016 - the Band

Ostrich Apocolypse played in the Amenities Hut Marquee.  Pev Evans and Lorenzo Carcione also did a couple of duets. It really added to the day.

FLOWER AND VEG SHOW

Photographs by Paul Williamson

SCARECROWS

Thanks to Paul Williamson for these shots

This last is the MINION which was voted most popular scarecrow by the Visitors

SCARECROWS

Thanks to Paul Williamson for these photos of the Scarecrows in the Open Day Competition

OPEN DAY 2016

At Open Day 2016 we raised just over £550.00

A cheque for £56 has been sent to McMillan Cancer Support

Below are some photos of the event

We'll post more as and when we get them

NOTES FROM A COMMITTEE MEETING 07/06/2016

HARPERS LANE ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Committee Meeting – June 7^th 2016 at Hollywood Road Social Club

Present: Keith Worsley (Chair), Margaret Jackson (Secretary), David Jackson (Treasurer), Veronica Burns, Kathryn Worsley, Paul Williamson.

Apologies: Glyn Platt

It was agreed by the Committee members present that Paul Williamson be formally co-opted onto the Committee.

The Secretary read through the minutes of the last meeting (10.05.2016), the following points were noted:

Plot 23B should have been included in the list of plots entered into ABAS Allotment Competitions. The full list is: New Entrants – 1&2 (combined), 23B, 38A, 60B and Fairhurst 41

Grass Cutting on the top field has begun – the cost is £40 per cut – we estimate 4 cuts per season.

Following the report of the break-in to the building on plot 61, we have been informed that a cultivator belonging to "a plot-holder"  was stolen during the incident.

There is still a problem with the main (Church Rd.) gates being left unlocked and often wide open. The Secretary was asked to place a prominent notice on the gate stating that it is a condition of tenancy that the gates be locked by any tenant when entering or leaving the site. The only exemption is on Sundays between 10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. The Committee resolved that any tenant who repeatedly does not secure the gates will be reported to the Council so that action may be taken. Since not securing the gates is a ‘breach of tenancy’ this could mean loss of the plot.

Some plot-holders had stated that the gates are often left open for long periods by one of the owners of the garages at the end of the site. We have no jurisdiction over these people, but have placed the matter with the Allotments section to see what can be done through Corporate Premises.

We have also had reports of young people entering or attempting to enter the garages at the top of the road to congregate in, in the evenings and possibly for the purposes of smoking cannabis etc. The Secretary was asked to contact the local PCSOs about this matter. .

The Secretary was asked to speak with our local Councillors about these problems.

It is hoped that the issue about water running off the road onto plots has been resolved through the purchase of a new tap adaptor.

The Council has been asked whether we might have some of the redundant 240 litre wheelie bins to use as water butts on plots. We await a reply.

No progress has been made on ‘Area Forum’ monies to enable the refurbishment of the Amenities Hut. It was therefore resolved as a matter of urgency to fit metal plates to the Ladies Toilet door. The Secretary was asked to enquire where these plates might be purchased.

The Society is not now having a Green Waste skip. When the Secretary approached Dickinsons’, she was told the price had increased considerably. We may consider having a normal skip but the problems of policing its use remain.

A decision on new banners for Open Day will be deferred to the first meeting of the Open Day Committee which will be on July 31^st. This will give time to get banners from Minerva Print if we decide to do so. It was decided (in advance of that meeting) that we will purchase a new Tea Urn. It was also agreed that Veronica Burns will co-ordinate the café volunteers on Open Day.

It was decided that it was not appropriate to proceed with Stage II notices to the two plots identified at the previous meeting. There was some feeling amongst the Committee that they should be kept under observation.

It was reported that two members had inquired as to what action had followed Mr Russell’s promised intervention on the condition of one particular plot. The Treasurer agreed to ask Mr Russell.

OTHER MATTERS

The Summer Solstice Bonfire – this will take place on 18/06.

The fire will be built on Friday 17/06.

The Secretary is organising the cleaning and sorting out of the Brew Room in advance (w/c 13/06)

Use of the Brew Room Electricity to charge tools. This facility should be for Society members only. There was some concern that non-members are charging battery operated tools in the Brew Room. It was agreed to remind everyone that THE SOCIETY pays for the supply of electricity. It is NOT a Council Service.  The Treasurer will check electricity bills monthly and if usage rises above affordable levels action may be needed.

There is support for a SCARECROW competition on Open Day. The Secretary hopes that this might extend to people putting strong smelling items in the scarecrows pockets as this has been reported as deterring deer (which are again becoming a nuisance.)

We have had 4 more volunteers for the Shop Rota – thank you

After discussion the beekeepers do not feel able to have a Harpers Lane Honey stall at Open Day. We will therefore invite the Settle Street Beekeepers to have a stall.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Committee will take place on July 5^th at Hollywood Rd at 7.30 p.m.

NOTES FROM THE COMMITTEE MEETING 10.05.2016

Present: Keith Worsley (Chair), Margaret Jackson (Secretary), David Jackson (Treasurer), Veronica Burns, Glyn Platt, Kathryn Worsley.

In attendance: Paul Williamson
Apologies: Pev Evans

The Newsletter had been distributed on the site. It had led to a number of plot-holders paying their subs (10).

The promised visit from the Council Rat-catcher has not materialised. We will again flag this for attention in the Monthly Report. It has also been placed on the abas concerns matrix which goes to the Council each month.

It was decided to nominate the following for the New Entrants section in the Bolton Allotment Competitions

• Plot 60B
• Plot 38A
• Plot 1&2

In addition plot 41 will be entered into the Fairhurst Trophy.

The Grass on the top field has been cut – the cost was £40.00. There will be subsequent cuts as needed throughout the growing season.

It has been reported that schoolchildren from Smithills School are using the site as a short-cut. They climb over the gate by the ginnel and if the main gate is locked they undo the posts keeping it shut, slide back the bar and force a gap through which they can squeeze. This put pressure on the lock and will eventually cause it to fail. Can plot-holders please ensure that when they fasten the gates they use the chain to make the tightest possible fastening?

On a related matter (that of people entering the site from Moss Bank Way) it was decided to situate one of our security cameras on the Bottom Row. The building on plot 61 was recently broken into and we suspect the intruders came in this way. This will also enable us to check the activities of the deer.

There has been a complaint about some tenants running water for long periods. When the hose isn’t properly fixed to the tap this leads to flooding onto other plots, and if the tap in use is at the Brew Room end it means that plot-holders further down the site have no water pressure. Please show consideration to other plot-holders when using water.

On a related matter, the Committee asked that the Secretary contact Neighbourhood Services to enquire whether some of the redundant 240 litre wheelie bins could be diverted to the site to be used as water storage butts.

Finally the Secretary will investigate purchasing a large water butt for storing rainwater to use to flush the toilets when the mains is switched off.

There was again a strong feeling amongst the Committee that the doors on the Amenity Hut need replacing (and indeed that the roof of the store section needs attention. This will be flagged on the Monthly Report to the Council, plus we will contact Cllr Hayes about Area Forum money. David thinks there may be possible sources for grants to do the work, but asked again for volunteers to take on some of the fundraising role.

Some burnt material has been deposited on the bottom row. The Secretary is aware of this and has agreed that it is to be removed by the tenant as soon as possible.

Two members are seeking to arrange deliveries of manure. The Society will pay the transport costs. The manure will be free to members as usual. Similarly we hope supplies of bark will continue.

The beekeepers would again warn against encroaching on the bee-hive area. One set of bees in particular can be quite aggressive and bees are in any case unpredictable. Hence stay out or be stung!

Most members will be aware of the situation facing Mr Wynne on plot 51. The Society remains ready to offer any help that he or his family may request.

The Secretary is arranging for a Green Waste Skip to be placed on the site.

Planning for the Summer Solstice Bonfire (18^th June) continues – Pev will do a curry.

We are examining getting new banners for the Open Day event.

Two plots were identified for stage 1 – informal warnings of inadequate or mal-cultivation – the Secretary will be contacting those plot-holders.

The next meeting is 7.30 p.m. June 7^th, Hollywood Social Club.

UPDATES

1. The Newsletter should be distributed this weekend (Sunday) weather permitting

2. The correct address for the Allotted exhibition website is www.allotted2016.blogspot.co.uk

Bolton FM

Margaret is going to be on Bolton FM's "Community Corner" programme next Wednesday (27th April)  between 7.00 and 8.00 p.m. 

She'll be joined by Carol Barlow (Site Secretary at Sapling Rd.) and they'll be talking about allotments and the "Allotted" exhibition

The "Allotted" Exhibition

3 members of the Harpers Lane Society - Dorothy Ellin, Margaret Jackson and David Jackson will be taking part in the exhibition "Allotted" at neo:gallery27 in the Market Place this summer.

Minutes 12.04.2016

HARPERS LANE COMMITTEE MEETING

12.04.2016 – 7.30 P.M. AT HOLLYWOOD RD. SOCIAL CLUB

Present: Keith Worsley (Chair), Margaret Jackson (Sec), David Jackson (Treasurer), Kath Worsley, Glyn Platt, Pev Evans

Apologies from Veronica Burns. The Committee wish her a speedy recovery from her recent foot operation.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions are now due - £10 / £8.

Members will receive a free bag of Revive compost when they renew their subscription (While stocks last). Subscriptions should be paid at the shop on Sunday mornings or to any Committee member.

State of the Amenities Building

The up and over door which permits entry to the shop is giving problems. Ideally it needs to be replaced. In the meantime we need two additional keys.

Mr and Mrs Lodmore have volunteered to fit a new lock on the Ladies’ toilet. The Committee wishes to express its thanks for this.

An application has been made for Area Forum Funds to assist in the renovation of the Amenities Building. This needs chasing up through Cllr. Roger Hayes.

The area in front of the Amenities Building needs scraping off to prevent flooding of the building, we may be able to co-operate with other sites to arrange this (see www.abas2014.blogspot.co.uk for details)

Main Gate

There are again reports of difficulty with the lock on the main gate. If this lock fails we have no source of replacements of this lock. We will revert to one of the standard Council Locks (supplies of which we have now secured). The key which all plot-holders have to access the Brew Room will fit this lock.

This year’s Charity

The Committee selected MacMillan Cancer Support as this year’s charity

Open Day

It is now proposed that Open Day (and the Show which is part of it) will be held on Sunday September 11^th 2016.

The event has been put back due to a number of those who are normally involved being on holiday at the normal date, and to avoid clashing with other Open Days by neighbouring Societies and the Bolton Show (20/08/2016)

We will be organising an Open Day Planning meeting.

We are hoping for Radio promotion (Bolton FM) of the event – Glyn will be taking the lead on this.

There was some discussion about possible locations for advertising banners and also whether new ones should be printed. Pev is looking into this.

Dave will arrange posters and leaflets as usual.

We will need volunteers to leaflet the area as usual.

It was decided that we will again have a Scarecrow Competition this year – there will be no theme, members are free to choose any subject they like.

Margaret will check to make sure that the Appalachian Dancers are available. Pev is checking on a possible choir.

The Committee decided not to hold a Spring Event in May

Open Sundays

As those of you who follow council policy will know the Council is now allowing the Society to have regular open events and to use those events to sell ‘surplus’ produce for Society funds.

The Committee was minded to use our current open Sundays (when the ‘shop’ is open etc.) to stage such sales but has found little enthusiasm for this venture from members. However, we are interested in your views. Should we be doing this? On what sort of terms would you be willing to participate? Please let us know.

One suggestion has been to use the cooking facilities in the Brew Room to run a café on Open Sundays. This would involve the Society registering as a food business and being inspected and given a hygiene rating. What do you think of this idea? Would you use the facility?

Maher Cup

Each year as part of the Society Show on Open Day we select a vegetable which growers enter in the Maher Cup competition. This year’s vegetable is the ONION – either white or red, but not shallots or leeks. Normal show rules e.g. 3 onions on a plate will apply.

Newsletter

It was agreed to produce a Newsletter to be circulated to all plot-holders on the site covering:

• ·         Payment of Subscriptions
• ·         What ‘subs’ cover (e.g. NAS membership, abas membership, public liability assurance, Amenity Building electricity bills, Toilet Rolls and cleaning materials, manure deliveries (if we have to pay for them) etc.)
• ·         Open Day details
• ·         Maher Cup
• ·         The decision not to hold a Spring Event in May (but to include the questions about ‘open Sundays’)

The D-area

The D-area is the area of rough ground below the Amenities Building on which we hold bonfires.

Most of this area has been covered with blue sheeting by Pev Evans to suppress weeds. The Committee wishes to thank Pev for doing this.

Bolton Allotment Competitions

The Committee has identified potential entrants in the Greenhalgh Trophy (for smaller plots) and the New Entrants Trophy (in which last year Harpers Lane came 1^st and 2^nd). The Secretary will be contacting those plot-holders in the near future to see if they wish to be put forward.

Any plot-holders who wish to be put forward for either the above trophies or for the Fairhurst Trophy (full-size plots) should contact the Secretary or another Committee member.

The Committee has also decided to enter the site in the Rosebowl Competition for Best Site in the Borough.

Toilets Rota

Two toilet cleaning rotas are being set up. One (men) to do the gents and one (women) to do the ladies. Volunteers are needed. The society provides rubber gloves, cleaning materials, brushes, toilet rolls etc. Please contact the Secretary or another Committee member if you’d like to help.

Wood Chippings and Manure

There should still be regular deliveries of wood chippings. Please use on a first come, first served basis.

Manure deliveries are more problematical. There are difficulties with the current supplier. If these cannot be resolved the Secretary will obtain supplies from another source. However the society will have to pay delivery costs on these. At present however, there are no plans to charge members.

Actions

The Committee approved the purchase of a large sealed water container to be connected to the guttering of the Amenities Building. This water will be saved so that during winter (when the mains supplies are cut off) it can be used by members. A primary use will be to flush the toilets so that they can continue to be used in the winter months.

The Committee approved further investigation of a Green Waste Skip for members to dispose of weeds. The Committee did not feel it could (at present) approve the hire of a general skip which costs over twice as much, but this will be kept under review.

Summer Solstice

The Society will hold a Bonfire Event on June 18^th to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Details are to be finalised.

Society Show

The Show is a central part of Open Day.

The Secretary has already arranged the judges.

We now need volunteers to help with Show administration and marshalling.

The Site Roads

There have been complaints about the state of both the top and bottom roads,

Current information suggests that we are unlikely to be able to persuade the Council (whose responsibility site roads is) to do any work on them this year. The cuts to Council resources are well known.

Some sites within abas are looking to band together to try to arrange contractors etc. to a block of work in the Borough. Abas is also trying to get the Council to extend its self-help scheme and give more help with sourcing materials (like cold planings).

We need to explore whether grants are available to us – a potential source is the National Allotment Gardens Trust – but in past years many funders have refused grants for such capital works either because we have no collective lease on the site or because they see roads as the landlord’s (i.e. the Council’s) responsibility.

We’ll continue to look into this both individually and with colleagues in abas.

(The Treasurer would like to ask if anyone is interested in becoming involved in grant applications. IT would be useful to form a funding sub-committee as the process of identifying funders and completing applications can be energy and time consuming.)

‘Paths’

There have been some queries about paths on the site, and rights of access etc.

The Society is not responsible for the maintenance of any paths.

Each plot-holder is responsible for the maintenance of one path along one boundary of their plot. The plot-holder has the right to access their plot using this path.

For these purposes the term path does NOT imply it’s paved or gravelled etc. simply that it is a ‘clear’ means of access.

We may need to clarify in each individual case which path each plot-holder is responsible for.

We are conscious that a number of paths between plots have vanished over the years and that a number of paths are now effectively ‘shared’. Such arrangements should not be disrupted lightly.

The use of any other path is by the invitation / consent of the responsible plot-holder.

There is no general right to use paths to get from the top road to the bottom road. That’s what the roads are for. If you wish to have access then you must agree with the plot-holders whose paths you are using.

Plot-holders are reminded that there should be a two foot gap between any plot boundary and any structure or other impediment on the plot. This two-foot gap was frequently referred to as ‘the path’ by the former Allotments Officer. Effectively this could be held to mean there’s a four foot strip of clear ground between the used areas of each pair of plots.

The ‘Shop’

As members will be aware the Society operates a facility whereby we purchase a range of allotment supplies in bulk and then resupply them (at cost plus a very small handling charge) to society members.  This facility is usually called the shop, and is open most Sundays from 12.00 to 1.00 p.m.

The running of the shop is increasingly falling on a very small number of volunteers. It is becoming very difficult to ensure that the shop can be open every Sunday. If you see the shop as a valuable resource and maybe would even like to see it open more often or for longer hours, please consider joining the volunteers. IF you’re interested please contact the Secretary.

The next Committee Meeting will be on 10^th May at 7.30 p.m. – Hollywood Social Club.

Additional Post

It has been pointed out that an item was missing from the minutes of the March meeting that are posted below.

The Committee is investigating the possibility of having a Green Waste Skip on the site. This skip would be (as its name suggests) purely for green waste, essentially weeds, prunings etc. We feel that such a skip should help eradicate the practice of tipping materials down the bank and into the valley at the edge of the site. Members have previously been warned (there is a sign on the shop door) that the Council regard this practice as 'fly-tipping' and will take action (including giving 'Notice to Quit') against any tenants caught tipping.

A Green Waste skip can be provided at a much reduced cost against the cost of general purpose skips. However if any waste other than green waste is in the skip the full price is charged on disposal.

The Committee is considering ways in which the use of such a skip could be managed.

Committee Minutes March 2016

Minutes from a meeting of the Committee of

Harpers Lane Allotments Society

Held at Hollywood Rd. Social Club

08/03/2016

Present: Keith Worsley (Chair), Margaret Jackson (secretary), David Jackson (Treasurer), Kathryn Worsley, Glyn Platt, Pev Evans – apologies from Veronica Burns

Items discussed:

It was confirmed that Dave Wynne’s request for his plot to be made a joint tenancy with his wife has been actioned by the Council. Mr Wynne has the forms and is returning them.

The Secretary has spoken to the Council about the rats problem and has been promised that the rat catcher (Billy) will be in touch in the near future. If we hear nothing soon we are to contact Malcolm Russell who will chase up the matter.

The Secretary will be trying to establish a kitchen and toilets cleaning rota to begin as soon as possible.

The shop will open for the first time this season on Sunday 13^th March. It will then be open from 12.00 – 1.00 p.m. each Sunday. The exception will be the Easter weekend when the shop will be open on Saturday 26^th March and Monday 28^th March. The Secretary is setting up a rota to staff the shop.

Projects

1.       The area in front of the Amenities Hut needs to have the top layers of mud scraped off and a small trench dug in front of the Hut to catch run-off. Hopefully this will prevent the periodic flooding of the Brew Room and Shop.If any members know of a local contractor who has a suitable JCB / Mini-digger who might be able to do the work at a reasonable costs could they please contact a Committee member.

2.       The guttering on the Amenities Hut needs to be checked and cleared out.

3.       The roof of the Amenities Hut needs to be checked and repairs made.

4.       The windows and doors of the Amenities Hut could do with replacement. The Council is very unlikely to do this. We need to consider if and how we should raise funds to do this ourselves.

5.       The D-shaped grass area behind the Amenities Hut is to be covered with the blue material to reduce weeds etc. An area will be kept free for approved bonfires (see the Secretary if you wish to have one)

Fund-raising

The Council has issued new guidelines on produce sales etc.

The Society could (if it wishes and if there is support) have an Open Sunday on a weekly to monthly basis at which surplus produce could be sold on behalf of the Society funds. If any members are interested in this please contact a Committee member.

Similarly we could have another Spring Event along the lines of last year’s successful market.

Members may wish to consider whether we should have a Car Boot Sale again, either in conjunction with the Spring Event or separately.

The Open Day and Society Show is being moved back this year to avoid clashes with the holiday plans of many plot-holders. It will be on either August 28^th or September 11^th. (September 4^th was originally considered but this clashes with Guide Dogs Open Day which many of the stalls who traditionally support our Open Day will also be attending)

Other Items

The Society has been donated a pallet of 60 bags of ‘Revive’ compost / soil conditioner by Viridor. It has been decided that (as long as stocks last) plot-holders will receive one bag of compost when they pay their 2016 subs (£10/ £8).

Vacancies / Waiting Lists

Mr and Mrs Kerfoot have relinquished plot 46B – this plot will now be re-let by the Society.

A new updated waiting list has now been received and agreed with the Council and the plot will be offered to the next person on that list.

Annual Bolton Allotment Competitions

The Secretary has now received information about the Fairhurst, Greenhalgh and New Entrants Trophies for 2016. Any plot-holder interested in entering these competitions should contact her (preferably during shop opening on the 26^th or 28^th March).

Bolton Vegetable Show

The All-Bolton Vegetable Show will be held at Trinity Methodist Church on Saturday 20^th August 2016. There are 25 classes – the Secretary has details. We hope that plot-holders will enter produce in this Show.