[digital_biscuit]

Hi All

Currently my allotment committee is pretty much non-existent!! We are therefore having an AGM to change the committee. I am hoping to stand to get on there and hopefully revive it a little. What i am wondering is what your committee's do to make it good? Just so i have a few extra ideas.

Thanks!!

Daz

[Rob the rake]

You'll find a lot of resistance to change from the old guard, DB. Don't expect to change things overnight. It's important that you get the opinions of the plotholders too, who don't take too kindly to decisions made without their input.

[gobs]

Haven't you enough grey hairs, biscuit?

Leave changes for long term. :roll:

We put up a suggestion box.

[Aidy]

On our site the commitee was formed within the last couple of years to see the day to day running, sorting out vacant plots etc, I must say they have done a sterling job, the place is so much tidier, they have had the odd social do (bonfire etc), they have recently got grants from lancahire county council for 25 waterbutts and are applying for more funding to supply a community shed for us to use.

[digital_biscuit]

The changes i want to add are for the better! Our committee is pretty much non-existant! There is no social events, the club house is for the committee and their personal select few only!!

Just want to get more funds and make it more social without changing the old policies really.

Cheers

[Aidy]

I know how hard our lot have done to get it to where it is, I was suprised to see how many ppl attended the bonfire, but how few of the old boys where there, it was mainly the new ppl. I reckon if your site has the majority of the old school that are set in their ways you will have a job on your hands trying to change it. We have 129 plots I think on ours, I would say only 25% if that attended. There are some that wont even say good morning to you. I have visited other sites in Blackpool that are really well organised and the commitee work hard to make like that, but the main input comes from the plot holders and getting there interest going.

[gobs]

Yes, you will get resistance to any change from both sides.

Also, you might find that you need changing old policies, etc to be eligible for grunts, depending what you want.

[amblelottie]

We joined our committee last year and are gradually changing our site.  We are managing the plots more effectively and have issued terminstion notices to several members who were not working their plots.  The new members are all very enthusiastic so this looks hopeful for the future.

We have held a couple of events, a bar b q in the summer and a bonfire in November.  We have an annual show.  We have organised a trip out to visit Walsall Road Allotments in Perry Barr, and hope to do more in future. We have introduced a newsletter which is emailed to all the members with internet access.

On fund raising, we are hoping to install a compost toilet and eventually a club house.  We invited our local MP to visit the site and are keeping in touch with our local councillors.  We have had a couple a small successes but have a way to go yet.  

We have organised our committee into smaller sub committees, 1 for maintenance/security, 1 for social events/fund raising and another for manning the trading post, so everyone on the committee has a role to play.  This appears to be working well but it's early days yet.

Some of the old committee are not too keen on the changes, others are coming around because they can see the improvements - be patient but determined, you will get there.

[SnooziSuzi]

well I took on the role as secretary for our committee and for the last 9 months all I've heard the committee do is argue about stupid things.  

We don't have enough new folks on the committee - it is (all but 2, me and another girl) old men who just want to be on the committee to argue.

I've already made waves by suggesting we increase the rental income from £16 to £20 - You'd have thought I'd asked for their first born grandkids!!!  This is the same bunch of people who cry on because we've got no money in the kitty to repair the roadways or fences and won't help anyone with anything  :evil:

I'm hoping to get more young 'uns on the comittee at the next AGM later this month.  

I think that a lot of the problems we have on site is that non-committee members spread misinformation, hearsay and conjecture and they whine on like spoiled brats because they aren't involved in the committee decisions, yet they don't put themselves forward to be on the comittee because it's too much like hard work!!!   :evil:  :evil:   :roll:  :roll:

[nipper31]

I'm new to all this and decided to go to our AGM in January, hoping to learn stuff and get detailed information about what the committee actually DO and what the site can offer to new members like me.
The meeting lasted about 20 minutes which included the Chairman's report (he wasn't there someone else had to read it), the Treasurer's report, the Site Manager's report, prize giving and any other business.

One lady volounteered a question about drainage on certain plots and seemed to get shot down in flames by the committee so the rest of us kept our mouths shut...

[noshed]

Everyone moans about: manure, water, skip.
So we get manure delivered continuously from the Royal Mews, not much we can do about the water supply, and we got the skip taken away. Moaning subsided.
Now we are building a trading hut so there will be loads more to moan about. And the AGM is in March.

[sweet nasturtium]

I don't know much about our committee - I turned down joining actively because I've been involved in lots of stuff like that before and find it a bit stressful.

It's a plot of mainly elderly plotholders, many of whom have worked their plots for 25 years.  They have one organiser who deals with the people who mainly come during the week, and one who does the weekends.  On top of that they have an effective rota for the trading shed, run by two at a time.  There always seems to be a good presence at the meetings too.

I think ours is a success because there is respect for the way things have always been done and a firm but fair attitude to plotholders.