For the third year in succession, we are proud to announce we will be flying the much coveted Green Flag on site as we have been awarded with a Green Flag Community Award.

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.

We are one of more than 2,000 sites across the country to collect the award for 2020, of which very few allotments have been recognised.

We would not be recognised but for the passion, commitment, time and energy that our fabulous volunteers give freely to the Association and its community.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to both this award and the continuing success of our allotment site.

Do you have broken or unwanted glass on your plot?

Between Thurs 15th October and Sun 18th October there will be a GLASS skip on site for all members to use.

Please note, the skip is for GLASS disposal only. Do not place any other items in the skip.

Thank you

Please be community minded, let’s work together! Anyone abusing this facility may have their tenancy terminated.

I just want to share with you all one of the many ‘hidden’ tasks completed by our group of community volunteers recently.

Concealed behind the shed of a now terminated tenant was a full trailer load of carpet and underlay, obviously from a very recent home project. This would have cost us a considerable sum to dispose of had Peter Gresham not kindly allowed us to put it in the skip he paid for recently on site.

This is not just an abuse of a plot, (and it didn’t stop with just this load of rubbish) it is completely unacceptable and an unreasonable task for the community group to have to do.

This is not a nag, merely an opportunity to show you what we sometimes have to deal with, and a request to think carefully about what you bring on site, and if you have rubbish please please take it home.

Thank you

Julia

Thank you to everyone who purchased plants from the Growing Academy this year.

Total funds raised - £1,273.19

This is a fantastic sum of money all of which goes directly into Association funds, so we all benefit!

Thank you

Elaine & Julia

• You may now enjoy a walk around site however you must maintain the latest government recommended social distance at all times
• Do NOT enter anyone else’s plot without prior permission.  Please respect the wish of others to self-isolate their plots
• Always sanitise your hands or wear disposable gloves when touching the lock, toilet door handles, pumps or any communal facility
• Non-member family and friends may now join you on your plot but only if accompanied by a paid-up member of the Association

At the moment we are extremely lucky to be able to continue to visit our allotment plots for exercise. Please follow the guidelines already issued and in addition:

• The only time you should be walking around site is to access your own plot, or use the toilets. The toilets remain open but please limit their use wherever possible and always sanitise door handles, etc.
• Do not walk dogs around site, keep them on your plot.
• Only Members of the Association are allowed on site. No family or friends who are not Members are permitted with the exception of Members' children.
• Keep children on your plots at all times. If they go to the toilet, they must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Please follow these additional rules to keep everyone safe and well.

Thank you

Additional information can be found on The National Allotment Society's website. 

Whilst we have always taken pride in describing ourselves as a friendly community allotment site, please be mindful that at the moment some people may be self isolating on their plots. A cheery hello, a wave and a conversation from a distance may be very welcome but please observe a safe distance for everybody’s safety during these difficult times.

Also please either use gloves or ensure hands are clean when opening and closing the gate.  

Let’s keep our community safe and well.

ARDAA Committee 

To everyone at Ashbourne Road Allotments

We are so sorry that we can't come to film with you for this series of Gardeners' World and appreciate that this was disappointing news to receive. We too were very excited to come and see and hear about all the amazing things that you are doing on your allotments and know that you have been working hard to get your plots 'TV ready'. The good news is that the producers want us to come in 2020... we will be in touch in the new year to confirm plans, so watch this space! 

In the mean-time happy plotting from everyone at BBC Gardeners' World!

All allotment associations must not only look at the needs of allotmenteers today but those of the future. We need younger generations to take up allotmenteering and have young people learn skills that are essential to the sustainability of the site. As peoples’ lives change, we need to be able to offer them allotment gardens that are manageable within the time they have available. Our Starter Plot Project combines all of these things.

As a volunteer-led organisation, projects like this can take a long time to deliver without the work and support of partners from our local community.

We are extremely fortunate to be, once again, partnering with G F Tomlinson who helped us last year with our accessible Centenary Plot. Their ability and willingness to provide expert personnel, machinery and materials makes such a difference; it encourages more volunteers to get involved and further embeds the allotments into the local community.

With G F Tomlinson’s introduction to the DWP and Horizons School, our Starter Plot Project will give young people the opportunity to learn new skills and enjoy some of the benefits of allotment gardening.

ARDAA cannot thank G F Tomlinson and their staff enough for the help they have provided and continue to provide. We hope that our partnership with them will go on for many years to come.

This can be a three part gift and a perfect way to recycle plastic plant pots, paper, string, bags…

Part 1 – A Christmas Plant-Pot ‘Advent type’ Present  

Part 2 – The Potty Plotters Plant- Pot Ping-Pong Game

Part 3 - Re-use the plant pots again in the garden etc

How to make

What you need:

• 25 Plant pots – any size – all the same or all different odd ones
• An apple or potato crate or any box large enough to hold all the pots together in a small area
• A small pot of paint and a small brush, or 25 stick on labels numbered 1 – 25, or a marker pen
• 6 or more ping pong balls (can be different colours to identify teams)
• Piece of string or ribbon– about 4 ft long  
• Piece of paper and a pencil (for scoring)
• List of the rules! Or copy the ones we have prepared on our website as below

Part 1:

• To make this “Plant Pot Advent Type of Present” wash all 25 pots thoroughly & pop a wrapped present in each of the empty pots (though they don’t have to follow a theme – they could just be sweets and chocolates or miniature drinks).

• Number each pot 1 to 25.

• Now set them all into the crate, together with a copy of the rules, a bag of ping pong balls and the scoring sheet with pencil/pen in plant pot number 25.
• On Christmas Day all pots will have been opened except day 25 which will contain the pieces for the ping-pong game!

Now Part 2:

1. Set the empty pots all together in the crate or box or as individual pots on a large table
2. Put your friends/friends into teams -though they can play as individuals
3. Place a piece of string across the floor about 4 foot away from the plant plots. Each player has to stand behind this line to then throw a ping-pong-ball at the pots one at a time
4. If a ball lands in a pot, they score according to the number painted on the outside of the pot.
5.  Each player has 5 goes and the highest score wins!
6. Give a gift to the winner (or one of those you were given in the advent calendar)!
7. Follow the rules of the game and enjoy

Now Part 3:

Reuse the plant pots in the spring by planting up seeds or making them into your own plant pot scarecrow or use again and again for the Ping Pong game to keep people amused at any school, garden or home event or even raise money for funds/charities!