Dear Member,

On the 10th and 11th April the allotments suffered two incidents of youths entering the site and causing significant criminal damage to a number of greenhouses and sheds. The police were called on both occasions, and the good news is that the culprits were all caught while still on the site.

The committee has contacted all plot holders who have been affected.  If you have not been contacted by us and you discover your plot has been affected by the recent vandalism please do report this to the police, otherwise the culprits, who have been caught, will not be charged with anything and the Police will be unable to take any further action.

You can report this by telephoning 101 (non-emergency policy number), or you can report it online using this link: https://report.police.uk/. Make sure you say that the damage occurred at Roding Road Allotments, Loughton, and give your name and plot number.  Please do confirm with the committee and share with us the crime number you are given. You can notify us that you have reported a crime, using the contact form on our website, or speak to a Committee member when you are on the site.

If you did not receive this message by email, and you would like to receive our "Allotment Watch " email bulletin, please provide / confirm your email address.

Every month Waitrose local branches donate £1000 between three local good causes that their customers choose.

At the checkout customers receive a token, which they then place in the box of the good cause they would most like to support. The more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the donation they receive.

So if you're shopping at Waitrose Buckhurst Hill please do drop your token in the Roding Road Allotments & Leisure Gardens box!

We will be operating a new seed scheme for 2017.  The scheme is still with Dobies and the committee will issue catalogues as before.

Individual members order from and pay Dobies direct using a unique code which will be sent with the catalogue. The code will give 50% discount on seeds and 15% on everything else the same as last year.

You may also receive special e/mail offers.  Catalogues will be available Sept/Oct .  Please let me know if you require a catalogue.

Diane Tong
Secretary (RRA&LGA)

Email: Rodingroadallotments@btinternet.com
Telephone: 0208 5080228
You can also use the committee contact web-form here.

It is planned to change all the gate padlocks on Wednesday the 11th of May 2016.

A new key will be issued once your yearly rent has been paid, the garage will be open on the following dates for rent payments and key collection 

• Sunday 3rd April 2016
• Sunday 10th April 2016
• Sunday  17th April 2016
  
  

Keys will be issued on the basis of one key per member, regardless of the number of allotments you let. Joint names on the tenancy agreement will not automatically mean that two keys will be issued.

Second keys or joint name tenancy extra keys will only be issued at the discretion of the committee, with an additional charge of £30 per key.  Please request in writing to the Association Secretary applications for second keys stating why you require a second key.   

There will be no charge for a key issued to existing members. Lost keys will be charges at £30 plus an admin fee of £10. Deposits for returned keys when giving up the tenancy will be refunded at the original deposit paid when the tenancy commenced or the deposit paid for the second or lost keys.

If you will be unable to collect your key from the garage a key will only be available after the 18th April 2016 from Letting Officer by appointment.

If you have any further questions or need to make an appointment to collect a key please contact Robert Tong, Lettings Officer.

Please note Keys will be only available from the letting officer and other committee members will not have any keys.

As we move into spring it will be nice to get back onto the plots to do some work, it has been one of the wettest winters in a long time so it's time to make up for lost time.

Happy growing in 2016!

Annual General Meeting Report

This year's Annual General Meeting consisted of four sections.  Presentations took place for Eddie and Maureen Boatman and Bob and pat Crout in recognition of their work for the Association.  A glass plaque and a certificate of thanks from Loughton Town Council was presented to Eddie and Maureen whilst Bob and Pat received a framed photograph.  The presentations were made by the Town Mayor.

After the presentations a talk was given on bee keeping by the allotment's resident beekeeper, Dave Mallindine, and there was a chance to taste some honey and an opportunity to look at some pollen and bee anatomy under a microscope.  Refreshments were served and a small buffet was provided courtesy of Waitrose, Buckhurst Hill.  The rest of the AGM was given over to discussing the rents for 2016/2017, election of committee and officers, accounts for 2014/2015, lettings report, discussion about new locks and keys and a site inspections report.

Bee Keeping

The Committee has had a number of requests regarding the keeping of bees.

To clarify the position: Following an agreement with Loughton Town Council, bees may only be kept in a specific area, under a special tenancy agreement and conditions.  No bees may be kept outside the designated area.

Allotment Bird Track Project

South East Essex Organic Gardeners are promoting a pilot survey to observe and record the bird presence on and around allotment sites.  The aim is to use the results to make measure the contribution allotment sites make to supporting wildlife.

The Scheme called BirdTrack is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology in partnership with the RSPB and other national ornithological societies around the UK and Eire.  Recording birds regularly from the same site can contribute to a greater understanding of the ornithological value of the site, this will provide important information for site safeguarding and to evaluate the effects of site management.

If the scheme goes ahead we will need a group of volunteers.  Please contact the Association Secretary if you would like to help.

Seed Scheme

Unfortunately because of problems with the Dobie's administration team we will no longer be able to offer a seed scheme this year.

The gate locks are changing
 
To improve security on the site it a has been decided to change the allotment gate locks, details of how to get a new key were enclosed with the rent notices posted to members.  The Town Council has given us a grant for two thirds of the cost and our thanks go out to the Town Council.

Vandalism and unwanted guests

A number of incidents, including vandalism and young people visiting the site have taken place over the winter months.  Please report any incidents or vandalism to the Association Secretary.  Preserve any evidence and take photographs reporting any damage, vandalism or thefts to the police immediately.  It is not true that the police are not interested in minor theft or vandalism - they take it very seriously. You can contact the Police by calling 101, or by emailing the neighborhood police team.

General Reminders

1. Rent must be paid on time.
2. The plot must be fully cultivated, this is taken to mean plants and vegetables.
3. All pathways / footpaths are to be maintained in a reasonable standard and kept free from debris.
4. No nuisance must be caused to other allotment holders.
5. No sub-letting of the plot must take place.
6. No new building may be erected without written permission from the committee.  The Town Council has requested we adopt the following maximum sizes for new structures:
   10 rod allotment:
   Shed: 8x6 maximum
   Greenhouse: 8x6 maximum
   Poly-tunnel or similar structure: no more than 25% of allotment
   Only one shed per allotment
   5 rod allotment:
   Shed: 6x4 maximum
   Greenhouse: 6x4 maximum
   Poly tunnel or similar structure: no more than 25% of allotment
   Only one shed per allotment
   
7. All access gates must be kept closed and locked at all times.
8. Water must not be wasted, and siphoning of water is only permitted from dip tanks into another watertight container , which must not be allowed.  Tanks being filled must not be left unattended.
   
9. The allotment must not be used for trade or business purposes.
10. The Association must be informed if the tenant changes their address.
11. No refuse of domestic waste (apart from compost of manure of reasonable quantity) must be brought onto the allotments.  Tree prunings, fence panels etc must not be brought onto the allotment for burning.  Building materials, including bricks and paving slabs must not be brought onto the site without prior permission of the Committee.  Bathtubs will no longer be allowed onto the site.
    

 Congratulations to plot 138 for winning the Best Newcomer award.

Congratulations also to the following plots who were highly commended in the awards: Plots 29, 41a/b & 42, 122, 152a.

The Town Mayor's Awards Ceremony was held on Monday, 14th September at Willingale Allotments and was covered in the Epping Forest Guardian.