CITY OF ELY ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION Site reports NEW BARNS After a very wet winter the Spring was surprisingly warm and the continuing warmth and rains produced an excellent growing year. The harvest was very good with exceptional roots and brassicas. I have never had such Brussel Sprouts, and my vines have produced 3 gallons of white wine and 2 of red. We are again fully occupied. Happily we have not had any incidents of vandalism or theft this year. The major problem we are facing is the insidious waterlogging of most plots during the winter. This means that very little or no work can be undertaken and winter digging is impossible. Overtures have been made with regards to undertaking drainage although plans are still in their infancy. The children from Spring Meadow come every year to plant beans on our School Day which is organised and hosted by Roz Grooms. They seem to enjoy themselves very much and it takes the whole day to accommodate them all. It is important that the children get the chance to see vegetables actually growing on the land rather than just sitting on the supermarket shelf. UPHERDS LANE Welcome to all the recent people who have taken plots at Upherds. We hope you get pleasure from your plot, and please make yourselves known to others you may see on site, we are usually ready for a chat. We are now fully occupied, except for a small piece left due to someone downsizing. From what I hear and see, it has been a good season on our site. At present there is quite a lot of water lying, but I see some people are managing to get prepared for the new season. Since last year the group of students from City of Ely College have given up their plot as the present year are less interested in gardening, which is a little disappointing. The scout group continue to maintain their plot. The new lock on the gate seems to work well, but please let us know if it causes a problem. It sometimes seems to be a nuisance, but is necessary, because the first thing we are asked if we report any incidents to the police is ‘Was the gate locked?’ A negative answer provides an equally negative response, so please continue to ensure the lock is set and the numbers mixed up. The allotment strimmer has been serviced and is available, complete with new face guard and ear defenders. It would be good to get our pathways level and clear, so if anyone is willing to join, or better still coordinate working parties on site, to smarten up the site, please do not be shy. The majority of plot holders now have email, so communication is easier than in the past. Trevor Brown continues to spray the perimeter twice a year to keep the boundaries clear, and has sprayed vacant plot prior to take up. Please keep up the good work, and if you have any questions contact Pete Holden on plot 12c, John Mitchell on plot 5a, or Nigel Clarke on plot 10a, who is also a City councillor coordinating our activities with City of Ely Council, to whom we are responsible for managing allotments in Ely. We can always use willing volunteers, so if you feel you would like to get involved more with allotments in Ely contact us, or even better come to the AGM and see what we do. BRIDGE FEN The Bridge Fen plot-holder shuffling to fit around external events continued through 2014. I’m happy to report that the sewer pipe has finally been fitted with no disruption to the actual plots involved. We now await more meetings as the bypass plans are finalised and work begins. The dyke was cleaned out and although it’s damp down there at the moment I’m glad to say there has been no more flooding. Sporadic thefts continue in the area near the middle car park. Quite why someone wants to steal a water-butt full of water and takes the butt in spite of it being well labelled is beyond me. Equally why steal tools that have been labelled? The police were informed and we urge anyone having anything stolen to report it to the police and the secretary as soon as possible. 2014 was a very good year on Bridge Fen with bumper crops of marrows, courgettes and pumpkins. With regret I record the passing of the former A J Fenn Cup winner Jack Clark who sadly passed away in December. He followed his father onto the plot which was always immaculately kept. He will be missed by us all. He was a very familiar figure on Bridge Fen him as he went down to the site on his bicycle at least twice every single day of the year. Linda Adams CANTERBURY AVENUE With spring definitely in the air, there couldn’t be a better time to think about getting some fresh air, exercise and making new friends. What better way than by getting down to your allotment? Spring is a busy time of year and I’m sure you’ll not be the only one there. Many plots have been dug over already or are being dug now. Some have crops to harvest from last year and of course we’re all itching to get our season up and running… You never know the sun might even join in; it does seem to be visiting us a lot at the moment. I’m a new plot holder at Canterbury and as some of you may have noticed I have made my presence felt already! I have the first plot on the right and have cleared all the weeds and dug it over in preparation for planting. Also Peter and I have made a start in tackling the overgrown pathway at the entrance to the site. While we managed to get quite a bit done, this is an ongoing exercise. With the nights getting lighter now though we should be able to make much more headway. The idea is to fill this area with wildflowers, a pretty welcome to all. We have also requested help with the trimming of the privet hedge at the back of the plots. We hope to trim 1-2 foot of overgrowth from the top and side. This should make it easier to access the adjacent plots and also make it look a lot tidier. This should be done as soon as possible before the nesting bird put a stop to it! There are a few changes on the site with a couple of plots becoming vacant and a couple of new tenants taking over. At present there are two vacant plots on site. Hopefully these will also be taken over soon. You will see the Allotment Associations insurance policy stuck to the gate. Please take some time to read this when you next visit. Bill Mansfield