How Barnstaple Allotment Association Was Formed

Initially the idea of forming the Allotment Association came from some members of the Bryant's field site in Barnstaple, they wanted to find a way of getting their site tidied and more of the neglected plots workable again. With the help of our then Chairman Mike Parsons formally of the Allotment Regeneration Initiative ( ARI), we decided to start small and then eventually involve plot holders from other sites in Barnstaple.

In order to secure any funding that might be available to us, a minimum of ten members are needed to form an association, and we will then be able to open a bank account into which any funds can be paid. Hopefully this money can then be "ploughed" back into our sites where it is needed the most e.g. clearing plots, restoring pathways, communal composting areas and maybe even setting up an on site shop for swapping seeds/plants etc.

For the Association to really succeed we need as many interested plot holders and their representatives as possible, so we can get a better insight into what the needs of the sites are.

The Association has come a long way in the past couple of years.  Working with the Town Council we have had all four sites cleared and the rubbish taken away, many of the larger plots were divided in half to make them easier to manage especially for first timers.

Best of all was we managed to get a good number of people off the waiting lists and digging their plots. This has all happened in a relatively short space of time and there is now plenty on the agenda for the future, it just goes to show what people can achieve when they care about something enough.