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Issue Number 3 |
March 1998 |
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A SHOWCASE FOR ALLOTMENTS AT DARENTH COUNTRY PARK Dartford's allotment gardeners have taken the lead in drafting proposals for QED's first major project, an integrated community composting and horticulture facility on land at Darenth Country Park. The centrepiece of the project will be a one acre "model allotment site", combining the best of traditional allotment gardening with demonstrations of the latest thinking in sustainable organic and permaculture techniques. In keeping with the Country Park's theme of "access for all", QED's new Health Group has been invited to advise on facilities that will enable people with a range of disabilities to take a full and active part in the construction and management of the site - and to enjoy all the benefits of allotment gardening in the beautiful natural setting of the Park. QED's Biodiversity Group will advise on the ecological value of the the existing flora and fauna in and around the allotment site, as a prelude to their conservation, while the QED Waste Management Group has been given the task of supplying recycled materials for the construction of paths, sheds and raised beds. Visitors will have the opportunity to talk to the gardeners, to lend a hand or even rent a plot, and obtain information on vacancies at established allotment sites elsewhere in the Borough. Organic materials for use on the allotments will be provided by a pioneering scheme for the collection and composting of green wastes from new residential developments in the area, while other proposals in the pipeline include a heritage orchard, vineyard and teaching apiary. If you would like to get involved with this exciting project, whether or not you are already an allotment gardener, please contact Richard Wiltshire at 01322-409184. DARTFORD FESTIVAL ALLOTMENTS COMPETITION Entries are invited from local allotment associations and plotholders for the 1998 Dartford Festival Allotments Competition. The Competition, now in its fourth year, is judged under Kent Allotment and Garden Council Rules, so contestants will also be matching their skills against the best allotment gardeners in the county. Three trophies are up for grabs: the Borough Shield (for the best allotment in the Dartford Borough area on a site supervised by or leased from Dartford Borough Council), the Villages Cup (for the best allotment in the Dartford Borough area on a site supervised by or leased from a town or parish council), and the Fred Brown Cup (for the best performance by a novice allotment gardener on a site in the Dartford Borough area). The winners of these trophies in 1997 were Keith Henry (Gore Road Allotments) and double-prizewinner Steve Blake (Sutton-at-Hone Allotments), who received their awards at a ceremony held at Dartford's Civic Centre in November. Full details of the 1998 Competition are available from Roger Howard at 01322-229290. QED ALLOTMENTS IN THE NEWS The January 10 issue of Amateur Gardening featured the recycling survey undertaken by students from Dartford Grammar School for Girls at Dartford Road Allotments last summer. The survey was organised in conjunction with the QED Waste Management Group, and the results, which are available on the internet, have stimulated enquiries about allotment gardening in Dartford from Local Agenda 21 groups elsewhere in the UK and from gardening enthusiasts in North America, Europe and the Far East. In February allotment gardeners in Kunitachi City, Tokyo hosted a lecture on waste recycling on allotments given by Professor Ren Azuma of Japan's Mie University, based on the DGGS survey and other information supplied by the QED Allotments Group. Half a page is given over to QED Allotments in the latest issue of the NSALG's journal, the Allotment and Leisure Gardener, leading to further enquiries from around the country about how allotment gardening can help local communities to achieve a sustainable future. This Newsletter has also been much in demand - Issue 2 was reprinted twice! GETTING THINGS DONE Over the Christmas break members of the QED Allotments Group helped bring a touch of colour to Swanscombe High Street, working with local youngsters to install a pair of hanging baskets outside the Community Youth Association's "Action Station". A request for information on the safe disposal of unwanted garden chemicals has been answered with a leaflet produced by the QED Waste Management Group in consultation with Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council, and linked to a pilot scheme at the Rochester Way disposal site. The continuing demand for pallets for the construction of sheds, raised beds and compost bins on allotment sites is being met from local businesses, and other opportunities for recycling are highlighted in a second leaflet produced by the QED Waste Management Group, which will be available to all firms in the area. Copies are available at the Civic Centre, and arrangements are in hand to supply these and other leaflets (including one advertising opportunities for allotment gardening) to libraries in the Borough. Meanwhile, on the national scene, "The Future for Allotments" has been the subject of an enquiry by the House of Commons Environment Sub-Committee which has been extensively reported in the media. QED Allotments has made a written submission to the Sub-Committee, stressing the role of allotments and allotment gardeners in helping communities and local authorities to achieve the objectives of Local Agenda 21 - a message that will also be conveyed in our response to "Opportunities for Change", the consultation document issued by the DETR on a revised strategy for sustainable development in the UK. NEWS FROM LOCAL SOCIETIES ... Southfleet Gardeners' Society
Sutton-at-Hone Horticultural Society
West Dartford Allotment and Garden Society
Wilmington Horticultural Society
HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN QED ALLOTMENTS Our regular meetings are open to representatives from allotment sites, associations and societies throughout the Borough of Dartford. Further details of QED Allotments meetings are available from our Secretary, Robert Johnson (01322-229298). Articles about allotment gardening in Dartford, or details of events, should be passed to the Editor of the Newsletter, Sheila Morey, at 01322-270382. If you would like to have your say in one of the other QED groups - or form a group yourself - Alan Cremer, the overall Secretary of QED, would be delighted to hear from you: contact him c/o Dartford Borough Council, Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1DR (01322-343250). Current QED groups include Transport, Waste Management, Youth Action, Biodiversity, Health, Newtown and Swanscombe & Greenhithe. LATE NEWS: This Newsletter has been published simultaneously on the Internet. Details of QED's website are at http://www.btinternet.com/~richard.wiltshire/ - and we can provide a web page at this site exclusively for your own association or society to use, free of charge!
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