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Introduction |
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some form or another there has been an organisation in Croydon to
represent allotment plot holders for well over 100 years. The Croydon
& District Federation of Allotment & Garden Societies, to
give it the full title, was formed in 1919, just after the less well
known, but equally important, contribution made by allotments to home
food production during the latter stages of the First World War. There are 18 allotment sites in Croydon which are managed in three different ways. "Direct Let" where each plot is let by the Council direct to the tenant, "Leasehold" where the site is self managed by the local society, and "Private" owned and run. Each affiliated society sends one or two delegates to the quarterly meetings of the Federation, at which matters of mutual interest are discussed, and everyone kept up to date with what's going on. The Federation is recognised by the Council as the representative body for all allotment plotholders and as such regular meetings take place between Federation and Council officers. It is also an active member of the London Allotments Forum. The Federation has for many years participated with displays at local events, such as the Country Show, and has a stand promoting allotments at every opportunity. |
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| Recent initiatives include - | |
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ensuring money from the sale of disused allotment land is used to |
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improve Croydon's allotments |
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a common insurance policy to reduce costs |
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liaison with the Council to supply fencing materials free of charge |
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greater police cooperation to combat vandalism and thefts |
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provision of skips free of charge |
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access to cheap sources of manure |
The annual competitions for the best sites and best plots take place in July and are organised by the Federation. The trophies, some of which date back to the 1930s, are presented at its Annual General Meeting in November. The importance and interest in these competitions has recently been restored by inviting the Mayor to present the prizes, and holding the event in the Town Hall. Consideration for the overall best plot requires a nomination from the local society, which often uses its own competition to provide it. The Federation is happy to provide its own judges for these local competitions. The overall winner is decided by a judge from the Royal Horticultural Society register. The criteria are a neat and tidy appearance, freedom from weeds, regular composting of waste materials, quality and variety of crops, with the last two scoring the most points. The best site or "Amenity" competition looks for the same criteria, but also includes site boundaries, main trackways and interplot paths. It is judged by the Federation delegates on a Sunday walk round in July. In
my six years as Chairman, I have sought to increase the dialogue
between societies to the benefit of all and I now represent the
Federation at the Council's Greenlink Forum, Food Forum, Cultural
Partnership and Environmental Strategy Group. |
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