About Us

Weston-super-Mare Allotment Club is an association of allotmentiers who rent plots on one of the five sites in Weston-super-Mare. 

There are five sites in Weston: Clark's Field is now managed by the tenants.  Hutton Moor, Locking Road, Redpits and Kewstoke remain the responsibility of Weston Town Council.  The representative on each site carries out a site inspection at the end of every month and fills in a report form.  The reports from each site are then compiled and forwarded to the Town Council for action and comment. 

To join the waiting list for Clark's Field Allotment Site please contact the Site Representative, Mr Clive Wall.  For the other sites you will need to contact Weston Town Council whose offices are at Grove House, Grove Park.

The Site Representatives and the Chairman of the Club meet with Weston Town Council’s Allotment Sub-Committee, at about three monthly intervals, to represent the views of allotment tenants and pursue matters such as security, unworked plots, etc.  Please contact your site rep if you do have cause for complaint or have a useful suggestion.  However, please remember that he does not have any vote and can only negotiate on your behalf. 

Our AGM this year was held on Tuesday 24th April at The Bristol Hotel, Locking Road, Weston-super-Mare.  A copy will be made available to you if you contact the Secretary

The club has a constitution (Download Word Document / Download Text Document) drawn up from a model advised by the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardens (NSALG) to whom we are affiliated.  The officers of the club are:-

President    Hon Alderman Ken Lacey MBE
Chairman:   George Raines
Secretary:  Rose Hughes
Minutes Secretary: Trevor Hartgrove
Treasurer:  Geoff Wall

Site Rep for Clark’s Field: Clive Wall 
Site Rep for Hutton Moor: Mike Phillips
Site Rep for Locking Road: George Raines
Site Rep for Kewstoke: vacancy
Site Rep for Redpits:  Graham Phillips

Committee members: 

John Annegarn
Ted Gill
Adrian Clews
Tom Hughes 
     

Our Aims

• To improve communications with Weston-super-Mare Town Council

• To improve conditions at the allotment sites.

• To improve facilities at the allotment sites

• To increase usage of the allotment sites

• To review the current legal agreements

• To pursue and investigate a means of and negotiating terms for devolved management of allotment sites by Weston Allotment Club.

Our Objectives

• To actively promote interest in allotment gardening both to individuals and to organizations, charities, schools and self help groups.

• To co-operate with any committee set up by Central Government, Local Authority or any other body, to further the interests of allotment holders.

• To conduct negotiations in respect of land, buildings, facilities and services with whosoever may be the provider.

• To negotiate with the Local Authority, at this time being Weston-super-Mare Town Council, the management of allotment sites by the allotment club.

Many allotment sites around Britain have opted for devolved/self management.  The benefits of devolved management have been described in a report drawn up in December 1998 as follows:

· A means of achieving ‘good’ allotments and sometimes the only means
· Better placed for promoting allotments
· Better placed for fostering morale and a genuine sense of community with a genuine service to surrounding communities
· More effective participation in Local Agenda 21 initiatives and thus able to achieve common cause with local authority
· Better placed to maximise the opportunities to put dereliction and abandonment cycles into reverse and tackle the problem of allotment vacancies

Other benefits are:

· Under devolved management you get more value for your money.  You know what improvements are required and you can get them done a lot quicker by contracting out or by arranging a working party.
· You can access funding not available to a statutory body
· Health and safety should always be considered but you have less constraints than the Council who are limited to whom they enter into contract
· The association or club has the same powers as the Council when it comes to neglected plots.  They are on the ground and are in a better position to stop it getting out of hand.

We would point out that the club is a separate entity to the Horticultural Society although a high proportion of people belong to both associations.  The Horticultural Society do sterling work by staffing and running the trading hut on Clark’s Field every Saturday and Sunday morning selling items ranging from seeds to fertilisers to Society members and offering advice on many items from tomatoes to flowers.  They also run a very popular and successful flower show each year.  If you wish to find out more about the Horticultural Society, please contact the Secretary on the Contact Us page and further details will be sent to you.