The new edition of the Keep Scotland Beautiful Newsletter has hit the streets:
Download your copy – June Beautiful Scotland & IYN newsletter
Author: Norman Page 54 of 66
The Council requires each plotter to mark clearly the number of his or her plot. But as this top ten of signs shows, identifying your plot does not have to be expensive or complicated.
Bright and breezy
Engineered to last
As nature intended
Ready for the road
Arts and crafts
Ageless
Sun-kissed
Cheap as chips
Improvised and up-cycled
Welcoming
Today’s Community Sunday activities involved dodging the weather quite a bit, but thanks to a good turnout we still got a lot done and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Thanks to everyone you managed along – and especially the flan, cake and scone bakers who excelled themselves today. Scrumptious! Our next Community Sunday is scheduled for 19 July – pop it in your diary now!
Thanks go to Alison and Stuart for prompting this post.
Today Holyrood passed into law the Community Empowerment Act, Section 7 of which gives new rights to community growing groups and will bring new security and opportunities to allotment sites and associations.
The bill was first brought before The Scottish Parliament in June of last year and a spirited campaign by the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society has seen its terms significantly strengthened. The legislation now requires local authorities to:
- consult with ministers before closing a site
- provide a replacement site if demand exists
- manage waiting lists within a five year maximum period
- set fair rents.
GFAA has always enjoyed a positive and cooperative relationship with Aberdeen City Council and hopes and expects to do so in the future, but it’s good to have the new Community Empowerment Act as a backstop to further developments and a spur to new projects.
If you have ideas about how we might create and exploit new opportunities under the Act please bring them to the attention of a member of the GFAA Committee or post them in a comment below.
Further Reading:
The Scottish Allotment Diary (SAGS)
The Herald: Allotment holders have something to grow about
I wonder, if like me, you have been aware of how few honey bees we see in our gardens and on our plots these days? While yesteryear they were everywhere, now they now only put in rare appearances.
It’s an almost unthinkable thought, but if we don’t manage to do something to help our bee colonies soon, we may lose them. Our bees are embattled today as never before and seem to be under attack on every front. Individually and collectively, locally and nationally we need to come to their assistance.
Change.org has a petition running for Friends of the Earth at present and are offering a packet of free wildflowers to everyone who signs: So for a few moments of your time you can demand action nationally and help take some practical steps locally on our site to help our buzzy friends along.
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I think we can claim today’s visit by pupils from Kaimhill Primary was enjoyed by all, although Gill, Jacqui and I needed to go lie down in a darkened room for an hour or so afterwards! Thanks go to Mrs McKenzie and her team for all their help on the day.
