Cropwell Bishop Village Parish Plan

Paths and gate officially opened (22-3-11)

It is nice to be able to officially open any newly completed project and that is just what we did last Wednesday.

People from the local Councils and the Allotment Society were on hand when the photographer visited the site on a cool March morning. The picture of the path also shows the fine new village sign.

Your County Councillor, Richard Butler is the third (adult) from the left, and your Rushcliffe Councillor, Gordon Moore is third from the right. Second from right is Parish Councillor Peter Walters and extreme right is Chairman of the Parish Council, Alan Wilson.

Of course it wasn't just the path that Notts County Council created for the village, it also paid for the new gates to the Allotment site: time for another photo!

Tony Jarrow

First AGM (17-2-11)

The first Annual General Meeting of the Cropwell Bishop Allotment Association was held at the Old School last night.

It was a time for members to recall the many challenges, assorted difficulties but also overwhelming achievements during their first year on the top of Fern Hill.

Chairman, Tony Jarrow, used the Treasurer's Report to reassure members that the club was in a sound financial state, which is why membership fees would remain at the same level in 2011.

He reported that the Project to extend the footpath up to the site, give the bridle path a hard surface and install a secure gate had now been completed. He expressed thanks to Councillor Richard Butler for supporting the initiative and Nottinghamshire County Council for financing and managing it. Members will be emailed details of the padlocking arrangements several days before it is brought into use.

Over the year, the committee met at regular intervals and in the early days the lack of a water supply was given top priority. Consultations with Geologists at BGS in Keyworth provided a sombre picture. There may be a supply of water beneath our site but its location is unknown. If it is there, it is likely to be over 10m deep and this would make the drilling of exploratory bore holes particularly expensive. Even if we spent several thousand pounds locating a source, it would cost several thousand more to install a permanent pipe, pump and storage tank.

An alternative solution would be to connect to the mains water supply. This was also explored and it was concluded that the initial cost would also be several thousand pounds. The problems of distributing and charging for water, together with the possibly great expense resulting from leaks, made this option unpopular.

The committee eventually felt that it was sensible to wait until members had experienced a full year, and reaped the benefits of water butts of rainwater: then we can reconsider the options available. It may be that the water-conservation efforts of individuals will make a centralised water supply unnecessary.

The problems of having too much water were experienced by everyone as winter rain and snow made the site inaccessible by car. The committee considered possible solutions and decided that pinning purpose-made plastic mesh over 500 sq metre of the grassy area—just inside the entrance—would provide the much needed all-weather car park for members.

It would cost £5622: a grant would have to be applied for. An application for the full cost was submitted to the Big Lottery Fund in mid-January.

All members of the committee offered to continue their work and members of the Association voted unanimously to keep them.

Looking ahead, it was agreed that we should have an 'event' on the site on May Bank Holiday (Monday May 2nd). This would make up for not having a launch event last year and will probably be a mixture of soft drinks, nibbles and ribbon cutting. We will make the site open to all villagers for the day— a chance for them to see what we are accomplishing.

We also agreed that it would be a good idea to take part in an event being planned for September: the Cropwell Feast. Plans are at an early stage but there will be an opportunity to stage a show of vegetables along with light-hearted competitions and displays.

As the meeting drew to an end we discussed the points and questions raised by members via email and at the meeting. One topic of interest was the possibility of installing wire fencing to keep out rabbits and hares. Another was the height of the surrounding hedge. These issues will be looked at by the committee in the coming months.

Finally, Tony reminded members of the need for our Allotment site to, not only operate effectively, but also look good. This is, in fact, a condition of membership and virtually all had embraced the idea. We were in agreement that we want our Allotments to be here in 20 years time—and then another 20 years.

Tony Jarrow

(People with an interest in having an allotment, met for the first time in September 2008. The photo below shows some of the people who were there: many were at the AGM last night)

Our Next Challenge (13-2-11)

The resurfacing of the bridle path means we can walk, cycle and drive up to our allotment site without fear of getting stuck in the mud.

However, once we enter our new gates, can we be confident of getting out again unaided? The continuing winter mud has prevented several plot holders escaping without the help of Richard Barlow's farm tractor.

What can be done to create an all-weather surface inside our field where people can park with confidence?

Tony Jarrow

A Big Step Forward (11-2-11)

When we established the Cropwell Bishop Allotments 10 months ago, we didn't envisage some of the problems we have experienced over the last 6 months.

We realised that it would not be safe to walk up to the site unless the footpath was extended but the large amount of mud that would be churned up on the bridlepath after heavy rain was a big shock. So was the theft of crops.

We are very grateful for the support of Notts County Council—particularly our local Notts Councillor Richard Butler and also Sandra Morton—who have supported our bid to have the footpath extended, the bridlepath made durable and a secure gate fitted.

The severe weather before Christmas delayed the start of work by several weeks but now, as you can see from the photographs, all of it has now been completed.

I don't know much about the 'Big Society' but this work has certainly helped our local society.

Tony Jarrow