East Ward Allotment Association

Vehicle access restored

At last the heavy rain has stopped and the lanes on the EWAA site have become firm enough to bear the weight of occasional vehicle traffic. This means that members can deliver to their plots again.
However, please note the following dos and don’ts and show consideration to your fellow plotholders.

Unload your delivery as quickly as possible, and then park your vehicle outside the site gates if you are staying
Make sure that cyclists can get past
Do not park on the lanes or on the Social Area (Middle Lane)
Do not perform an U-turns – either reverse in and drive out, or drive in and reverse out.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

EWAA Committee

Shop Opening Time

April has started, so for the rest of the year the shop opens on Sunday mornings for one hour only, 11.00-12.00.
NB: the EWAA Shop is closed during August, December, and January.

Spring Plot Inspection coming up!

During the week of April 22nd-28th Committee Officers will be assessing the condition of all plots.

We celebrate the wide variety of cultivation styles, the creativity of our members, and the many productive plots on the EWAA site. However, plots must be actively cultivated, and there are currently over 30 people on the waiting list, so this is a gentle reminder that everyone needs to tend their plot. The Cultivation Requirements are here.

If you have any concerns please email the Membership Secretary membership@ewaa.org.uk

Happy spring planting!

EWAA Committee

Hazel poles on offer

Our neighbours from the OUWG ran a hedge-laying workshop recently at the Boundary Brook Nature Reserve. They have left surplus hazel poles on the EWAA site for any allotment members who could use them on their plot.

There are two piles, just before the gates that lead into the reserve, one on the Shop Lane and another on the Middle Lane.

Please help yourself!

Skip onsite next week

The Committee has hired a skip, costing nearly £500, which is for large items of allotment rubbish. Funds are tight, so please only use it for objects that you cannot take home to put out with your domestic rubbish.

There are a number of things that must not be put in the skip:

Asbestos – wrap it carefully in a double layer of plastic and take it to Redbridge
Building materials (plasterboard, bricks, paint, etc.) – take it to Redbridge
Noxious substances – take to Redbridge
Metal – add it to the pile beside the Shop
Timber – add it to the pile beside the Shop
Soil & any green/organic matter – compost it or take it home

CARPET CLEARANCE
Old carpet is harmful to the soil and not allowed on site, so if you come across any please remove it from your plot and add it to the skip. Digging out carpet can be tricky, so if you find any please follow this link and submit your details to help coordinate removal of the contaminating material.

If you have any questions about these instructions please contact the Membership Secretary.

From the EWAA Committee

Oxford Urban Wildlife Group – Open Afternoon on Good Friday

There’s exciting news from the OUWG who run the nature reserve next to the allotments. The Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment has confirmed new funding for a vital Grassland Restoration & Living Libraries project on the nature reserve, as featured in the Oxford Mail last week, read more here.

The OUWG invites all EWAA members to come to the nature reserve, find out more and get involved. Join the Spring Celebration Public Open Afternoon and get close to nature this Friday. Bring your family and friends.

Allotment Security

This week a plot-holder reported theft of materials from a plot on the Shop Lane.

Please be alert to any suspicious behaviour, and report it to the Committee immediately on contact@ewaa.org.uk

REMEMBER Always lock the gate, even if you are only visiting for a few minutes.

There is more information in this post: Thefts from the site

EWAA Committee

Thank-you from the Committee!

Last Sunday 33 EWAA plot-holders attended the EGM at the allotment Shop to discuss the association’s constitution, and to ratified the revised document and accompanying licence. Minutes of the meeting will be published later this week on the usual page (Committee Meeting Minutes).

Both of the documents approved are available to view:

This is an important first step in the process of forming an incorporated body which will happen over the course of the next few months. Watch this space!

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EWAA Committee