Please put the AGM on September 24th in your diary…

…the EWAA needs more participation from its members!

Here are three good reasons to volunteer some of your time to actively contribute to the running of the East Ward Allotment Association:

  1. You will make friends and gain a sense of community with people who are all united by a shared love of gardening.
  2. You will help ensure that this little corner of Oxford is green and productive for the maximum number of people and is a community resource for the future.
  3. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that without you, the association would cease to exist: no plots let, no keys provided, no meetings called, no expertise shared. 

We are a community group that can only function if all members participate in running the site. This is democracy in action! Please make a start by attending the AGM and finding out about the challenges we face and the possible solutions.

At the AGM you will:

  • Vote for next year’s committee members, officers, and trustees. If you know someone who is interested in joining the committee, please nominate him/her by sending an email to to contact@ewaa.org.uk by Thursday 21st September. To find out more refer to EWAA Roles Explained.
  • Learn about the current lease negotiations with Oxford City Council.
  • Vote on the proposed new constitution and site rules so that up-to-date governance documents are in place ready for the new 21-year lease.
  • You will vote on the proposal for a rent rise to take the price of a full-sized (10 pole) plot to £40/year. This is still below national average for the cost of an allotment, but we need to increase rent because the Council is going to put our rent up by 25% under the new lease and also make us responsible for maintaining boundary fences which were previously a Council responsibility.  Added to this, water and electricity bills have risen.

All these issues will be discussed more thoroughly at the AGM, so please come and contribute to the decision-making.

EWAA Committee

AGM: draft documents for consideration

If you are coming to the EWAA Annual General Meeting on Sunday 24th and would like to propose any alternative or additional wording to either of the two draft documents, New Constitution or Revised Rules & Cultivation Requirements which we will be voting on, you need to send the text of your proposed amendment to chair@ewaa.org.uk by the end of the day this coming Thursday, 21st September.

For more information refer to the message: AGM Agenda & Survey Results

EWAA Committee

Survey Results & AGM

Just a reminder that the deadline for members to respond to the EWAA survey is next Sunday, 10th September. The results will be discussed at the AGM later this month, to which everyone is invited. Below is the agenda which includes links to important governance files.

If you’d like to be involved in the management of the site, are keen to run a plant swap, or would like to organise a community event, please send an email to contact@ewaa.org.uk.

AGENDA: EWAA Annual General Meeting 2023

Sunday, 24th September 2023
12.00 – 1.30
EWAA Shop

  1. Apologies
  2. Minutes of AGM 2022
  3. Chair’s Report
  4. Membership Report
  5. Treasurer’s Report
  6. Proposal for rent rise and rent date
  7. New Constitution
  8. Revised Rules & Cultivation Requirements
  9. Results of Membership Survey
  10. Election of trustees
  11. Election of Officers and Committee members for 2023-2024
  12. Approval of volunteers for Shop Rota and for site activities
  13. AOB

SHOP NEWS!

The allotment Shop will reopen for the Autumn this Sunday, 3rd September 11.00-12.00

On their way:

  • Next week fresh stocks of canes and compost will arrive, with shade/wind netting, fleece, slug wool, and many more useful bits and pieces.
  • Autumn planting onion sets (white & red) and garlic will be on sale from Sunday 17th September

Survey of EWAA members

The EWAA Committee has drawn up a short survey (just six questions) using Google Forms, to find out what plotholders think about matters that concern everyone who uses the site. Feedback from you will help the committee to decide which tasks to prioritise over the coming year. We will present the results at the AGM on Sunday 24th September (AGM 2023).

NB The survey will be sent from email ewaa.treasurer@gmail.com so please add this address to your personal Contacts to make sure that it is not blocked by your mail system, or sent to spam.
The message will contain a link to a webpage where you see the questions and write your responses, so have your plot number ready!

Deadline for responses: 10th September

EWAA Annual General Meeting – Sunday 24th September 2023

Please come and participate in the running of our allotment site!

Once a year, at the end of the summer, East Ward Allotment Association members meet to decide who will run the site over the coming year, and how much rent to charge for each plot. The meeting is open to all registered plotholders, and you are cordially invited to attend on Sunday 24th September 2023.

Papers and further information will be available on the website soon (keep an eye on your mailbox) and there will be printed copies in the Shop from 11.30 on the day.

Time & Place: 12.00 pm meeting starts outdoors (weather permitting).

Topics: include voting on —

  • New constitution in preparation for a new lease with Oxford City Council
  • New rules and cultivation requirements
  • Election of Trustees, Committee Officers, and Committee Members for 2023-24
  • Proposed rent increase for 2023-24

Nominations: for Committee Officer or Committee Member roles should be sent to chair@ewaa.org.uk

We’re looking forward to seeing you!

East Ward Allotment Association Committee

Only two more shopping Sundays to go!

The EWAA Shop does not open during August, but there are two more Sundays in July, so you can stock up on allotment supplies between 11 and noon. Typical Shop Stock

HINTS & TIPS

  • If you’re looking for advice there are plenty of books you can borrow, so come and browse the shelves.
  • If you’re fed up with all that digging you could sign up to Charles Dowding’s free weekly email newsletter that explains how to minimise it! https://charlesdowding.co.uk

Summer Shop Stock

The EWAA Shop will be open for an hour between 11 & 12 on Sundays until the end of July, so don’t forget to stock up on:

  • Compost
  • Seeds
  • Fertilisers and soil improvers
  • Woven plastic ground cover to suppress weeds
  • Bamboo canes
  • Butterfly netting
  • Fleece for protecting and shading tender crops
  • Fine insect mesh
  • Ground staples
  • Twine
  • Buckets
  • Etc.

A new supply of jumbo loo rolls arrived this week, so the toilet block has also been re-stocked!