Update on the social shed – now named ‘The Barn’Everyone will have seen the fantastic progress on our new building, thanks to a great team of volunteer self-builders, led by Ian Potts, Tim MacNaughton and John Burrell. The self-builders were Lambros Avraamides, Jonathan Ashley-Norman, Darran Bragg, Martin Courbet, George Cullen, Bruno Dore, Gemma Harris and Mike, Sean Kane, David Little, Eugene McConville, Alan Midgley, Vince Pope, Colin Reading, John Robinson, Richard Rogers, Alice Shaell, Jo Sheehan, Lawrence Simanowitz and Ben, Jon Van Stroud, Josephine Sweeney, Gary Sycamore, Peter Till, and Rob Wilson. A BIG thank you to all for generously giving both time and skills. And not forgetting the daily cake and tea support: Annie Griffiths, Jill Russell, Julie Yogasundram, Esther Coles and Ginny Ludlow.
The next stage is to fit the windows and doors to make the building watertight and secure. We will then have used the allocated budget from our Lottery Fund grant and the additional funds agreed from SHAA funds. We estimate that we will still be £3,500 short to finish fitting out the inside of the building. We are organising two fundraising activities: [1] a covid-safe winter warmer in the autumn (date to be confirmed), and [2] we have set up a JustGiving page for tenants who would like to make a contribution to this exciting project and help get it over the finishing line. We hope that you are as excited as us about the possibilities that will be opened up by this new space – as a gathering point for the SHA and wider community to share, learn and enjoy all things horticultural. You can make a contribution
here. £3,500 might sound a lot to raise, but with over 200 plots it works out at less than £15/plot, so please do consider making a donation if you can.
Volunteers are also needed to help progress the landscaping on the rest of the plot around the new building. The potatoes that we planted earlier in the year have been dug up this week by Good Gym volunteers (see picture above) and are going to
Octopus Community Network to be distributed in food parcels. This means work can soon begin on planting and landscaping – please get in touch at
info@shepherdshillallotments.co.ukif you are interested in helping with this.
News from the trading shedIn addition to the usual stock we have new stock for planting and sowing now:
- Claytonia or Winter Purslane a salad leaf £1.30
- Winter Density Lettuce £1.20
- Meteor Peas £1.40
- Mooli Radish £1.25
Also, to dig your own potatoes for Xmas we have Maris Peer seed potatoes £4.55 per kilo. Or £2.40 per half kilo.
A reminder that, for the moment, the shed is open every Sunday but for one hour only, from 11-12. As we trying to limit the handling of money by volunteers, please try and bring sufficient change to pay with cash or pay by cheque.
A larger delivery including compost and manure will take place in the second half of August.
Finally, if there are things you’d like to see stocked in the shed please let us know.
Surplus produceThis is the time of year when some plots have a glut of produce, or perhaps tenants are going away and will not be picking for a while. If you’ve got spare produce please don’t let it go to waste; get in touch with Gary Sycamore who sells produce at the Farmers Market to raise funds for the Harington Scheme. He is always grateful for donations of vegetables, fruit and flowers (especially Dahlias) from other plot holders. Harington is a charity that provides a horticultural training scheme (and lots more) for young people with learning difficulties and is now in its 40
th year. So if you would like to support a great local cause please bring any excess produce to plot 108b and he’ll collect, or bring your produce along to his stall at the market on the day. Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market is currently held at Campsbourne School, Nightingale Lane, Hornsey from 10 am – 3pm every Sunday.
