Two Column Layout Newsletter March 22nd 2026
Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on Thursday 12th March 2026
Meeting opened at 7.30pm.
PRESENT: J. Pile,A. Redfern, D. Bonner,
C Jones, P Jones, G.Cross, A. Linnecor, R. Harrison
1.CHAIRMAN’S OPENING ADDRESS
Colin welcomed everyone to the March meeting.
2. APOLOGIES
J. Hodges, J. Mills, J.Carter-Bown, M.Hubball
3. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
Read and agreed.
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
Noticeboard-£50 to replace glass which was agreed. Richard to organise.
Judith and Jacqui to meet regarding names of plot sizes in readiness for plot judging later in the year.
WhatsApp group for Committee members….numbers to Jason please.
Invite Peter Weston to our next meeting.
5. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Below are some notes from the meeting with Sutton town council on 24th February.
The meeting was all about “It’s your neighbourhood”. (IYN)This is part of an initiative that makes up the Britain in bloom competition. The idea is to clean up and green up our town.
The idea is to enter Britain in bloom next year, 2027, and use it as a trial and Sutton town council want to go for gold in 2028, this will hopefully be part of the 500th anniversary of our royal charter.
The meeting was headed by 2 town council employees and Nicky from IDVERDE. But Nicky is a RHS judge so she was here to tell us what she involved in IYN and what the judges would be looking for.
iYN is free to enter and is open to community groups throughout the town. At the meeting there were representatives from Dugdale Crescent Village Green, Wilde Green Train Station, New Hall Mill & Stephen’s Pond to name but a few.
3 core areas are covered in IYN, they are horticulture, environment and community. The idea is that community groups enter and put themselves forward to be chosen by Sutton town council and will make up part of the judging route when the RHS come round.
Allan has info that I collected from the meeting that gives more detail. It’s open for discussion as to whether you think it’s worth entering.
(After a discussion it was agreed that Hill would take part.)
6. SECRETARY’S REPORT
‘ITS YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD’ seems to be the major activity concerning Sutton Coldfield Town Council at the moment. Jason has passed a report to me from the meeting at The Trinity Centre that several members of our committee attended in my absence (on Holiday).
Generally it has been a quiet month but I have noticed that there has been quite a lot of activity by our plotholders who have been on site, preparing their plots for the coming season. This is a very promising indication of a good year at Hill Allotments. There are some who have yet to get started but I am sure that they will.
We look forward to a re visit from Sutton Town Council people to finish the hedge work alongside our drive which will take place towards the end of the month.
This is the end of my very short report. (For once)
7. TREASURERS REPORT
Main Account
Shed Sales for March were £ 223.12 YTD £2398.75
The potato sales have gone quite well. Especially Picasso which sold out within a few days. There are still a few other varieties remaining,
The Main account balance was £4850.98 at the end of February. This has come down since last month's figures due to a store shed delivery in February (£629.41).
No other major expenses since the last meeting.
The Annual website SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer if you are interested) will be renewed in March at a cost of £59.99.
As our financial year finishes on March 31st can I please request a stock take at around that date.
Maintenance Account
The current balance remains at £1772.08.
8. SITE MAINTENANCE
Water reading at 1st March- no change form November hence …no leaks!
Allotment rubbish taken to the tip- Friday 13th March.
The hedge by the store shed has been cut…the hedge by the Social Club will be cut in the near future.
Water supply to be turned on 1st April.
PLOT MONITORING SUB COMMITTEE
All plots have been inspected as part of a preliminary inspection prior to the major annual inspection that the committee are required to do.
Despite weather conditions 75% of our 76 plots show signs of readiness for this year’s cultivation. Many plots already have done a lot of preparation. The April inspection dates are on both gates to the allotment.
An up-to-date site map showing plot holders and plot numbers is needed to aid the Plot Monitoring team.
Pathways are a concern. Working party to help the less able. Investigate help from Sutton.
10. SHED SCHEDULE 10.30-12.30
March 15th- Paul
March 22nd- Jacqui
March 29th-Anne
April 5th- Allan
April 12th- Colin
Committee members to fly their red flag when on the plot. ( there’s a red flag in the roof of the store shed as a spare). Also there are new labels for the shed door.
11. EVENTS SUB COMMITTEE
All is quiet at the moment. The information for the potato competition is on both gates and sunflower competition information is ready to go. Entry sheet for these competitions is in the store shed. The introduction part o tfhe Annual Shows on the website has been amended to reflect the organisation and change of times. We aim to meet regarding plot names in the near future …if they need changing or not. The competition page will be amended shortly.
12. SITE REPORT/HEALTH AND SAFETY
Nothing to report.
13. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Nothing to report.
14. AOB
- Discussion about new numbers for all plots- Richard to investigate
- Anne to text John Mills who is now in a Nursing Home…"Thinking of you."
- Change of show times as discussed at the last meeting. Mike has discussed this with Judith and has amended the Show Schedules and Entry Forms accordingly. Judith has also modified/clarified the Annual Shows introduction sheet. These changes have been published on the website.
- Class 21 tomatoes…..Gardeners Delight doesn’t fit into the categories eg. Small, medium, large. All tomatoes should fit into all classes. Suggest 3 categories, cherry ,beef and the rest. Largest tomato in show?
Meeting closed at 8.35pm
The next Committee Meeting- April 16th at 7.30pm
That's all for now.Mike
Meeting opened at 7.30pm.
PRESENT: J. Pile,A. Redfern, D. Bonner,
C Jones, P Jones, G.Cross, A. Linnecor, R. Harrison
1.CHAIRMAN’S OPENING ADDRESS
Colin welcomed everyone to the March meeting.
2. APOLOGIES
J. Hodges, J. Mills, J.Carter-Bown, M.Hubball
3. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
Read and agreed.
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
Noticeboard-£50 to replace glass which was agreed. Richard to organise.
Judith and Jacqui to meet regarding names of plot sizes in readiness for plot judging later in the year.
WhatsApp group for Committee members….numbers to Jason please.
Invite Peter Weston to our next meeting.
5. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Below are some notes from the meeting with Sutton town council on 24th February.
The meeting was all about “It’s your neighbourhood”. (IYN)This is part of an initiative that makes up the Britain in bloom competition. The idea is to clean up and green up our town.
The idea is to enter Britain in bloom next year, 2027, and use it as a trial and Sutton town council want to go for gold in 2028, this will hopefully be part of the 500th anniversary of our royal charter.
The meeting was headed by 2 town council employees and Nicky from IDVERDE. But Nicky is a RHS judge so she was here to tell us what she involved in IYN and what the judges would be looking for.
iYN is free to enter and is open to community groups throughout the town. At the meeting there were representatives from Dugdale Crescent Village Green, Wilde Green Train Station, New Hall Mill & Stephen’s Pond to name but a few.
3 core areas are covered in IYN, they are horticulture, environment and community. The idea is that community groups enter and put themselves forward to be chosen by Sutton town council and will make up part of the judging route when the RHS come round.
Allan has info that I collected from the meeting that gives more detail. It’s open for discussion as to whether you think it’s worth entering.
(After a discussion it was agreed that Hill would take part.)
6. SECRETARY’S REPORT
‘ITS YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD’ seems to be the major activity concerning Sutton Coldfield Town Council at the moment. Jason has passed a report to me from the meeting at The Trinity Centre that several members of our committee attended in my absence (on Holiday).
Generally it has been a quiet month but I have noticed that there has been quite a lot of activity by our plotholders who have been on site, preparing their plots for the coming season. This is a very promising indication of a good year at Hill Allotments. There are some who have yet to get started but I am sure that they will.
We look forward to a re visit from Sutton Town Council people to finish the hedge work alongside our drive which will take place towards the end of the month.
This is the end of my very short report. (For once)
7. TREASURERS REPORT
Main Account
Shed Sales for March were £ 223.12 YTD £2398.75
The potato sales have gone quite well. Especially Picasso which sold out within a few days. There are still a few other varieties remaining,
The Main account balance was £4850.98 at the end of February. This has come down since last month's figures due to a store shed delivery in February (£629.41).
No other major expenses since the last meeting.
The Annual website SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer if you are interested) will be renewed in March at a cost of £59.99.
As our financial year finishes on March 31st can I please request a stock take at around that date.
Maintenance Account
The current balance remains at £1772.08.
8. SITE MAINTENANCE
Water reading at 1st March- no change form November hence …no leaks!
Allotment rubbish taken to the tip- Friday 13th March.
The hedge by the store shed has been cut…the hedge by the Social Club will be cut in the near future.
Water supply to be turned on 1st April.
PLOT MONITORING SUB COMMITTEE
All plots have been inspected as part of a preliminary inspection prior to the major annual inspection that the committee are required to do.
Despite weather conditions 75% of our 76 plots show signs of readiness for this year’s cultivation. Many plots already have done a lot of preparation. The April inspection dates are on both gates to the allotment.
An up-to-date site map showing plot holders and plot numbers is needed to aid the Plot Monitoring team.
Pathways are a concern. Working party to help the less able. Investigate help from Sutton.
10. SHED SCHEDULE 10.30-12.30
March 15th- Paul
March 22nd- Jacqui
March 29th-Anne
April 5th- Allan
April 12th- Colin
Committee members to fly their red flag when on the plot. ( there’s a red flag in the roof of the store shed as a spare). Also there are new labels for the shed door.
11. EVENTS SUB COMMITTEE
All is quiet at the moment. The information for the potato competition is on both gates and sunflower competition information is ready to go. Entry sheet for these competitions is in the store shed. The introduction part o tfhe Annual Shows on the website has been amended to reflect the organisation and change of times. We aim to meet regarding plot names in the near future …if they need changing or not. The competition page will be amended shortly.
12. SITE REPORT/HEALTH AND SAFETY
Nothing to report.
13. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Nothing to report.
14. AOB
- Discussion about new numbers for all plots- Richard to investigate
- Anne to text John Mills who is now in a Nursing Home…"Thinking of you."
- Change of show times as discussed at the last meeting. Mike has discussed this with Judith and has amended the Show Schedules and Entry Forms accordingly. Judith has also modified/clarified the Annual Shows introduction sheet. These changes have been published on the website.
- Class 21 tomatoes…..Gardeners Delight doesn’t fit into the categories eg. Small, medium, large. All tomatoes should fit into all classes. Suggest 3 categories, cherry ,beef and the rest. Largest tomato in show?
Meeting closed at 8.35pm
The next Committee Meeting- April 16th at 7.30pm