News

Welcome to 2024

January 2024

A new year, the ground is still very soggy and winds are causing minor issues around the site. A few brave souls have been venturing out but the site is still very quiet. The Committee have started to make some of the paths safer, a well-used section is going to be concreted and another is going to have shuttering installed and the path built up.

November 2023

We now have a shelter on the communal area, partially funded by a grant from Rodborough Council and built by 'Dave'. A little bit ore tidying is required, a skip will be needed to clear some of the vacated plots. Talking of which, at the time of writing we have a few vacant plots in various different sizes and conditions, so if anyone wants to look at taking on a plot for the coming year now is an ideal time so please contact Doreen - details on the 'Contact' page.

August/September 2023

The compost area is no more, the ideals were good but, unfortunately, human nature dictated that it was to become a dumping ground so the unpaid Committee members have levelled it and in a few day's time the new shelter will appear, courtesy of our new-found friend 'Dave'. The wild flower areas have been strimmed for the season and the top seating area is looking quite tidy. The pond is still doing something, I've been assured that there is more than blanket weed in there. Oh, and the chickens are back again!.

Some members will have noticed that their sweetcorn appears to have been damaged. We have at least one badger back, a hole in the fence was found and has been repaired as best we could, but the fence along the north side is getting a little the worse for wear.

July 2023

Now well into the 2023 growing season, the results are a bit mixed. Soft fruits are generally abundant, a lot of other produce has taken its time to get going, a lot of the root vegetables are definitely not going to be at their best this year.

The communal area is a bit of a mixed bag, the loo is fully functional and seems to be appreciated by some members. The compost bins are 'dormant', they will probably be re-purposed. We have received a grant from Rodborough Parish Council to erect a shelter, this is going to be a 'work in progress' as it is running at 'committee' speed. The pond and 'social area' are also 'work in progress', the author is staying away from that side for personal reasons, so I'm hoping that it will eventually achieve its potential. The chickens are now back on their plot.

December 2022

The loo shed is now fully functional. It has a combination padlock to keep non-members (and the gents) out. A rather posh toilet for the ladies inside the shed and a urinal on the side wall of the shed, suitably screened off. The toilet is 'urine-only', simply to cut down on maintenance, both it and the urinal are connected to a soakaway at the rear. A water butt has been put at the rear, fed from the shed roof guttering, and it is hoped to eventually make use of this within the shed, whether it is simply for flushing down the toilet occasionally or possibly even a sink. The final thing to do is to get some sort of covering for the paths leading to the shed, the area is currently quite muddy with the rain we have had recently and we think that a combination of chipped bark and paving slabs will be the best option.

Update, early November: The shed is now up (picture in 'Gallery'), the actual loo will be arriving by the middle of November, next step is to put up a screening fence to the rear so that the urinal can be installed. All going well so far.

October 2022

The communal area is coming along, with slightly mixed results. The compost bins were reasonably successful, they have now been covered to allow them to 'do their job', unfortunately some items were added that will have had a detrimental effect, would members please read the signs about what can or cannot be added when the bins start up again. The pond is still going strong, lots of bugs but no larger visitors yet. The grass area at the top has taken well, as have the two wild flower sections. The area to the rear of the pond is still a bit of a jungle but hopefully some ideas we have will come to fruition next year. The main news is that we have received funding towards a composting toilet, thanks to Kevin and Ed. There will be additional funds needed from reserves but the Committee felt that with the number of younger allotmenteers, coming from further away and some with children, the investment would be worthwhile. The ground is in the process of being prepared and the shed and loo itself should be here in a couple of months. It will be a 'pee-only' toilet, ladies facility in the shed and a urinal to the side, suitably screened, for the gents. We shall keep members informed of progress as and when it happens.

September 2022

After a very dry summer there have been mixed results on the allotments, there have been a number of departures and newcomers, there is still a small waiting list at the time of writing.
Earlier in the year there was an issue on the site over security, there had been a report of items going missing from plots. Hopefully this has now been resolved as it appears to have been a 'one-off' but if members do see anything peculiar happening on the site please get in contact with the commitee, or if it is serious obviously contact the police who are aware of past occurences on the site. New signs have been put up reminding members of the public that the site is private property and should be treated as such.

March 2022

Not much has happened, but now the weather is hopefully improving there might be some more to report. The wildlife pond needs some basic work, the surrounding soil, having a lot of clay, has washed into it and so we may need to re-think that area, plans are afoot to add some ornamental grasses on the top side which should help. A small-scale experiment with a dead hedge has also been started, you can read the theory behind it HERE.

January - February 2022


The first wildlife area has become established, though only grass at the moment, hopefully some flowers will poke their heads up soon. The compost area has made a slow start, again this will hopefully become more used. The wildlife pond has been started, the base has been sunk in and filled with a base layer of sand, this will then have a liner over the top with another layer of washed sand and gravel and, thanks to Freegle, a quantity of stone has been aquired to go around the edges. Now we just need some rain to start the filling process.

October 2021

A new communal area is being established on plot 15, one that has an issue with bamboo so we felt that it would be unfair to let it to a new plotholder. The area has a large composting structure that will be used to experiment with over the coming season. A wildflower area is being established in front of this and the remainder will be taken up with a small wildlife pond and the possibility of seating, a shelter and a composting toilet. The finer details have yet to be decided but it will hopefully evolve into an area that members are able to make use of.

Newsletters (these may reappear in the future but due to lack of input/interest they were discontinued)

June 2021

August 2021

October 2021

December 2021


National Allotment Society Newsletters (links)

2021 issue 1

2021 issue 2

2021 issue 3

2021 issue 4

2022 issue 1

2022 issue 2

2022 issue 3

2022 issue 4

2023 issue 1

2023 issue 2

2023 issue 3 -
temporarily unavailable

2023 issue 4



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