Minutes of the OPEN Meeting of the Paignton Home Garden & Allotment Society held at the RAOB Club, Paignton on Monday 2 December 2019

Present: Stefan Philpott, Flis Cotton, Gary Buckingham, Andrew Bibbings, Joe Wallis, Liz Barnes, Melanie Philpott, Libby Luke, Phil Moore, Alan Smith.

The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1.    Apologies: Kay Mason, Jackie Green, Christine Guiver, Pat Marriott, Jodi White, Lynne Gibson.

2.    Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

3.    Matters arising from the minutes:

• 16a DR – the Chairman is still holding what was left in the shed following the termination notice that was to the previous plotholder, pending contact from him. It was agreed that there was no requirement to return the items to him as he had been given plenty of opportunities to meet and collect his items, but had declined them all.
• A hedgetrimmer has now been purchased for the Society’s use and Phil Moore provided the receipt.
• A plotholder on Oakleigh has offered use of his lopper and shredder – the committee members on Oakleigh will liaise with him and confirm a date for the work to be done.
• It has been agreed that a man with a van will be arranged to remove rubbish from Oakleigh when all non combustible rubbish has been left inside the gate. Two trips will be required. It was decided that anything brought on to the site in future will be closely monitored as the Society is continually having to pay to remove rubbish when plotholders leave and this situation cannot continue.
• LP Trees – one branch had fallen into the field above the plots and so posed no danger to anyone on the site. It was agreed to leave it where it was, in the undergrowth.
• DR path – Alan Smith reported that the matting is still beside the shed. This is to be looked at when the weather gets a bit better.
• Bush roots on 31 Oakleigh – again, the bushes will be dealt with when the weather improves – to avoid them impacting on the mains water pipe that runs under the plot.
• Oakleigh Noticeboard – plotholder reported that she thought this had been made, but not put up, due to the bad weather.

4.    Correspondence:

• A plotholder on DR has asked if a committee member could sign a declaration to say that her daughter has been working on the plot. This activity would form part of her bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. They have photos of her working and have asked for the name, email address, phone number and position within the Society – Gary Buckingham agreed to liaise with her. Sec has emailed them both.

5.    Chairman’s Report:

• The sign for the LP gate regarding vehicular access has been made, but not put in place.

6.    Vice Chairman’s Report:

• Following a meeting of the social committee, it was reported that the Christmas quiz questions have been compiled. The quiz evening was discussed and a request for raffle prizes was made. Various committee members agreed to donate items such as wine, chocolates, fruit basket etc. If anyone would like to donate anything, please contact us and the sec. will pass the contact details on. It was agreed that food would be supplied rather than as previously stated, for everyone to bring their own. Sec is to recirculate people and remind them of the date etc.
• A scarecrow competition was discussed and more information will be announced nearer Easter.
• The vice-chairman said that there is a play on at Brixham Theatre on 10 January 2020 called ‘ Old Herbaceous’. A flyer was circulated and the sec agreed to scan and send with the minutes.. It is a one-man play about a ‘single-minded yet gentle man with a passion for plants’. Described as ‘Downton Abbey with gardening tips’.  Please read the attached leaflet – it certainly looks worth seeing.

7.    Treasurer’s Report (not present):

• Monies in the bank:
  • Current account: £892.65
  • Deposit account: £3,162.75

8.    Sites:

• Derrell Road
  • None
• Oakleigh
  • The strimmer has been put in for a long overdue service. It was agreed that on its’ return, only ‘proper’ fuel would be used and a charge of £2 would be made for anyone wanting to borrow it, rather than plotholders supplying their own fuel. The cupboard lock would be changed and release of the strimmer would be supervised by a committee member. This is due to poor quality 2stroke causing damage to the machine and ultimately costing the Society money to repair.
• Lower Penns
  • A large bonfire was to be arranged on LP to get rid of all surplus wood, growth etc. Sec was asked to provide details of the plotholder on 19a so the chairman could contact him to confirm details.

9.    AOB:

• Alan Smith on Oakleigh asked the sec. to contact a few people from the waiting list as there are currently a few plots available. All are in an overgrown state though.

10.    Date of next committee meeting:

• To be held on 3 February 2020 at 7.30 pm at the RAOB Club.

​HAPPY CHRISTMAS and ALL GOOD WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Meeting closed at 8:00pm.