A Monthly Publication

Karen and Richard Stock

On Sunday 14th August, the Northfields Allotments Club held its annual Open Day. This year was different to previous years – very different. If you missed the signs or forgot to come, you missed a good day out. We kept the traditional home-made cakes and jams, teas and buns, BBQ and the vegetables but added some new attractions.

Visitors were welcomed to the allotment site by a series of horticulturally-challenging questions such as ‘What’s brown and sticky? – A stick’, and it got better (or worse) the closer you got to the entrance, by which time it was too late to turn back. As a large crowd gathered at the gate, Mayor Carol Bower opened the proceedings (‘Thank you, Ma’am’) and was almost crushed in the rush to reach the vegetable stall first. Other visitors followed at a more sedate pace, stopping at the craft stalls selling garden sundries, jewellery, beautifully hand-crafted textiles, cards and artwork. Younger visitors were invited to take up the Giant Bug Hunt challenge, using clues to identify giant inflatable insects hidden around the allotments. They were also able to invent weird and wonderful minibeasts of their own, have a go at modelling clay and making a scarecrow or two.

The traditional vegetable stall was well stocked with fresh produce grown on the allotments and, as it was snapped up, more was freshly picked to maintain supply. The BBQ was a popular stopping point as was the marquee for tea and cakes.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came and supported us on the day ­– and if you missed it this year, don’t miss out next year!