Vegetables for allotments -idea to get more sites nationwide

[Andy Hamilton]

I have this idea in order to highlight the fact that you can lobby for an allotment if you have been waiting for too long. Inspired by recent events the more I think of it the more that I think that everyone should be entitled to an allotment if they want one, the situation here has gotten ridiculous.

Get a bunch of people to dress up as vegetables now and then and do a kind of tame fathers for justice, but call it "allotments for vegetables" - so as
fathers for justice climbed up Clifton suspension bridge we could sit on the
humped back bridge at Bradford upon Avon, they climbed up and stood by the Buckingham palace we could sit on a statue in one of the London parks. That sort of thing I was thinking and more about 1 day of action nationwide,
perhaps followed up if it does not make much of an impact.

It would all be linked back to information on how to lobby your local council or parish council including a template letter. I would contact other websites, especially allotment forums and try and get their involvement and of course would try and get some press interested.

Is this an idea or back to the drawing board.

[ina]

I'm expecting a run on councils all over the country after you've mentioned this on telly, anyway!

But I can also imagine you dressed up as a carrot!

[hamster]

How do you go about finding the other people on the list? I'm assuming if I email the council and say, 'Please give me the contact details of all these people so we can harangue you into giving us more allotments,' they won't be very happy!

My local FOE group are meeting with the council this week with lots of suggestions as to how they could make the area more green and self-reliant, and more allotments is on the list. I will let you know how that goes.

[ina]

How do you go about finding the other people on the list?

Noticeboard at the local newsagent/swimming pool/shop? Ask around parents on the school run, work or whatever else is appropriate? Maybe they'll even let you post a "wanted" for that on freecycle?

[Andy Hamilton]

Yes, exactly Ina. It could all be done at various local levels. It is the sort of thing that local press would pick on too, they are always looking for stories to fill the pages. In fact on a quiet day Local TV news and radio might even cove r it.

Dave thinks a different name might work better and suggested CROPS FOR PLOTS. I think he is right.

We could set a new section on the forum for people to post stuff and if it got out of hand I guess would have to think about a crops for plots site. But this could be a place for people who are on waiting lists to tell us, the trick would be just to match them up. I bet there are even some council workers or even allotment reps who might slide you a copy of the waiting list on the hush.

I was thinking of other publicity stunts you could try too, such as sitting in public parks dressed as vegetable having a tea party fully equiped with tea set and bloke dressed a butler, tea set, chairs and even violin music. Could be amusing.

[ina]

Dave thinks a different name might work better and suggested CROPS FOR PLOTS. I think he is right.

Snappier - very good!

I was thinking of other publicity stunts you could try too, such as sitting in public parks dressed as vegetable having a tea party fully equiped with tea set and bloke dressed a butler, tea set, chairs and even violin music. Could be amusing.

Oh yes, please! There is an orchestra somewhere in the world that makes musical instruments out of vegetables - must google that and find out more! Could be a lot of fun!!!

[Hawthorn]

Sounds like a great idea to me

[Andy Hamilton]

Ok, looks like we shall run with this idea then. Crops for plots.

Excellent, so what we need to do now is everyone on an individual level to contact local medias. Mind you before that we need to sort out the day of action, I am thinking some time when it should be hot. Perhaps July/August? We could even have a week of it so that events are not so static due to the unpredicable nature of the british weather.

[hamster]

I don't know, I think 'vegetables for allotments' is clearer. I mean, I know being called a vegetable isn't exactly a compliment (we don't want to give the impression all allotmenteers are brain-dead!!!), but I think 'crops' is a bit vague - you tend to think of crops as something farmers grow, not allotmenteers - and using the word 'allotments' might make it more obvious to the uninitiated what we want.....

Not that I have any better ideas.... Just my tuppence' worth, anyway....

Do you reckon we could get Jamie Oliver onside as part of his new Victory Garden campaign?

[Hawthorn]

I think you may be onto something there Hamster. Whether or not his Sainsburys contract would allow it is another thing entirely, but FAB idea

[hamster]

I've actually started drafting a letter to JO already!!! Bad hamster, should be working.....

Is it worth contacting organisations like NSALG? Any others people can think of? They might have contacts of people in different areas who could co-ordinate for tea parties (fab idea, love it!). Also, are there any other allotment forums out there? That might be a way of getting in touch with people on waiting lists or who had waited ages for a plot.

Could we get a petition going? I know there's the Downing St petitions which are easy to set up, but I don't know if they get taken very seriously. You can set one up for all sorts of things. Maybe something like the Chicken Out petition?

[Andy Hamilton]

I don't know, I think 'vegetables for allotments' is clearer. I mean, I know being called a vegetable isn't exactly a compliment (we don't want to give the impression all allotmenteers are brain-dead!!!), but I think 'crops' is a bit vague - you tend to think of crops as something farmers grow, not allotmenteers - and using the word 'allotments' might make it more obvious to the uninitiated what we want.....

Not that I have any better ideas.... Just my tuppence' worth, anyway....

Do you reckon we could get Jamie Oliver onside as part of his new Victory Garden campaign?

Indeed a good idea. I guess we would have to find out who his agent is, does he still have a website?

[Hawthorn]

What about friends of the earth too?

[Hawthorn]

http://www.jamieoliver.com/

Found that!

[hamster]

What about friends of the earth too?

My local group is meeting with the council tomorrow and one of the things we've suggested to make the town greener is more allotments. I've asked our rep to let me know what they say.

I know there's a national campaign that centres on food coming up later this year or next year, so it might tie into that too. I'll mention it at our meeting on Monday and find out how we could get in touch with other local groups.