Allotment Regeneration Initiative
The Allotment Regeneration Initiative www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/ has an extensive fundraising guide for allotment associations.
This information pack gives a broad and informative introduction to this subject with lots of useful tips and advice. The pack contains 8 inserts, each of which can be downloaded individually from their site www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/resources/ari-factsheets.html
• A guide to fundraising for allotment associations (introduction)
• Fundraising for beginners flowchart
• Income generation
• Reducing the need for money
• An introduction to grants
• Widening the benefits of grants
• Grant schemes relevant to allotment projects
• Useful contacts
Harris Allotments
Harris allotments have an annual open day. This generates about £500 for the allotment association.
As well as fundraising, it builds a relationship with the local community. It is well attended by local people who are able to buy excess allotment produce donated by plot holders, including home-made jams and chutneys etc. Many visitors bring their children who are able to take part in fun activities and see how allotments work and where vegetables come from.
Resources
WFAS would like to develop this section with details of:
• local contacts - catering, barbecues, gazebos, face painting etc
• poster and flyers - to download and adapt
• experience so far - any problems, what worked well, what would people do differently next time.
Please contact us if you can contribute to this section.
FAQs
• Can allotment societies sell produce to raise funds?
Yes, providing it's not specifically excluded in your allotment tenancy agreement. WMBC's new tenancy agreement does not exclude this.
Growing in the Community: a good practice guide for the management of allotments (LGA, 2001) has a section called 'Sale of Produce'. It emphasises that the purpose of an allotment is a plot which is "wholly or mainly cultivated by by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family". It then goes on to say that "Plotholders with surplus produce could be encouraged to donate this to the allotment associations which can then sell them for the purpose of raising funds for the upkeep of the site."
It gives an example in Cambridge where local allotment societies sell excess produce at a stall at the farmer's market. The stall also acts as an information point about allotment gardening.
This point is included in the extensive ARI factsheet on income generation of the Allotment Regeneration Initiative.
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