About FLAG
The group’s purpose is to support all tenants on the site and to improve and maintain the site itself. We achieve this by:
Council, police and community co-operation
We are improving communication with the Council Leisure Department to make their job easier and to benefit ourselves. Council Officers are better informed and better able to do their job; and maintenance tasks that they are no longer obliged to carry out we have been learning to do with their support. FLAG liaises with the Council to procure skips, leaves and chippings; and to ensure grass mowing of common ground, gate security, water provision and allocation of plots is carried out. .FLAG also liaises with the police, council and local residents over security issues .
Inter-site co-operation
FLAG is a founder member of the newly-formed Inter-site St Albans District group. We have already found ways to make improvements to all sites by trying to rationalise Council provision and ensure all sites benefit equally from services available.
Members co-operation
Aside from organising formal benefits like Insurance, we club together for manure, organise a “swaps!” table, share information, run a summer barbecue, publish FLAG newsletters, offer seed discounts, have some shared equipment and a secure steel shed. In 2009 we successfully erected a club house and hope to organise further social events.
Summary of benefits to members
- Public Liability insurance to cover accidents to anybody on your plot.
- Quarterly newsletters
- Quarterly meetings (including an AGM in the autumn) open to all members
- Summer barbecue and other social events
- Affiliation to National Society for Allotment and Leisure Gardening
- Discounted seed ordering scheme
- Shared access to leaf mould, wood chippings and manure and/or bulk ordering as available
- Use of FLAG Club House and secure communal shed – key available for a small deposit
- Inexpensive rental of some larger tools
- A swaps table for surplus items, plants and produce
- FLAG representation with the Council. Police and Inter Site group.
We would like you to join us! All we ask is a small subscription (£7) and one hour a year to help out on a work party!