Month: June 2025

We planted broad beans a few weeks ago, but before they could get going they became weedy and sickly, having all the life sucked out of them by dense plaques of blackfly.

Whatever, we propped them up and carried on watering them.

However, a few days ago we noticed that they seemed to be recovering, making sturdy new growth with healthy flowers. On closer inspection we found that they were now populated by ladybirds, making a feast of the blackfly, and leaving relatively few behind. There were quite a few ladybird larvae too, always a good thing to see.

Most of the blackfly have now been eaten, but there still seem to be quite a few greenfly. Perhaps they’re the ladybirds’ second choice?

So if anyone should see blackfly, then we’d recommend checking for ladybirds before reaching for the insecticide spray, and they should remember that if they do use that, then they’ll likely kill off the ladybirds and their larvae too, so that when the blackfly return – as they will – there perhaps won’t be any ladybirds to deal with them. If there aren’t any ladybirds, then physical destruction of the aphids, by spraying the colonies with gentle detergent – e.g. water with washing up liquid – is to be preferred to chemical means anyway.

PPA Website Team

AGM vote

Readers are reminded that the vote closes at 1400 this Sunday, 22nd June. Every named plot holder is entitled to participate. (If there should be any sceptics, as to the reliability of the count, then they’re advised to take a screen shot of the confirmation page, which shows after voting.) The AGM minutes will be updated to show the result. That is, there won’t be a separate notification.

New Tenancy Agreement Consultation

The Council have asked that all plot holders be reminded that this consultation is still open.

They’ve had a few hundred responses, but to be really meaningful it should involve a majority of plot holders, and as it stands they’re a long way short of that.

Wilful damage

There have been, sadly, at least three cases of frankly sick-in-the-head vandalism on the site recently. In one a glass-panelled shed door was smashed in (it wasn’t even locked), in another a greenhouse was very seriously damaged, with many panes knocked out or damaged, and in the third a rainwater container, newly installed by the poly tunnel was pierced. In all cases, the people subjected to this made very speedy repairs, and with outstanding calmness.

It could have been the work of one or more bored or wantonly destructive children, but if it were that of an adult, then questions do have to be asked as to their sanity.

(If there have been any other cases, then apart from reporting them to the police it would be helpful for those affected to let PPAA Committee know too.)

Whether it’s related or not isn’t known, but a PPA gate key was found on the track near to one incident. If it were a bona fide plot holder’s, then we’d have expected a request for another key, but so far that hasn’t happened, and it’s some days now.

Scrap metal collection, fly tipping

Any scrap metal can be left with the pile in front of the blue shipping container at the southeast end of the site, but please, nothing else. A volunteer from Cardiff Rivers Group collects scrap metal and it can be sold to raise funds. However, there is no collection at all for any other waste materials.

Someone has taken to leaving scrap wood, and there have been other materials such as plastics left too. This is simply fly tipping, and so must stop, anywhere on site. As our tenancies state clearly, the plot holder is responsible for removing all of their rubbish from site, and leaving it anywhere else puts their continuing tenure at real risk.

Thanks everyone.

Planting out of pollinator-attracting flowering shrubs

These shrubs have now grown to a point where many are ready for planting out. Four plot holders have kindly offered to help with this work, and so we invite them and anyone else interested to get in touch to organise this.

What’s envisaged is the clearing, weeding, and mulching with a weed-suppressing layer of manure, of the verge immediately to the right and beside the car park at the Western Avenue gate, and the same for the triangle of land by the derelict cubicles at the end of Road Seven.

Once that’s done, suitable specimens from among the several dozen hypericum hidcote, sambucus nigra, and two varieties of hardy fuchsia that we have can be planted there. (We also have some native elder and quite a few abelia – which flower for months and the bees love – but these need further growing.)

PPA Website Team

Present: Sue Pasek (Acting Chair), Wendy Gunter (Treasurer), Mike Powell, Jane Davies, Martin Pasek, Gordon Goldsmith, Nerys Lloyd-Pierce, Lewis Evans, Rhys Williams.

Apologies: n/a.

The meeting opened at 19:00.

Previous Minutes:

Matters covered below. 

Chairman’s Report:

Covered with Site Secretary report.

Site Secretary’s report: Sue (shared role)

• During May four plots were let, there are another eight plots vacant, plot viewings are ongoing. 
• A training morning is booked for Orkastrate (the Council’s new IT tenancy management system) in June.
• Sue attended the Cardiff Allotments Representatives meeting on 14th May, Agenda Item One below covers one concern raised by a Site Rep from another site.
• The annual “Clear or Quit” process required of the PPAA by Cardiff Council has reached its final stage with the PPAA Committee requesting to the Council that seven plots receive termination of tenancy notices. 

Treasurer’s report: Wendy

• The PPAA bank account has a healthy balance, discussion re spending some of these funds included:
• Refurbishment of  one block of red brick cubicles – awaiting quote.
• Further tree works in the autumn.
• Wendy raised the issue of the sum of money held for Key Deposits. The Committee unanimously agreed that any amount over £3,000 – sufficient to cover all tenants’ claims – should be transferred to the main funds.

Constitution and LMA: Sue

At the recent Council-Chaired Site Representatives meeting, one from another Cardiff site raised the issue of committee members, or of whole committees, who failed to honour the Local Management Agreement or their Constitution.

The Allotments Officer was later clear in stating, that if this were found to be the case, then a site would lose its grant funding, and cease to be self-managed. The ramifications of this for plot holders was discussed.

Plant Sale: Rhys

Rhys reported that there was sufficient plant stock for the plant sale to go ahead after the AGM. It was mentioned that plot holder John Morgan had been a great help to Rhys and also the Committee wished to pass on their thanks to plot holders who had already donated plants.

AGM: Sue

It was raised that many plot holders found it difficult to attend an AGM for a range of reasons, so it was proposed that the PPAA embrace the 21st century and adopt e-voting for the election of committee members and officers. The few plot holders without email would be able to vote by post. After discussion of the merits of the proposal, it was passed by eight-to-one, but with the objector agreeing to co-operate in the process.

AOB: 

Mike queried the safety issue raised by the dead willow trees on the spine road. Martin said that he had reported them using the Council’s “report a tree problem” form, but had so far had only the automated reply and nothing else.

Martin noted that the spine road hedge was becoming overgrown, and that motorists were complaining. Nerys agreed to do a birds nest check after the AGM, to allow a moderate cut back with quiet, battery-powered tools.

There was no further business and the meeting ended at 20:10.

The PPAA Committee meetings are regularly scheduled for the first Tuesday in the month, the next being 1st July 2025 at 1900, at The Cricketers, Cathedral Road, Cardiff.

Update: the above meeting has been cancelled. Owing to the fact of group email etc. and to the family and other circumstances of PPAA Officers, acting or substantive, for the time being in-person meetings will likely consist of smaller, informal (non-voting, non-minuted) subgroups. They will discuss the practicalities of routine undertakings specified by the Local Management Agreement etc., among those who’ve volunteered to do these. Those on the Waiting List can nonetheless be assured, that the clearing and reletting of vacated plots will continue as usual, as will site maintenance.

Vote as at closure, Sunday, 1400, June 22nd.

The results for the e-vote/postal ballot re all volunteers en bloc, held in connection with the PPAA 2025 AGM are as follows:

• Total votes cast: sixty-five, of which sixty-two were e-votes, and three were paper ballots returned.
• Votes FOR all candidates en bloc: sixty-four.
• Votes AGAINST all candidates en bloc: one.
• Spoiled ballots: none

The standing Committee members were therefore all returned. There were no additional volunteers.

To request a list of plot numbers, and the way that their respective tenants voted, please email PPAA Committee.

Meeting

Present:

PPAA Committee: 

Jane Davies, plot 88a, Lewis Evans, plot 88b, Wendy Gunter, plot 113b, (Treasurer) Nerys Lloyd-Pierce, plot 44, Martin Pasek, plot 73, Sue Pasek, plot 73 (Acting Chair), Rhys Williams, plot 137a. 

Apologies:

Gordon Goldsmith, plot 120a, Mike Powell, plot 142.

Attendees:

Martin Keane, plot 127a, Adrian Peters, plot 157 and Cardiff Salad Garden, Louise Shenstone, plot 157, Roger Benson, plot 127b, Tim Robinson, plot 104a, Katrina Couper, plot 104a, Dick Waters, plot 103b, Chris Roberts, plot 11, Sera Jones, plot 129, Jane Bush, plots 51a, 49a, Caroline Ritchie, plots 51a, 49a, Linda Burnell, plot 68a, Billy Turvey, plot 112b, Reg Matthews, plots 13b, 24b, Sally Holland, plot 12a, Mary Pope, plot 56b, Monica Nobrega, plot 62, Teresa Morris, plot 106, Sian Roberts, plot 116, Julie Parker, plot 146a.

Apologies:

Margaret Mathias, plot 159, Wyn Williams, plot 97b, Mel Ford, plot 64, Russ Casey, plot 94a, Rhian Llewellyn plot 101b, Amanda Tucker, plot 141.

Acting Chair’s welcome and round-up of past year: Sue

Sue explained that she and Wendy were the alternating Acting Chairs, and that the substantive office, along with that of Site Representative remained unfilled. 

Among the fairly numerous new tenants over the year to date, Sue was pleased to mention that nine of them were now on previously badly overgrown plots, alongside the historic wall, but which have been cleared and restituted. The plots were on average about five perches each, so this represents a considerable growing area.

Regarding the underground water leak, Sue reported that the Council had mistakenly recorded the leak as having been fixed, but that they have now been informed of the actual position. The water is now being left on so that their logger can relay the overnight base rate flow, that is, the leakage rate.

(There is a fuller round-up of the past year in the website article reminding readers of the coming AGM.)

Treasurer’s report: Wendy

Wendy brought paper copies of the last Income and Expenditure Account, and passed them round.

She reported that there was a healthy balance. Major items of outlay had been the tree works done by contractors and waste disposal of rubbish left on vacated plots.

Wendy explained that a particular difficulty was the collection and documentation of PPAA subscriptions paid, with quite a few tenants not supplying plot numbers and so on.

Lewis Evans asked if the payment of the subs could be made compulsory, and Martin Keane explained – from his previous experience on the Committee – that  it couldn’t make rules for members.

John Morgan wondered if the payment of subs could be made by means of a convenient electronic device on site, but as there is no electricity supply or internet connection, the general view was that this would perhaps necessitate more complication than it saved. It was estimated that about half of tenants paid the subs for full membership, entitling them to manure – for which PPAA pay a gratuity on each delivery – and wood chip.

Invitation to members to stand for Committee membership: Sue

All existing Committee members offered to be returned for the next year.

Dr. Wanda O’Connor kindly offered to join with the Committee to help as and when she could.

Caroline Ritchie asked what was involved in the Site Representative’s role. Sue and other Committee members gave examples, notably that it might involve showing up to forty people from the Waiting List a year round the site, to offer them plots.

A brief description of the e-voting/postal voting system – which was agreed by eight to one at the preceding PPAA Committee meeting – was given. As that precision had not yet been given at that point, Martin Keane wondered whether the decision to move to e-voting had been decided constitutionally, that is, by a properly quorate Committee, and the foregoing makes clear that it was.

[Update 09 06 25: the voting instructions for the e-vote have been modified, so as not to result in many disqualified votes. There have been none so far.]

Any other business: Attendees

Dick Waters was interested in the views of PPAA Committee as to specifics in the Council’s proposed new Tenancy Agreement, which is presently the subject of a consultation involving all Cardiff allotment tenants. Sue explained that the consultation was aimed at individual plot holders, and not at committees, so the proper place to express views would be in the response form for that consultation, and perhaps not to committees. Although it was of general interest to hear views, the number of possible issues put a detailed hearing beyond the scope of such a meeting as an association AGM.

Julie Parker said that she still hadn’t been billed for her plot rental by the Council. Sue explained that this was a common problem, and was partly perhaps due to the changeover to the new Orkastrate IT system for managing allotment tenancies in Cardiff, and has been acknowledged by the Council. Tenants were reassured that none would lose their plots as a result. However, on the other hand, Sue reminded those who actually had received a bill to make sure that they did indeed pay within the time limit.

Wanda asked whether her understanding was correct, that if a plot holder were suffering intrusive or other unwanted behaviour from another plot holder, then they would need to report the matter to the police themselves. Sue said that she was indeed correct. Martin added, that if there weren’t enough evidence of a crime to get the police to act, then it was always open to the tenant to take their own action under civil law, e.g. to apply for a Restraining Order.

Committee members:

Martin had a proposal to make a procedural change for members to serve on the Committee, which would involve them entering into a short, simple agreement – perhaps in the form of a deed – not to act in ways which were actively adverse to the Constitution, or to the provisions of the Local Management Agreement, or to the terms of tenancy, or which broke any law, by law, or similar codes relating to allotments. He envisaged that this would probably mean a change to the Constitution, which in turn would need a majority vote of PPAA members and approval by the Council.

He explained, that the reason for proposing this was what has happened at a significant number of sites across the country, including some in Cardiff, where honourable, industrious, and effective association committees had been collapsed, after e.g. grievance-motivated candidates had managed to get themselves elected, often at poorly-attended AGMs.

The proposal was generally supported, with Dick Waters kindly offering to work with Martin, to produce a first draft of the agreement envisaged.

Martin Keane expressed concern, that it was difficult enough to get volunteers as it stood, and that such an agreement might deter some who would otherwise offer. Martin P reassured that the envisaged agreement would in no way impose any positive obligation on anyone. That is, it wouldn’t make doing any general or particular work a binding duty for what are, and would remain, entirely at-will, unpaid volunteers.

There was no further business, and so Sue wound up the meeting, and thanked all for attending.

The Committee greatly appreciated the kind round of applause from attendees.

The meeting finished at 1220.

PPA Website Team