Scarcroft and District Allotment Association 2010 Calendar is selling fast

This is proving to be very popular, so if you don't want to miss out get your copy soon.  You can get them from:

• The Association Shop on the Scarcroft Site
• Pextons - the hardware shop on Bishopthorpe Road
• The Good Food Shop - on Bishopthorpe Road
• or by emailing the association on scarcroftallotments@live.co.uk

At only £5 they make an excellent Christmas present.

Autumn Social

It's that time of year again.  Join us this Friday at the Golden Ball Pub from 7.30pm onwards for the Scarcroft and District Allotment Association Autumn Social.  It's a great opportunity to discuss the successes and failures of the season.  This event was very popular when we held the first one last Autumn, so much so that not everyone could fit in the pub so get there early this time to ensure you get in.

The Golden Ball is a great little CAMRA pub, which sells a good selection of real ales along with all the usual stuff. It's the place where we hold all the committee meetings. If you walk through Victoria Bar from Nunnery Lane it is straight ahead and on the right. http://www.goldenball-york.co.uk/

The committee will be providing nibbles.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Community Orchard Planting

Come help plant the community orchard on Scarcroft Green.  Allotment holders with their own tools and experience of tree planting are particularly welcome.

Deadline for ordering seed potatoes is November 21st 2010

Double click on the table if you want to make it bigger.

2011 Allotment Association Calendar is on sale now

Did you know that our beautiful 2011 Scarcroft and District Allotment Association Calendar is on sale now, at £5 each?  This lovely calendar is made up of 60 different photographs taken by plotholders (from Hob Moor, Hospital Field and Scarcroft) and private gardeners.  It was expertly compiled by Sarah Austin, a Hob Moor plotholder and talented graphic designer.  Please note that we only printed 300 copies and we have 254 members, so please get yours soon to avoid missing out.

Front cover

A month view

If you want to pick up a copy, you can get one from Pexton's or the Good Food Shop on Bishopthorpe Road or at the Allotment Association shop on the Scarcroft site, or by asking any of the site secretaries (on Scarcroft Claire Pickard and Graham Sanderson, on Hob Moor Malcolm Hainsworth, on Hospital Field Chris Adams).  Johnny and Frankie from Pextons and Caroline from the Good Food Shop have very kindly offered to help us sell our calendars, without any benefit to themselves, except the warm glow of knowing that they are supporting a local community group.  We think this is particularly generous when you consider how precious display space is at this time of year. So thank you very much.

By the way did you know that the Good Food Shop has a weekly newletter?  It highlights new and interesting products they are selling, gives recipes and is often really quite entertaining.  If you are not yet a subscriber, email info@thegoodfoodshopyork.co.uk and Caroline Lewis will add you to the mailing list.  Let her know that you heard about her email from our website.

http://www.thegoodfoodshopyork.co.uk/
http://www.bishyroad.net/shop/pextons/

Please remember that the Scarcroft and District Allotment Association shop is only open at weekends Saturday 1.30 - 3.30 and Sunday 10 - 1pm (and only 11 - 1pm in December).

Vote for Holgate Windmill

On Monday 22nd of November, you, colleagues and friends will be able to vote for York's Holgate Windmill Society and help us win £50,000 from the National Lottery People's Millions, arrranged in conjunction with ITV. Two worthy causes are being featured each evening on ITV Calendar news, for four nights. Our Windmill is appearing on Monday November 22nd, along with a Rotherham-based Arts project. Viewers and other supporters can ring a special phone no to vote for their favourite. So either York or Rotherham will be the winner. The voting phone number for Holgate Windmill will only be advertised from 9am to midnight on November 22nd on our website at http://www.holgatewindmill.org/ at http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/ and in the Daily Mirror. You can ring between these times to register your vote.

We invite you to support the only Peoples Millions project in North Yorkshire, by voting Nov 22nd. Please put the date in your diary. Your vote that day will really count, and should we win, then the £50,000 award will be a significant contribution to replacing the Mill's five main sails next year.

Grateful thanks

Paul Hepworth

Press Officer

Holgate Windmill Preservation Society

Autumn Leaves

The heaps of fallen leaves everywhere will make great leaf-mould to spread on your soil in a year or so's time. Just gather them up in a black plastic bag, put a few air holes in the bag with a fork and leave them in a corner until they've rotted down... free compost to enrich and protect the soil over winter next year!

Friends of Rowntree Park - Conservation sessions

Edible York: The Launch Event

Friday 19 November 2010, 6.30-9.00pm, Friends Meeting House, Friargate,York
YO1 9RL

Do you want to be part of a more resilient, self-sufficient York? Come along
to our free, lively launch event and help shape an Edible York.

More information:
www.edibleyork.org.uk
info@edibleyork.org.uk
0777 908 6713

Scarcroft Surgery

Not a health check for tenants but for trees. As part of York City Council's programme of care for allotment sites, Judith Ward organised a day of tree surgery today on the Scarcroft site. And we - the Association - provided teams of volunteers through the day to move the results to be chipped on site. More time for the experts from Arborwise to do the skilled work while we do the dragging... Many thanks to everone involved in a good day's work!

Carved pumpkins

Have you got any to add? If so please send them to scarcroftallotments@live.co.uk.

Mike gets help to find the water pipes

Right down the rat hole!