Some help needed - regarding allotments

**thinkfun** · 04-05-2013, 09:54 AM

I have successfully rented an allotment from my local parish council for the last three years, they were fully aware that I was a childminder when I applied and was planning to take the children in my care to the site. Just over a month ago my parish council decided to stop me from doing this, claiming that I was breaking the 1922 Allotment Act.

I know that many councils throughout the country are happy to have childminders, nurseries and pre-schools on their allotment sites and this is where you can help. In a couple of weeks time I am having a meeting with the council to try and find a way forward and what I would like to be able to do is to show them, is that the 1922 Allotment Act is not a law that is in forced nationwide as they are claiming.

If your setting rents an allotment or if you know of another setting that does, could you please tell me whereabouts in the country you or they are, and who it's rented from?

Your help would be gratefully appreciated, not just by me but by the children who love going to the allotment and their families.

**freckleonear** · 04-05-2013, 08:22 PM

I rent an allotment from Barnstaple Town Council in North Devon, which is used for childminding purposes. They also rent allotments to schools. Hope you manage to get it sorted!

**VeggieSausage** · 05-05-2013, 06:30 AM

If you are renting an allotment in your name surely you can take anyone you like there.....I rent one in my name and the kids come along and help me dig

**Tealady** · 05-05-2013, 02:05 PM

Our Pre-school rent one. We even got a grant to tart it up. We pay about £13 per year to the Parish Council and are in South Oxfordshire.

However, there is something about Allotments being for the "Labouring Poor" so perhaps they feel that you are using it for business purposes so are in breach of that ethos.

The whole "Labouring Poor" thing makes me laugh as these days it appears to be 40% tax payers holding a large proportion of the allotments and quite a Middle Class thing to do. (well around here anyway).

**winstonian** · 05-05-2013, 05:18 PM

We are in Derby and our school have held an allotment. Its now been passed to my friend purely as the school were struggling with the upkeep. I have been up a few times with hordes of kiddies in tow and all has been fine.
It seems a real shame that they are denying all of your children such a lovely experience.

**Kiddleywinks** · 05-05-2013, 05:43 PM

I'd been waiting for an allotment for 3 years and the first thing I asked when I got mine was if it was ok for me to take minded children down there, as I was unemployed when I applied, and was now a registered childminder. He asked how many at a time (no more than 6 at a time) and so long as they were kept under control, not wandering around aimlessly or onto others plots, excessively noisy etc, it was no problem - that also went for any adults too lol, in fact he thought it was fantastic to get the children involved

**wendywu** · 06-05-2013, 08:39 AM

I am in Surrey and have CM friends who have allotments and take the children down there.

**vals** · 07-05-2013, 06:46 AM

I know of a childminder in worthing west sussex that takes her minded kids to hers.

**thinkfun** · 08-05-2013, 09:03 AM

Thank you for your help and I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, but one of the children that I used to look after died over the weekend and as you can imagine everyone is devastated.