Secretaries Report
We had two new nominations to the BHAF Committee received this year. The Committee propose that we co-opt these new members onto the committee pending a confirmatory vote at the next AGM or Forum.
Nick Fry (Craven Vale)
I have been an allotment holder on Craven Vale Allotments for the last 11 years and am a committee member of the Craven Vale and Whitehawk Hill Allotment Society. Following horticultural training, I worked as a landscape gardener before managing a community garden centre in Manchester and a therapeutic gardening project for people with mental health problems in London.
More recently, I have been providing marketing and communications services to health and social care charities, which has included developing websites, managing social media accounts and running email campaigns. I have previously been a committee member of Brighton & Hove Organic Gardening Group (BHOGG) and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership. I am keen to see as many people using the city's allotments for what they are intended for - growing food and enjoying life and nature through gardening.
The names of a proposer and seconder
Mary Ledgard (Craven Vale)
Jenny Embleton (Craven Vale)
Maude Casey: Moulsecoomb
It's such a privilege, having an allotment. I feel responsible for the soil, the air and the sky above it, and for the life-forms that thrive there. I've practised growing organically since i began gardening and have noticed the increase in insect numbers, slow-worms, lizards and the range of butterflies and birds. I've learnt most of what i know about gardening from my fellow plot holders and the volunteers on the MAHS Nature Site. Most recently I'm learning about no-dig methods and the principles of permaculture.
I'm on the Committee of Moulsecoomb Allotment and Horticultural Society, and I'm also a member of the Shop Collective, where we are committed to collaborative, non-hierarchical methods of working together and consensual decision-making. Currently, we are working to eliminate plastics from the site and to move away from fossil fuels. We are also committed to archiving the work of allotments and have donated the MAHS documents from the twentieth century to The Keep.
I’m active in a number of community campaign groups. I volunteer for Migrant English Project and I'm a member of Medact. These organisations stand in solidarity and equality with all people of the globe, and actively work to erode borders of race, colour, gender and class and to cultivate non-violent ways of living. As such I'm dedicated to developing planned work on diversity and social inclusion.
I'm also a member of Open Space Society, Butterfly Conservation Trust and Bumblebee Conservation Trust. My commitment to these informs everything I do, because the allotment has shown me that all life forms are interconnected and depend on each other. That's why I think the existence of BHAF is so important and why I've attended BHAF meetings and evening forums when i could, over the years.
The names of a proposer and seconder
Cheryl Paine (Moulsecoomb)
Jools Voce (Moulsecoomb)
The following have put themselves forward for re-election for 2021.
Mark Carroll
Proposer: Lucia Manca (Roedale Valley)
Seconder: Samuel Hoare (Roedale Valley)
Hannes Froelich
Proposer: Pat Dauncey (Keston)
Seconder: Jim Mayor (Roedale Valley)
Hilary Standing
Proposer: Christine Zaniewicka (Keston)
Seconder: Colin Osborne (Keston)
Simon Powell
Proposer: Jane Hawkins (Craven Vale)
Seconder: Michelle Lediert (Whitehawk Hill)
Josephina Salamone
Proposer: Jane Griffin (Whitehawk Hill)
Seconder: Hilary Standing (Keston)
Andrew Amos
Proposer: Emily Gardiner (Keston)
Seconder: Alan Phillips (The Weald)
Angela Jane Swinn
Proposer: Rowena Bennett (Windmill Hill)
Seconder: Sara de Marco (Windmill Hill)
Victoria Williams
Proposer: Andrew Amos (Roedale Valley)
Seconder: Sarah Waters (Roedale Valley)
Allan Brown
Former Chairman, Allan is currently taking leave for family reasons but hopes to rejoin later.
Personal statements from the Committee members can be seen on our website here
Good luck for the coming season!
BHAF Committee