Newsletter February 2002

Cabin
The Cabin is now taking shape, the stud wall has been completed and the toilet purchased, (yippee say all those ladies!). The kitchen area has been fitted.

We have had to postpone digging the hole for the septic tank until the ground dries out a bit as unfortunately the digger would probably get stuck. It should not be long however before the ground is firm enough for this to happen. Once the septic tank and pipes have been laid, the palisade fencing will be fitted around the Cabin, the beginnings of a social area will start to appear.

Rabbit-proof fencing
WOW what a turn out on the weekend of 9th/10th Feb, thanks to everyone who came along to help. The area along the motorway embankment has been cleared. The area to the left of the gate has been cleared as well as the area behind the cabin. You are all reminded that the old hand-gate is now closed. The bridge has also been removed, which looking at it was a very good job before someone got hurt, as it was very rotten in places. It only remains for the weather to improve slightly so we can start fitting the actual fence.

The Wildlife Trust volunteers have kindly offered to fit the area along their boundary for us.

A few weeks ago the DETR accompanied by WS Atkins met us on site and agreed that we could go onto their land to clear the boundary as well as fit the fencing on their boundary. Whilst they were visiting we took the opportunity to ask them to inspect the ditch, as it is full of water. They duly obliged and reported back the Culvert was not working. They will be repairing the culvert in the next 2-3 weeks as well as clearing the ditch along the M1 embankment and behind the cabin. This is good news for us, as it will help with the drainage on site.

Christmas Dinner
Those who did not attend missed a very enjoyable night, the meal was very nice and the company could not be faulted. There were various other parties in the pub on the same evening, this enabled us to sell raffle tickets and raise £58 towards Association funds. Many thanks, to those who donated prizes.

FUND RAISING
Although we have had a terrific year of fund raising, we still want to do more to help plot holders. We need to raise more funds to fit a ramp to the toilet as well as widening the door for disabled access.
The social area will also need planting up. To help with this we have organised a couple of ventures:-

Beer & Skittles night
You will already have noticed a flyer with the magazine for the Beer and Skittles night on 22nd March

Quiz sheets.
Also enclosed with the magazine are some quiz sheets. Please try to sell these to your friends and colleagues; they are a good way of raising funds. All proceeds are used for your benefit. Please return any unsold sheets as well as money collected to the Secretary as soon as possible. Anyone requiring extra sheets will be supplied on demand.

COMMUNICATION
Do you have an e-mail address? If so please e-mail the Secretary with it. It will enable faster communication and cut down on phone bills and postage. I check my e-mail at least once a day in the evening. Also some members now receive their newsletter by e-mail, not only do they get it before anyone else, but they also get it in colour and save me time and petrol in delivery.

Whilst on the subject of communication, the committee does try to keep everyone informed of what is happening. It is not always possible to include everything in the newsletter, so I try to cover the main points. It is probably worth reminding everyone that we have a monthly committee meeting, at the Old Inn Littlethorpe on the first Tuesday of every month. All members are welcome to come along and get involved in the conversation, indeed new ideas are always welcome and without your input we can only guess we are doing what the plot holders wish. You are reminded however that should a vote be needed for any reason only committee members will be able to vote.

AGM
You will note from the diary dates that the AGM has been set for 3rd May. We had a really good turn out last year as we also made it a social event with a guest speaker. This year is to be no exception. We have been lucky enough to have Geoff Stokes the National Secretary attending. He is going to give a talk on Self-Management. If you have any questions you would like him to research please forward them to the Secretary well in advance of the evening. Otherwise there will be an opportunity to ask questions on the night. As you are aware we now have the new gates fitted. Both the new hand-gate and the large gate will have a lock fitted, 1-key will fit both locks. We will be using the AGM as an opportunity to swap peoples keys over. With effect from that weekend only the new keys can be used, so please bring your old key to the AGM or you will need to make alternative arrangements for changing it over.