The Sunnyside tradition of volunteer working parties during the winter months dates from the days when Sunnyside Old and New and Birtchnell’s Copse were very neglected and needed rejuvenation lest the land should fall into the hands of developers. Many allotment plots were cleared and then let, and soon there was a waiting list for plots. It is not everybody who can find the time to volunteer to work on anything but their own plot.
Twenty or so years later, winter working party tasks now tend to be rather different; instead of clearing overgrown plots for letting and planting hazel coppices for bean-poles, we now focus on maintenance tasks, cutting back overgrown paths and encroaching wildlife areas, harvesting our bean-poles. We also embark on new projects to improve common facilities such as the Tea Hut, the toilet, and the new SAS community sheds.
During this winter, working parties achieved some improvements in these areas and in Birtchnell’s Copse. In fact, this year we put in quite a lot of effort on SSN to try and even up the benefits of our work between the two sites. The last working party of the winter in early March was rained off, and only indoor work tidying sheds could be done. This is the second year running that the last working party of the season has had to be abandoned because of the weather, so let’s hope we have better luck next season.
In the meantime, thanks are due to all those volunteers whose efforts helped to improve Sunnyside allotments during the past winter’s working parties, and to the ladies who produced lunches for the tired and hungry workers.
