NADCAA Membership Survey Summer 2023
When someone joins a club or association and becomes a member, they automatically have involvement in that organisation, they help bring more expertise to the decision making, they bring their own professional knowledge, and it can mean the difference between making good or bad decisions.
As a community organisation, NADCAA members should participate in the running of this important community resource, as it gives the association a sense of identity and purpose. It helps members learn more about horticulture, organisation of growing plans, working with other members, even resolving conflicts. It makes us more knowledgeable about our hobby and the communities in which we live, and as a result the organisations that help those communities become safer and healthier.
Regretfully over the past few years, fewer and fewer members seem to want to “get involved”. At this years’ A.G.M. I likened this problem to society today, which seems to be split three ways. There are those who are passionate and really care, there are those that are passionate and really care but don’t have time, and there are those that don’t want to get involved at any level.
This is illustrated when we watch the news regarding Climate Change. There are those, like NADCAA, who do their very best to do something about it, there are those that would like to do something about it but don’t have or won’t make the time, and there are those who for reasons of their own don’t do anything at all. That is not a judgment it is just an observation, and I am sure we have all witnessed this, especially since Covid.
The Allotment movement is paying a hefty price for this lack of willingness to get involved, I witnessed it during my time as Chairman of the South West Branch of the National Allotment Society. Across the Country Associations are closing down because nobody wants to volunteer to run them. It means that Allotment Officers are appointed by Councils, members rents increase by as much as 700%, members leave because they can’t afford a plot, the fields empty and are sold for development. All of this at a time when we need more allotment fields, when we want to encourage more people to grow their own crops and help fight the crisis caused by climate change, the war in Ukraine and the loss of pollinating insects.
We need help, and after the AGM Meryl Basham, our former Environmental & Communications Officer felt moved to take action, and she approached the Committee with the idea of a membership survey. We have put a lot of time into developing Meryl’s idea, and I hope that you will take just as much time completing it, because we need your feedback.
Many thanks
Tim Callard (Chairman)
Over to you Meryl –
Thank you Tim, hello, my name is Meryl Basham, I am a NADCAA member and I have an allotment, I also have experience of being a volunteer on the NADCAA Committee as Environmental and Communications Officer producing the Newsletter, until I stepped down last year. I know how important communication is to members and this survey is your opportunity to give us information that we need to make key decisions going forward.
This is also an invitation to get more involved as the current committee really needs more help. One Committee member has given up their time for over 25 years, and many others have spent several years as volunteers. We need members to be more involved in running their Association, the current volunteers do have their own allotments to look after, as well as voluntarily dealing with the management of the Association on our behalf.
We really would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete the survey and give us your ideas.
Many Thanks
Meryl.
If you would like to help out in any way, no matter how small, please let us know by emailing the Administrator at info@nadcaa.org.uk
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMPLETING THE SURVEY IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED.