Issue 94 - Spring 2014

29 March		Spring Show
3 April		Annual General Meeting
10 May		Plant Sale
10 & 11 May		Seed Box Open Days
16 August		Annual Show
11 October		Autumn Show
30 October		FGA Quiz

Chit Chat from the Chair

So here we are again, the calendar has turned another year and we are considering a new class for the Spring Show – a model of the Ark!! I just hope that when it does stop raining, it doesn't become a long dry spell. I, like many of you, have not yet finished the winter digging and soon it will be time to lime, start planting out onion sets, broad beans, early peas, etc. We gardeners are never satisfied are we, but then, that’s the joy of gardening. At least I can keep dry in the greenhouse even though it’s never big enough for all I want to do - one day I'll afford a larger one.

I mentioned the Spring Show at the start of this article and would be delighted to see a few more entries. All it needs is for you to look in the garden a day or so before the Show and think, “That would look nice in a vase or pot”, cut them on the morning, bring them along, maybe get a placing, then take them home again and keep them indoors in a vase where you can enjoy them – SIMPLES!

Those who took daffodil bulbs earlier in the season for the children to grow on, please don’t forget to bring them along as well; it doesn’t matter what stage they are at, we want to see them. I know my grandson’s will be there and he’s only two – “Get them young” is what I say.

Finally, a reminder that annual subscriptions must be paid before the AGM - where else can you get such value for £2? If you have anything to say about what we do, or don't do, or even want to assist us in any way, either make yourself known to the Executive on duty at the Seed Box or better still, come to the AGM on 3 April.

We really do need you.

All the best for the gardening year ahead,

J-P. R. Carter

Chairman

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

3 April 2014 7.45pm at The Rufus Centre, Flitwick

AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence.

2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 11 April 2013.

3. Presentation of Annual Reports.

4. Presentation of the Financial Report.

5. Chairman’s Address.

6. Election of officers:-

a) Chairman

b) Treasurer

c) Secretary

d) Trading Secretary

e) Executive Committee.

f) Sub-Committee Additional Members.

g) Honorary Auditor.

7. To consider the motion proposed by the Secretary and seconded by the Treasurer that the Annual Subscription, Joining Fee and Re-Joining Fee remain unchanged at £2.00 each.

8. To consider the motion proposed by the Secretary and seconded by the Treasurer that the Surcharge to the Annual Subscription Fee where applied remains unchanged at £3.

9. Any other business.

Nominations for the four Officer appointments are to be lodged at the Seed Box or with the Secretary, Colin Stennett, 10 Salisbury Road, Flitwick, Beds, MK45 1UD at least 21 days prior to the meeting.

Current Committee Members

Executive Committee
J-P. R. Carter	Chairman and Show Committee
Colin Stennett	Secretary and Show Secretary
Dave Pateman	Treasurer
Jim Godden	Trading Secretary and Deputy Chairman
Syd Pye
Laurie Arnold	Seeds and Deputy Trading Secretary
Cliff White	Show Committee
Sandra Ridgeway	Membership Secretary and Rota Co-ordinator
Jonathan Wilde	Publications Officer
Jane Fisher	Deputy Secretary and Show Committee

Show Committee
Dave Empson Kath Stennett Ian Holman

Honorary Life Members:
Dave Empson, John Farmer, John Lintern, Linda Pitts, Dougie Rees, Cliff White

Guided tour of a local garden

This year we are thinking of organising a visit to a local major garden.

The aim is to arrange for members to have a guided tour of the garden. We envisage that everyone will make their own way to the venue, meet up at the given time and then enjoy a guided tour of the garden.

In this way we will benefit from group rates at the venue with the convenience for members of being able make their way home when they wish.

We have looked at Wrest Park (English Heritage) at £8.72 - £9.48 each and Woburn Abbey (RHS Partner Garden) at £8 each. Where would like to go? Wrest Park? Woburn Abbey? Or somewhere different?

Please let us know next time you are in the Seed Box or email to newsletter@flitwickgardeners.co.uk. Thank you.

Jonathan Wilde

Publications Officer

Cookery classes for the Spring Show

At the Spring Show to be held on Saturday 29 March 2014, we’ve decided to introduce two cookery classes.

The first class is titled ‘A Cake for Easter’ – leaving it up to the baker to decide what sort of cake they would like to enter.

The second class is a Bedfordshire Clanger.

Please try and enter these classes, as well as all the usual flower classes. Given I’m not the clever one in the family at growing flowers, I’m off to scour the web for recipes that a poor cook like me can cope with for the cookery classes.

Colin Stennett

Show Secretary

Musings from the electronic till

We have three more members who have volunteered to help at the Seed Box on the till. They are Steve Burgoyne, Anne Corbett and Jane Fisher. Jane is also an Executive Committee member.

We are short of Executive members this year so there will be an extra burden on the Executive members in our efforts to keep the Seed Box open. We are currently discussing our options regarding the lack of Executive members.

I cannot say it too often that the Association owes a great debt to all the volunteer members who ensure that the Seed Box is able to open at least twice a week for about 10 months of the year.

On behalf of the Executive and the membership we extend our grateful thanks for all your efforts and a warm welcome to our new volunteers.

Sandra M Ridgeway

Rota Co-ordinator

Show Committee Report 2013

Following my plea at the end of 2012 for more members to enter our shows and the quiz, I’m pleased to say that in 2013 there were more people entering our shows.

The Spring Show got the year off to a quiet start with snow covering the ground until a few days before the show with most members complaining that they’d only got a single flower showing in their garden and they didn’t want to pick it to show. Nevertheless, there were still some wonderful exhibits.

The Annual Show saw the village hall packed out with exhibits in all of the classes and plenty of people showing for the first time and what seemed like hundreds of people looking around the hall when we opened to the public.

Unlike the Spring Show, the Autumn Show did not get off to a quiet start – lots of people bringing entries in and then someone asking for my help to bring in a pumpkin. Eventually four of us managed to bring in the 220lbs (100kgs) odd-shaped object and get it weighed. Once again there were lots of exhibits and people looking around.

The quiz evening nearly filled the hall with entrants and all seemed to enjoy the evening, even if the questions were slightly harder than usual.

Thank you to all the people that helped organise the events and help at the shows with the setting up / clearing down the hall, checking entries into the shows / quiz, providing refreshments and providing advice to the exhibitors. Also thanks to all of the people that judged at the shows and also everyone that took the time to enter things into the shows and enter into the quiz.

Let’s hope that 2014 proves to be just as much a success as 2013 with some new classes being introduced to the shows. There’s still room for more people to put entries into the shows or just look around and support those that are exhibiting - so please come along and have fun.

Colin Stennett

Show Secretary

Trading Report 2013

How quickly the years seem to pass, this is my 10^th year as Trading Secretary. 2013 was another hectic year with good sales and finally some visible progress on my long stated aim to reduce the number of stock items. This was not too apparent on the shelves but in my stock cupboard there were substantial spaces for the end of year restock.

One area of trading that continues to disappoint is plant sales, this covers everything from bulbs to plants in pots and trays. We continue to have an Open Weekend in early May but even here sales are increasingly disappointing. If you have any specific plants or bedding you want, please ask and I’ll see what I can do. We can be very competitive and I will always do my best.

From humble beginnings, sales of 10 packs of seed potatoes have accelerated and in 2013 I started to significantly reduce the total number of sacks that we ordered. From a peak of 120x25kg sacks in 2010 we are now down to near the 100 sacks and likely to reduce still further this year. As always, I urged members to get their orders in to us as early as possible and to collect them before general trading starts in early February. This worked excellently and I was amazed that all orders were weighed in 10 evenings, even whilst I was on holiday! Thanks to everyone who assisted in that sterling effort.

Also in 2013 we had a new arrangement with Newbury Farm Plants in Silsoe. This discount offer seems to have been successful with both members and the owner being very pleased. Personally, I’m delighted by the positive reports of high quality plants being purchased. This arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future following its success in 2013.

Another step forward in 2013 was moving membership renewals into the committee room except at the quietest of times. We will continue with this.

Compost and own pack sales continue to be the biggest areas of trading and yet again in 2013 we ran out of Clover compost. Because of the very wet weather in 2012 the Clover compost was not quite as good as previous years but this year’s seems to have returned to the normal standard.

I hesitate to use the term, but the ‘Monday Mob’ is returning with a completely new membership of Dave, Steve, Jonathan and myself. This is helping make sure that previous lack of own packs and weighing to order were much rarer in 2012, thanks all!

The volume of trading, by revenue, was again hardly changed over the previous year in spite of reduced membership. I consider that to be an indication of yet another year’s successful trading. Thank you for supporting FGA trading and here’s to a fantastic gardening year in 2014.

This year saw the return of Chempak with a new owner. We have a full range of their fertilisers and chemicals in stock at a very reasonable price. I’ve used these products over many years with great success and I always find them great value. One particular item that I’ve not seen in the Chempak range before was Onion Fertiliser, sorry we sold out but I’ve restocked for 2014. I was also very pleased with your reaction to the Draper range of watering items. While considerably cheaper than the Hozelock equivalents, these seem to be of a similar quality. Following very good sales, I had no hesitation in ordering some of the additional items now available.

During 2013 there was major press coverage of a mass withdrawal of gardening chemicals following the EEC banning many to save the bees. When compiling our order, I checked with our major wholesaler and on the websites of the main chemical producers to find which were withdrawn. The amazing summary of the impact on those items I wanted, or that we may have to remove from our shelves, was that the Bayer Lawn Grub Killer has gone. Yes, only one item.

We have also during 2013 considered the opening hours for the Seed Box and at present see no reason to adjust these! Do you have a view? But please note that with all voluntary staff we have limited opportunity to change things much.

Finally I would, as always, welcome any comments especially things you see elsewhere and suggest we could possibly stock. I do note them down but I’m not always able to get these items at a price I think is good value, so they may not appear in the Seed Box.

Happy Gardening

Jim Godden

Trading Secretary

Membership Secretary’s report for the end of 2013

At the end of December 2013 we have a total of 424 members compared to 463 members at the end of December 2012.

We have had 75 new members join this year compared to 64 last year.

Members are renewing their subscriptions for 2014.

Please remember that membership of the Association may be renewed up until the AGM which is being held at the Rufus Centre on 3 April 2014 starting at 7.45pm in the Stocksfield Room. Refreshments are available.

The fee for membership renewal is £2 for all members except for members who receive their magazines by post when it is £5 due to the increases in postage. For renewals made after 3 April 2014 AGM we will be charging the joining fee of £2 as well as the renewal fee due to lapsed membership.

Sandra M Ridgway

Membership Secretary

Free Onion Sets

We will have available at the Spring Show, and subsequently at the Seed Box, onion sets for children to grow at home for exhibiting at the Annual Show. Make sure your children get theirs!

Annual Show – Special Dahlia Class

Following on from the Hative de Niort shallot class introduced last year, we are now introducing a new special Dahlia class. The Association are getting a small number of Tahiti Sunrise cactus dahlia tubers for distribution to members wanting to grow them to show two dahlias at the Annual Show.

These are available at the Seed Box now. A fee is charged that is refunded when the dahlias are exhibited at the Annual Show.

Please ask at the Seed Box if you are interested in taking part.

Colin Stennett

Show Secretary

2014 Photography Classes

Below are the photography classes for the 2014 Annual Show:

103 – Near

104 – Far

105 – High

106 – Low

For the children’s photography class the subject is ‘My Friend’.

Trading Update

2014 has started very slowly mainly because only a few of our members seem to be doing any gardening. For myself I’m well fed up with how seldom the ground at home and on the allotment is fit to walk on and have done little but cropping of veg since before Christmas. Still, as I pen this, the greenhouse is starting to fill with seedlings, I’ve managed to wash it down and it’s ready to burst forth with wonderful plants and crops through the year.

I’m guessing that many members will have problems with moss in their lawns. I can offer some suggestions:

· Proprietary lawn products either moss killer or compound fertiliser and moss killer.

· Lawn sand, OK, really an old fashioned compound but works great for me, doesn’t kill weeds though.

· Sulphate of Iron, available as an own pack and do pick up the leaflet on own pack uses.

The potato orders for 2014 were for a similar quantity as previous years. Following several requests I did manage to get some Lady Christl but too late to offer on the order form, currently available in the Seed Box though. An apology to those ordering Sarpo Mira, I ordered 25kg, had orders for nearly 100kg but could not get any additional sacks (I will order more next year so stick with us). However, everyone who ordered Sarpo Mira should have got 10 tubers and a credit note which can be used as cash or for a pack of potatoes.

Having covered one shortage above, I’d like to apologise for the lack of autumn garlic and shortage of autumn onions. We tried buying these at Spalding Auctions when we went to get bulbs. Unfortunately I had reserved only a bag of onions and they had no garlic, hence we very rapidly had none of either. I did order additional spring garlic to try and compensate but recognise that is a bit late. I shall try and remedy this for 2014 but we need a large order for Taylors bulbs who are the obvious alternative but not the cheapest.

We have had a review of the tools available for hire and now have:

· A replacement lawn chemical rotary spreader

· A new lawn chemical dropper spreader

· Water filled roller

· Long loppers

· Post hammer

· Backpack sprayer

· Heavy duty loppers

You may note that all power tools have been removed from the list. This is because the insurance is more than FGA will spend!

I’m trying to get post hole ‘scissors’ and post ‘drill’. If you have any suggestions of other tools which would be of occasional use to members, please let me know.

New introductions for 2014:

· Evergreen Spray and Feed for lawns

· Expanded Draper watering items, sprinklers and guns

· Value plant saucers, round and window sill

· Value tubs and troughs, functional and good value

· Lawn hand held spreader, for when it’s not worth hiring our larger versions

· Agralan – Citrox greenhouse cleaner that does not harm plants.

· Growing Success Shrub and Flower Bug Killer

· (Old favourite returns) Strawberry Mats in packs of 25

· Draper Kneeler & Seat

· Replacement plastic strips for the top of Bosmere bags; £1.85 instead of buying a new bag!

· Assorted cable ties; thousands of uses in home and garden.

· Leek moth pheromone traps; see below for more

· Heavy clear plastic, suitable for large cloches made from Alkathene pipe hoops (available from any builders merchant).

· Trench Fertiliser, slow release fertiliser with many trace elements for a wide range of crops and flowers, especially recommended for those showing!

In 2013 Station Road allotments had their first appearance of leek moth. Some of us were lucky and managed to get a reasonably good crop anyway, some were less lucky. However I think that on Steppingley Road Allotments leeks were decimated. I’ve since heard that it has been around us for perhaps three years getting gradually more of a pest. I researched cures and the RHS only had one suggestion, cover the leeks in fleece for May and September, the two months when the moths are active. Apparently environmesh or normal garden fleece are both suitable. I’ve also managed to obtain Agralan Leek Moth Traps to identify when the moths become active. These are not really offered as a cure but suggest that crops are covered if males are trapped.

I’m always delighted to point out exceptional value so how about:

· Flitvale today, John Innes is £3.50 each or 4 for £10, at FGA there is one price £2.10 each.

· Clover individual bags unchanged and 4 for £12.50 to cover the slight cost increase.

· Compost prices are otherwise as in 2013 as we could have a bulk delivery from Sinclair (Arthur Bowers) to keep prices down.

· All our own pack are exceptional value for money. A member asked how much for a 25kg bag of lime and was stunned when I told them. It was a shame they had used that 5kg pack from the garden centre and could not take it back, because buying

25 kg from FGA would have left them with some change!

On the other side of the coin, I had to order Sulphate of iron. This has increased from £2.70 (2009) to £5.53 (2014).

Also in the Seed Box we have pre-packs of dahlias for the show class. These will be sold at cost and for those showing in the dedicated class just bring along either the packet or the till receipt and we will provide a refund voucher for use at the Seed Box.

Happy Gardening

Jim Godden

Trading Secretary

Seeds Bring and Buy Stall at the Spring Show

We are again running the Seeds ‘Bring and Buy’ stall so that your unwanted seeds can be sold with the proceeds going to a local charity.

Between now and the show we are asking you to collect seeds from your plants and from unwanted packets of seeds. Please put a reasonable number of seeds into a plain envelope and write the name (and variety if known) of the seeds, the number and date of the seeds. If possible, include basic growing instructions.

On the day of the show, please bring the seeds to the village hall between 1.00pm and 2.00pm (normal time for staging in the show) or as soon after 3.00pm as possible (when the show is open to visitors). Alternatively hand in your packets of seeds at the Seed Box or to me at 10 Salisbury Road, Flitwick.

The packets of seeds will be on sale from 3.00pm until we finish at roughly 4.30pm for a price of 25p per packet. All money collected from the sale of the seeds will be donated to a local charity.

So bring along as many packets of seeds as you can and even more importantly buy as many as possible.

Colin Stennett

Show Secretary

Challenge

There is a new class in this year's Spring Show and I am going to enter it – who’s going to take me on?

I have never in my life made pastry but after 66 years, I will be attempting to make

a Bedfordshire Clanger!!

Are you up for it?

J-P. R. Carter

Chairman

Show equipment donated to FGA

The Houghton Regis Horticultural Society are no longer running shows and have very kindly donated their unwanted equipment to the FGA.

There is a wide range of items including flower vases, table cloths and markers. With the number of entries reaching record levels at the Annual and Autumn Shows, this donation will be very useful.

The Houghton Regis Horticultural Society asked that any payment we wish to make should be donated to charity and so the FGA has donated £20 to the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

The items that we did not require are now being offered to other gardening associations and all money collected from the disposal of these items will also be donated to the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Colin Stennett

Show Secretary

SPRING SHOW

Saturday 29^th March 2014 at the Village Hall

Staging of exhibits 1 – 2pm

Judging 2 – 3pm

Public admitted 3pm – No admission charge

RULES

1. All exhibitors must be paid up members of the FGA or members of the immediate family of a paid up member.

2. Entries can be made at the show when brought in for staging or email entries in advance to: fgashow@flitwickgardeners.co.uk

3. There will be no entry fee for exhibits.

4. Each Exhibitor may enter up to 2 entries in any one class.

5. Classes 1 - 14, 17, 18, 21, 23 and 25 to be shown as cut flowers in vases to be supplied by the FGA.

6. Entries for Classes 15, 16, 19, 20, 22 and 24 to 26 to be shown as grown.

7. All exhibits in classes 1 to 25 (inclusive) must be grown by the exhibitor in their garden or allotment.

8. Pot Plants must be exhibited in terracotta or plain plastic type pots and for class 26 must have been in the exhibitor’s possession for at least 6 months.

9. NO Exhibit should be removed from display until after the raffle has been completed (approximately 3:50pm).

TROPHIES

· Flitwick Gardeners’ Association Spring Show – Best Vase in Show

· Flitwick Gardeners’ Association Spring Show – Best Bloom in Show

NARCISSI (DAFFODILS)

See page 19 for further information on the classification of daffodils.

CLASS No. DIVISION 1 TRUMPET DAFFODIL CULTIVARS

1 One Bloom Yellow Perianth

2 One Bloom White Perianth

3 One Vase, Three Blooms of one Cultivar

DIVISION 2 LARGE-CUPPED DAFFODIL CULTIVARS

4 One Bloom Yellow Perianth

5 One Bloom White Perianth

6 One Vase, Three Blooms of one Cultivar

DIVISION 3 SMALL-CUPPED DAFFODIL CULTIVARS

7 One Bloom, any colour

8 One Vase, Three Blooms of one Cultivar

DIVISION 4 DOUBLE DAFFODIL CULTIVARS

9 One Bloom, any colour

10 One Vase, Three Blooms of one Cultivar

Multi-headed Daffodil Cultivar (e.g. Cheerfulness, Tete a Tete)

11 One Stem

12 One Vase of Three Stems of one Cultivar

Any Other Daffodil Cultivar not in Divisions above

13 One Stem

14 One Vase of Three Stems of one Cultivar

Pot of Daffodil – from any of the Divisions

15 One Pot of Narcissi, any number of bulbs, one Cultivar (Pot not to exceed 300 mm (12 Inches) diameter)

CHILDRENS’ BULB COMPETITION

16 One Pot of Narcissi (Daffodils)

TULIPS

17 One Bloom

18 One Vase, three Blooms of one Cultivar

19 One Pot of Tulips, any number of bulbs, one Cultivar (Pot not to exceed 300 mm (12 inches) diameter)

MISCELLANEOUS

20 One Pot of growing Polyanthus or Primula

21 One Stem of Hyacinth

22 One Pot of one or more Hyacinths

23 One Vase of Flowering Shrub of one or more varieties

24 One Pot of growing bulbs, excluding anything mentioned above

25 One Vase of Mixed Flowers – at least 6 different types of flower

26 Any Other Pot Plant (Flowering or Foliage)

27 One Decorated Hardboiled Egg (Children only)

28 A cake for Easter (homemade)

29 A Bedfordshire Clanger (homemade)

The Basic Daffodil Dictionary

Anther the pollen-bearing part of the stamen

Corona refers to the cup or trumpet

Filament the stalk of the stamen

Pedicel is the ‘neck’ of the flower which joins it to the stem

Perianth refers to the petals

Reflexed petals are those which are angled away from the corona

Stamen the male part of the flower, consisting of filament and anther

Further, more detailed information can be found on the Royal Horticultural Society web site at http://www.rhs.org.uk

Horticultural classification of Daffodils

Division 1: Trumpet
	One flower to each stem. The corona is as long or longer than the perianth. Examples: Golden Harvest, Rembrandt
Division 2: Large Cupped
	One flower to each stem. The corona is more than one third but less than equal to the length of the perianth. Examples: Armada, Carlton, Ceylon, Desdemona
Division 3: Small Cupped
	One flower to each stem. The corona is NOT more than one third the length of the perianth. Examples: Angel, Barret Browning, Birma, Lemonade
Division 4: Double
	One or more flowers per stem, with doubling of the perianth segments or corona or both. Examples: Acropolis, Golden Ducat, Unique
Division 5: Triandrus
	Usually two or more pendent flowers per stem, perianth segments often reflexed. Examples: Rippling Waters, Thalia, Hawera

Division 6: Cyclamineus
	One flower per stem; perianth segments prominently reflexed. Flower at an acute angle to the stem with a very short pedicel. Examples: Charity May, Dove Wings, Jetfire
Division 7: Jonquilla and Apodanthus
	Usually 1 to 5 (more rarely up to 8) flowers per stem; perianth segments spreading or reflexed; corona cup shaped, funnel shaped or flared, usually wider than long; flowers usually fragrant. Examples: Lintie, Suzy, Sweetness
Division 8: Tazetta
	Usually 3 to 20 flowers to a stout stem; perianth segments spreading (not reflexed); flowers usually fragrant. Example: Geranium
Division 9: Poeticus
	Usually one flower to a stem; perianth segments white; corona very short or disc shaped, usually with a green/ yellow centre and a red rim, but sometimes of a single colour; flowers usually fragrant. Example: Actaea
Division 10: Bulbicodium
	Usually one flower to a stem; perianth segments insignificant compared to the corona; anthers dorsifixed (ie attached more or less centrally to the filament); filament and style usually curved. Examples: Golden Bells, Julia Jane, Nylon
Division 11: Split Corona
a.b.		Corona is split, usually for more than half its length. a) corona segments opposite the perianth segments; the corona segments usually in two whorls of three b) corona segments alternate to the perianth segments; the corona segments usually in a single whorl of six Examples: Articol, Broadway Star
Division 12: Other		Miscellaneous cultivars which do not fit above classifications.
Division 13: Other		Cultivars distinguished solely by botanical name.

Flitwick Gardeners' Association

RULES

As at 11 April, 2013

1.Name: The name of the Association shall be the Flitwick Gardeners' Association.

2.Objects: To promote the interests of gardeners and allotment holders and to take joint action for the benefit of members; To conduct negotiations in respect of land; To take such steps as may be required by the local Authority for the good management and cultivation of allotments; To protect members from damage, trespass and theft; To arrange for instruction, lectures, discussions, exhibitions, and competitions and to distribute literature pertaining to these objectives.

3.Members: The Association shall consist of persons who are resident within the Town of Flitwick. Non-residents of Flitwick whose application for membership is approved by the Committee may join but may not vote at any General Meeting.

4.Fees and Subscriptions: There will be a joining fee for all new members and for lapsed members applying to rejoin after membership has lapsed in accordance with Rule 5. Every member shall pay an annual subscription, payable in advance of the due date of January 1st. Members receiving the magazine by Royal Mail shall pay an annual surcharge. The amount of the joining fee and of the annual subscription and the surcharge shall be set annually by the Annual General Meeting.

5.Arrears: Any member who is three months in arrears with his subscription shall be deemed to have ceased to be a member, unless explanation is given to the Committee in writing of extenuating circumstances.

6.Officers: The Officers shall be Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and Trading Secretary. All Officers shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.

7.Committee: The affairs of the Association shall be conducted by an Executive Committee of not less than eight members. A quorum shall be of not less than five members. Vacancies arising may be filled by co-option on the authority of the Executive Committee. All members shall retire annually and a fresh Committee be elected at each Annual General Meeting. Retiring members shall be eligible for re-election.

8.General Meetings: An Annual General Meeting shall be held during March or April each year. 14 days' notice shall be given and a quorum shall be ten members. At the meeting shall be presented the Secretary's Report and a set of Audited Accounts and the Officers and Executive Committee Members elected for the coming year. The Financial Year shall be from the First of January until the Thirty-First of December. The Secretary shall have authority to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time after giving the due notice but he shall always do so if so requested by no less than ten general members in writing.

9.Discussions at Meetings: No party political or sectarian discussions shall be raised or resolutions proposed, at any Committee, sub-committee or General Meeting of the Association.

10.Funds: The Committee shall open an account with a Bank selected by the Executive Committee in the name of the Flitwick Gardeners Association and all monies received from any source on behalf of the Association shall be passed through the Treasurer or his nominee to be paid into the account. Cheques shall be signed by two signatories authorised by the Executive Committee one of whom shall always be the Treasurer or his nominee. But cheques may be signed by one Officer below £100.

11.Auditors: There shall be appointed two Auditors who are not members of the Executive Committee to audit the accounts and submit their reports to the Annual General Meeting. Only one auditor need be appointed if the auditor is a Chartered Accountant or person with an equivalent qualification.

12.Affiliation: The Association shall affiliate itself to any suitable Group providing it is non-political or non-sectarian and shall pay such annual affiliation fees as may from time to time be prescribed. Nominees may be appointed to represent the Association at the various organisations as determined from time to time.

13.Offences: The Executive Committee may terminate the membership of a member whose conduct is proved to their satisfaction to be detrimental to the Association or to the interests of his/her fellow members. Any charge against a member must be communicated in writing. An appeal from a decision of the Executive Committee may be made to a Special General Meeting on the requisition in writing of three members to the Secretary who will convene an Extraordinary General Meeting as soon as possible to hear the appeal.

14.Conversion, Dissolution, Etc: The Association may be converted into a registered society, or may be dissolved, or these rules may be amended by a two-thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting convened with the due fourteen days' notice. The notice convening the General Meeting shall list the reason(s) for calling it.

15.Matters arising not covered by these Rules: Any matter not covered by the rules may be dealt with by the Executive Committee at its sole discretion.

The Flitwick Gardeners Association

We are an association run by members, for members. Our aim is to promote gardening in Flitwick and the surrounding villages.

We have a members’ shop “The Seed Box” where we try to stock useful items including seeds, tools and chemicals at very competitive prices. There is a library and a small range of loan equipment.

We also run shows and organise an annual quiz.

How to Find us

The Seed Box is situated behind the Flitwick Leisure Centre on Steppingley Road.

Seed Box Opening Hours

Tuesday	6.30 p.m. to 7.30 (Feb to the end of May only)
Friday	7.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. (Feb to Nov)
Saturday	2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. (Feb to Nov)

Telephone

Outside of these hours you can always leave a message for us on the answering machine on 01525 717289

Email addresses

General enquiries etc.	enquiries@flitwickgardeners.co.uk
Magazine	newsletter@flitwickgardeners.co.uk
Shows	fgashow@flitwickgardeners.co.uk

Web site address

Web site