Work Done by BHAF

The Brighton and Hove Allotment Federation is an independent organisation run by volunteer plot holders to represent plot holders.

Below is a summary of the work done by the BHAF Committee over the last few years.

Far from being an organisation that just holds the Council’s allotment service to account we have in fact put in thousands of hours of volunteer time to help run the service  for the Council and to improve it for all plot holders

We have a Committee currently of 11 members, elected at the Annual General Meeting (we have not been able to hold one for the last two years so have put in place interim arrangements to keep the committee functioning)

BHAF books, publicises, manages and chairs 4 public allotment forum meetings every year. Including 2 aimed at supporting Site Reps (Currently suspended due to Covid). BHAF maintains a community website which hosts Site Rep contact details and Allotment Site and Association Details and locations,  rules and advice, along with lots of other useful allotment information.

BHAF maintains a Facebook page for plot holders and administers a very active members Facebook group with over 1200 members (including people on the waiting list) for plot holder discussion. We also send out a newsletter 4 times a year with Allotment news

We manage the development fund of £6000 a year. We invite and review applications and agree as a committee that they meet the criteria set out for the fund. We often manage these purchases and deliveries. We also manage Site Rep expenses

We act as an intermediary between plot holders and the Council answering hundreds of emails and Facebook messages.

BHAF has a designated officer on the committee who provides advice and support to any plotholder experiencing harassment, discrimination or other unacceptable behaviour on their site.

We were joint partners with the Council in developing the 2014 Allotment Strategy. Our volunteers gave hundreds of hours to this process.

Strategy Requirement : BHAF have helped form 3 brand new Allotment Associations which will provide a degree of self management going forward. How to form an Allotment Association.

Strategy Requirement : BHAF applied for and got a grant to produce and print a new allotment welcome pack for the Council to distribute. We helped design the new Allotment Welcome Pack. We had 5000 printed using a grant we applied for.

Strategy Requirement : We raise in the region of £6000 in donations to the allotment service every year.  BHAF organised the mechanism to enable these donations with the Councils Finance Department and then directly asked our members who could afford to, to donate to the service.  BHAF Donations Request

Strategy Requirement : Made and distributed a leaflet on how to save water to cut costs. Presented water savings talk at AGM. Our water savings advice was published in the National Allotment Society magazine. Water Saving Tips

Strategy Requirement : Produced a leaflet in conjunction with Sussex Butterfly conservation on how allotmenteers can help support Butterflies and biodiversity (a strategy objective) which has been shared across the Country. Butterfly Conservation Leaflet

Grow a Row for the Real Junk Food Project Co-organised a project for donating vegetables to the Community Cafes On the TV and also on our Facebook page

Gender Challenges : BHAF supported a report on Gender Challenges for Women on Allotments

Speakers at our AGM in previous years include:.

Bob Flowerdew : Organic Gardening Bob Flowerdew
Beth Nichols Sussex University : Bee conservation Beth Nichols
Buglife : Conservation of Invertebrates Buglife
Rod Weston : Composting Rod Weston
Joshua Tutt : No Dig Gardening Joshua Tutt

We also organises occasional courses such as free Apple Tree pruning courses at a selection of Allotment Sites, run by Peter May from Brighton Permaculture Trust