Read the latest NAS newsletter
Welcome to Your Newsletter
The days are getting longer and there's lot's to get excited about in the growing year ahead.
Read on for a bumper newsletter edition, with details of Malvern show, the May Allotment Gardener magazine, a downloadable National Allotments Week kit, important information for associations and news of another new NAS ambassador.
Open Day Promotional Tool Kit
What are you plotting and planning for National Allotments Week?
This year, why not share the joy of your allotments by hosting an open day, connecting with your community and spreading the word about the benefits of allotments?
To help you promote your event, we have created a downloadable Promotional Tool Kit with tips, poster templates, social media graphics, digital banners, a news release template and printable bunting.
Take a look at the kit and download materials here:
Check Out the May Magazine!
Discover expert insights on reviving your compost for spring, eco-friendly ways to tackle pests, cultivating award-worthy celery, no-dig gardening tips for spring and summer, mouthwatering seasonal recipes, and articles from allotment sites nationwide.
Physical copies are on their way to individual members and associations, while all members can access the digital version in the members area of our website:
New NAS Ambassador
We are excited to announce Horticulturalist Sarah Owen-Hughes as a new National Allotment Society Ambassador!
Sarah is Head Gardener at Rudding Park Hotel & Spa in Harrogate, where she oversees the gardens - including the highly productive one-acre Kitchen Garden, which provides over 500 types of herbs, vegetables and fruit to the kitchens all year round.
In previous work, Sarah was a dedicated Bio-strategist at a large Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) facility, developing policies to reduce pest and disease load and increase overall yields in a chemical free environment. She has also lectured in Horticulture for 15 years across Further and Higher Education settings in Yorkshire.
But Sarah’s accomplishments do not end there! She was a pilot scheme member of the Royal Society of Biology’s Plant Health Professional Register, an external Examiner for the Eden Project & Kirkley Hall Horticulture Degree Programmes, and led the UK Erasmus participation in ANNIE - Aquaponics, New Novelty in Education collaboration in 2016-18. Phew!
In 2023, she was awarded the Branch Commendation from the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, for her contributions to Horticulture Education. She co-curates the Human Gardener stage at the Harrogate Flower Shows, and guest speaks across the country on topics including 'Secrets of the Soil', 'Science & the Garden', 'What a Pest!' & 'Confessions of a Darwinian Gardener'.
Sarah plans to provide NAS members with some fantastic horticultural tips for National Allotments Week. We think she will be a brilliant champion for the society and the grow-your-own movement!
Visit us at Malvern
Visit us next month at the Malvern Spring Show from 9-12 May at the Three Counties Showground.
Our West Midlands team will be on hand promoting the joys of allotment gardening and answering your burning allotment questions.
Visit us at stand 500 in the floral marquee.
Extension of HMRC’s Trust Registration Service (TRS) – important changes you need to know that apply to Allotment Associations.
New rules were introduced on 6 October 2020, as part of the UK’s implementation of the Fifth Money Laundering Directive.  There has been a delay in the rollout of HMRC’s upgrade of the TRS register. Now the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2022 have extended the scope of the TRS to cover (almost) all UK express trusts and some non-UK express trusts, in existence on or after 6 October 2020.Â
Legal an Operations Manager Liz Bunting tells associations what you need to know:
Read all about it!
NAS have recently hit the press in a couple of publications.
Thanks to our London deputy representative Paula who contributed to this BBC Futures article which takes a down-to-earth look at the carbon footprint of homegrown food.
If you have a subscription, you can also read about us in Horticulture Week. Our ambassador Zoe Claymore did a great job of explaining what NAS are doing in response to increasing demands for allotments.Â
Cauliflower Power
Caulis have a reputation for being tricky to grow, but with the right care, you can cultivate a cauliflower to wow!Â
There are hundreds of varieties available, with one reliable option being 'All The Year Round,' which can be harvested from spring through to autumn. However, to make the extra effort worthwhile, why not try growing a stand-out variety?
Here are 5 impressive caulis - all available to purchase from Kings Seeds:
Graffiti F1 - with stunning deep purple cauliflower curds - perfect for adding colour to any dish. This variety is sweeter, nuttier and without the bitterness sometimes found in white cauliflower.
Boris F1 - this is an ideal summer or early autumn cauliflower with good size pure white curds. Ideal for exhibition and the kitchen. Can be sewn in October and ready in 85-90 days from sowing.
Romanesco Veronica - somewhere between cauliflower and broccoli, Romanescos have an eccentric shape and nutty taste. This organic hybrid has an RHS award and full flavoured green florets.
Green Trevi F1 - this autumn variety has striking lime green curds and curled leaves. It has a fine, subtle flavour and stands in good condition for several weeks. Cauliflower cheese will never be the same again!
Romanesco (Amoresco®) Amo 125 F1 - the first orange Romanesco! It even retains its colour after cooking. The spears are more tender than ordinary cauliflower, is perfect for piccalilli, cauliflower cheese and delicious eaten raw.
Reserve Your Seat for the AGM
This year the event will take place on June 8th at the Mercure Parkway Hotel in Sheffield.
As well as the usual formalities, we will have two highly regarded guest speakers; Dr Kate Randall is a lecturer in the applied sciences department at Northumbria University and will be talking about microbial soil health. Whilst Sarah Owen-Hughes is a new NAS ambassador, a horticulturalist, plant scientist and head gardener at Rudding Park Hotel - she will be presenting her talk 'what a pest'.
The event is open to representatives from associations, individual and life members. To apply, please complete and return the yellow delegate form distributed with your February magazine or email natsoc@nsalg.org.uk
For more information, see the dedicated website page: