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 - Article 007
What's In It For Us?
I have lost count of how many times I have heard that phrase.
In todays' Society everybody wants "Value for Money".
Quite right, so do I.
So what exactly do we get for our money. In the case of The National Society, a great deal, actually. First of all we get what I term as 'Fringe Benefits'. There are a number of these but the most important are the Discount Seed Scheme, and that's got to be good 'Value for Money', you only have to place one small order and you have got your subscription back. Then there is the cheap Allotment Insurance. We all know how insurance premiums seem to go up year by year even when you have not made a claim for years.
In today's climate of break-ins and general vandalism, individual members' insurance for Buildings and Contents for only £7.50 per £100 sum insured has to be good 'Value for Money'. But, the best value of all I believe has got to be the legal expertise. The Society has, over the years, gained an enormous amount of experience in all aspects of allotment legislation. We all know the rate at which allotment land is disappearing into the hands of developers at the instigation of Local Authorities.
I have had reason only this week to be grateful for that 'expertise'. The plot-holders on a site adjacent to my own, were quite suddenly, out of the blue, advised that they were to be relo cated as their present land was required for an old peoples home. No consultation whatsoever.
There then followed 3 panic telephone calls to me as Regional Representative for advice. I in turn telephoned Corby office and after only a few minutes conversation was given a wealth of information by the Secretary to enable me to advise the plot-holders on their best course of action. This resulted in a consultative meeting being called by the Council to all the plot-holders , myself, the Chairman and Secretary of our site as we would be affected, to discuss the way forward.
We now have further meetings arranged and have made clear our demands. I am quite convinced that had we not had the benefit of the legal expertise that the National Society provided, the allotments would have been lost without a fight. As far as I am concerned this is where the real 'Value for Money' lies.
Where else could you get that kind of advice for the princely sum of £1?
So the next time you hear the phrase "What's in it for us" tell them. If every plot holder recruited just one new member, we could double our membership overnight and don't forget there is strength in numbers.
[Shirley Fleetwood]
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