best kept allotment | Baldock Allotment Association

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023

BALGA AGM 2023

We hosted our Annual General Meeting on 23 January 2023 at the Community Centre in Baldock. Along with formal business, we heard reports from various committee members about the work we have completed last year.

The winners of the Best Kept Allotment Competition were awarded their certificate and trophy by Counsellor Muir and Counsellor Willoughby. Please see the pictures below of the tenants receiving their certificate, trophy, and gift voucher for the Members’ Shop

David (above), was awarded the Basil Byrant Cup and £25 voucher. Stephen and Ray were joint Best Kept Winners at North Road. Unfortunately, Stephen was unable to attend the AGM, so Ray, pictured above left was presented with a certificate and £12.50 gift voucher. For Best Newcomers, John was presented with the Frank Conway cup. Cesar (pictured above right) received the John Gray Cup. Both newcomers received £10 gift voucher for the Members’ Shop.

September 5, 2021

Best Kept Allotment Competition 2021

The final round of judging for this year’s Best Kept Allotment competition took place in early July. Two independent judges scored the 20 shortlisted plots for Best Plot Overall and the shortlisted 12 plots for Best Newcomer 2020 and Best Newcomer 2021. The judges had a difficult task this year as it was a closely fought contest.

Libby Finny (CR21) scored the most points at Clothall Road and is the Best Plot at Clothall Road. Jim Hennessey (NR12B and NR13B) scored the most points at North Road and is awarded the best plot at North Road. Both Libby and Jim scored equally and therefore joint winners of the Best Plot Overall. They will be awarded the Basil Byrant Cup at the 2022 AGM. Both site winners will each receive a £25 voucher for the Members’ Shop.

Your committee decided to separate the Best Newcomer to make it as fair as possible. Therefore, the winner of Best Newcomer 2020 is David Winn (CR7B) and Best Newcomer 2021 is Adrian Allen (NR61A).

Congratulations to the winners and all those shortlisted in what has been a challenging growing year.

May 29, 2021May 29, 2021

Best Kept Allotment Competition 2021

Yes, it’s that time of year again! We missed it last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The annual judging for the Best Kept Allotment Competition will be taking place towards the end of June. The first-round judging for all plots on both sites will be during the week commencing 21st June and for finalists during the week commencing 12th July. Also resuming this year will be non-cultivation inspections, as part of our formal process, which will take place at the same time.

A small panel of committee members from each site will judge all the plots and select the best 10 plots from each site. These selected plots will then be put forward for final judging by an independent judge on 12 July who will determine the best plot on each site. Each site winner will receive a prize of a £25 voucher to be spent at the members’ shop. Of these two, the plot gaining the most points will be declared the overall winner and the tenant awarded the Basil Bryant Cup. In addition, a separate independently judged competition will select the Best Newcomer for a new tenant in their first year of cultivation. The winner will receive the Frank Conway cup.

Have a look at the 2019 winners for inspiration:

Best Overall Winner (2019)

Best Newcomer (2019)

August 8, 2019December 17, 2020

Best Kept Allotment 2019 Winners

The final round of judging for this year’s Best Kept Allotment competition took place in mid July; a difficult task for this year’s independent judges, especially for the Best Newcomer award which was a closely fought contest. We’ve had some new tenants on both sites in the last year who have made supreme efforts, not only in clearing their plots but also in the planting they have done.

The winner of this year’s Best Newcomer is Andy Cawley at Clothall Road and he will be awarded the Frank Conway Cup at the AGM in January together with a voucher for the members’ shop of £10.

The standard of plots being judged for the Best Kept Allotment was high as usual with Pete Thompson aka Tommo being judged the best plot at North Road and John Johnson the best plot at Clothall Road. As he scored the most points, John was judged to be the best plot overall and he will be awarded the Basil Bryant Cup at the AGM. Both site winners will each receive a £25 voucher for the members’ shop

Congratulations to the winners and all those shortlisted in what has been a bit of a stop/start year.

Joanna