NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS ALLOTMENTS

Rob Lane Allotments – Plant Them, They Will Grow

WINTER IS DEFINITELY HERE….

Gardeners Association

Membership renewals are available for collection from ‘The Hut’ any time from Saturday 17th January, when it will be open for you to stock up on all of your gardening equipment for the next year.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This years AGM will take place on Thursday 30th April at 7pm at Newton Sports Club, Crow Lane

Last years event was well attended and many very good suggestions were acted upon. Come along and see how the committee can help improve your experience working your allotment. Anybody who wishes to become more involved with the committee can be nominated on the night.

If all else fails…..there’s a bar!

Biggest Pumpkin Competition

Following on from the very successful biggest onion competition held last year, growers will be able to show their prowess by providing the largest pumpkin, just in time for Hallow’een.

Seeds will be available from the Grow-Inn Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March from 10am to 12MD,

Pumpkins to be judged in October 2026, with a medal and certificate presented to the winner, together with an engraved winners cup, that can be kept for the year.

Seeds are 3 for £5, with the proceeds going to the Willowbrook Hospice

Best of luck!!!!

Christmas Party 2025

The Christmas party, which was held in Newton Sports Club was a great success, with all tickets sold. The night was made special by the presence of the Easy Street Big Band, who played the night away with numbers old and new. There were lots of winners on the raffle and a VERY good time was had by all.

Make sure to get your tickets for next year, they go fast!!

Chip Butty Lunch

Was lovely, lets wait for the next one. Cheers Brian P

Tomato Tasting day

Our Annual Tomato tasting morning was held on Saturday 9th August 2025.

ROB LANE ALLOTMENT AGM

Will be on a Thursday in April 2026

At Cricket Club Crow Lane

Start 7-00pm

IF YOU WANT TO BE MORE INVOLVED

You can stand for election to the committee. You need a proposer and a seconder and put yourself forward. IF you have not completed a form ,then you are proposed or seconded for the 2026/27 committee and won’t be available for election.

(see committee member for form)

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Message from the chairman.

Please lock the gate after entering and leaving the site

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THE COUNTDOWN IS ON

1765654200

days

hours minutes seconds

until

Rob Lane Christmas Party

Tickets available soon from :-

Paul Speakman :- Plot 54

Ray Newby :- Plot 40

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Your Allotment S

Willowbrook Presentation

Photos from the runner bean competition and cheque presentation to Willowbrook Hospice.

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PLEASE NOTE

Stone to repair the road outside of your Plot is available on the car park

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PLOT INSPECTION

Will take place on :-

Sometime in October 2025

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ATTENTION

The Mains Water will be SWITCHED OFF on 31st October 2024.

Weather dependent if early frost.

JUDGEMENT DAY

The tape measure had been oiled, recalibrated and inspected by an independent body who found it fit for purpose unlike Brian😀

The contestants lined up and after a few rogue ones where eliminated for breaching competition rules, the measuring began!

After many tense minutes a winner was declared measuring in at 413 mm or to us oldies16.25″long. Congratulations to

STE TAYLOR Plot 31B

Congratulations to all who took part in this year’s event raising much needed funds for charity.

Following recent verbal complaints received by the RLAA Committee regarding the spread of weeds from untended plots RLAA Committee have agreed a Plot Inspection shall take place on Saturday 6th July, starting at 9am. Following the inspection any plot considered not meeting the requirements of the Tenancy Agreements (and the St Helens Council Allotment Rules) shall be issued an improvement notice. With regard to NEW tenants, these plots shall be inspected in accordance with the required % area under cultivation (Rule 5.2).

Look out for a Thursday in April 2025 for the Rob Lane Allotment Association Annual General Meeting IF YOU WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED you can stand for election to the Committee. You need a proposer and seconder and put yourself forward. If you have not completed a slip then you are not proposed or seconded for the 2026/27 committee and wont be available for election

Tomato Taster Day — Sometime in August, time to pick your seeds

If you fancy a plot move, come and see the Secretary, we will record your wishes, the date received, then its just a waiting game.

THE BEGINNINGS The exact date of the creation of the allotments in Newton le Willows is unknown. What we do know is the first historical mapping the allotments are shown on is the 1929 Lancashire Series. The minutes from the Newton le Willows Gardeners Association meetings in 1924 talk about the creation of an Allotment committee, thus we are celebrating 2024 as our 100th Birthday

There are 74 Plot Holders on Rob Lane who tend either a full or half plots, See an aerial view below

Have A Look

What We Do

We seek suggestions from our Members

We eat what we grow sometimes we don’t wait till we get home

We have raised money for Charity by holding a “BIGGEST” pumpkin competition for 2021, 2022 and 2023. Total so far exceeds £2000

We held a tomato tasting day, on a sunny day with a glass of cider made from Allotment Apples (and very nice it was too)

But you need to make sure you wash all organic vegetables, or just be lucky

Having an Allotment can feel like hard work on a wet November afternoon. But we can just think back to August balmy salad days

Health and Safety is always important, so we marked out the car park

And all from a half plot, one of the best growers, KK

The Allotment Gardens first appear on this 1929 Ordnance Survey Map. They are in a slightly different position compared to today as ths image predates the move of the early 1980s. Note also the Pied Bull Hotel on the High Street frontage as the “new” hotel had yet to be built

HOWARDS BLOOMERS & BLOOPERS

IF you like Bloomers and Bloopers please email roblaneallotment@gmail.com

Bloopers

Hi all, whenever I go to the allotment I always say I will just do one job.
However somehow there is almost always another job to do then another!
If this is like you be careful.Look what can happen if you work too hard;

Bloomers

Here you can see Timperly Early already in bloom and will be cropping soon. It loves the wet and has benefitted from the inclement weather of late.
During the drier months of May and June it tends to die back because of the shortage of water.However as soon as the summer rains begin it refreshes and gives another good harvest.
Not bad for a few buckets of manure!