Liv Bull (Burnside Site Chair)
My partner and I gratefully received a half plot at Burnside in May 2020 and it has been an incredible adventure since. I must admit I was more of a houseplant person then an outdoor gardener, but having the allotment has definitely changed that! You will often find us pottering around the plot or sometimes enjoying a drink in the sunshine. I am always up for a chat, so do come say hello if you see me. I look forward to being able to further support the society as a member of the committee.
Andy Kurdynowski (Burnside Site Manager and Treasurer)
I’ve had my plot on Burnside since 2004, starting as a complete allotment novice, and have been a member of the committee for much of that time. I am one of the two Burnside site managers, often spending too much time maintaining the site and not enough working my plot, but I do get enjoyment from both.
Matthew Whitelegg (Burnside Site Manager)
I started on the allotment in the Spring of 2009. Since then we have enjoyed abundant crops of bindweed and mare’s tail. As well as tending the plot I have the role of Burnside site manager along with Andy. Over the years this has involved letting out plots to new tenants and generally working on the site as a whole.
Hamish Symington (Secretary)
My wife and I have had a half plot for about six years, and I’ve kept bees in an apiary on the site for nine. We’re aiming to work on our vegetables in the next few years, after decent success with currants, tayberries, strawberries and greengages. Like most others, I think we always hope to spend more time on our plot than we actually do!
Emma Lacy
I got my plot at Burnside right at the start of the pandemic in 2020. It’s my little Eden and a place away from the hustle and bustle. Having worked at The RSPB and at environmental organisations, before going gardener full time, it’s an environment I’m really passionate about. Putting nature and the climate first by growing my own.
John McGill
I’ve had a plot at Burnside since about 2010 and have been on the committee since 2014. I’ve always found it a very friendly environment, with great collaboration among all other plot-holders.
Patrick Joyce (Vinery Site Manager)
Scarily, I started on Vinery in 1997. For several years I resisted the temptation to grow asparagus on my plot because it took three years before you got anything and I had always planned on moving. Twenty years on, I’m still here and the original asparagus is still doing fine! I try to keep six hens (subject to foxes and bird flu), I make half decent Romsey cider, and I don’t like weeds.
Peter Harrison
I’ve had my allotment at Vinery for 20 years or so and have grown large crops of dandelions and guilt. I have been on the committee, on and off, for the last 15 years or so. My best achievement out of those years was the removal of the fabled ‘Burnside Mound’ (a long-standing pile of rubbish!)
Aggie Gada
I joined the Vinery allotment community in 2017. I started with a small, mostly overgrown plot that I have turned into my own paradise. Since then, I have expanded and welcomed three Silkie chickens called Steve, Rachel and Eunice. My aim is to feed myself over the summer period with what I have grown on my little plot, to be more sustainable, and to share my passion for cooking health food.
The post of Vinery Site Chair is currently vacant; Liv Bull is acting into the role.