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All about Allotments Officers' Forums

AOFs are facilitated by ARI Mentors. The events are free, informal, and content is mutually arranged between the officers themselves and ARI. Recent events have focused on allotment strategies, the use of starter packs for new plotholders, and managing health and safety on allotments which included a practical risk assessment on a site visit.

Each event aims to bring council allotment officers together to:

• Promote good practice in allotment management in the region
• Promote resources that can facilitate good practice
• Develop models of good practice from the event
• Facilitate the development of supportive networks
• Access organisations that can give help and support
• Offer constructive and productive delivery.

Here is a selection of feedback from attendees at recent AOFs:

“A very welcome initiative for someone who is new to allotments”
“Local officers can now form partnerships etc”
“It is really good to see so many authorities from the local area and exchange views and good practice”
“Thank you for inviting me, the event proved to be quite informative and raised some issues that need to be addressed”
“It was very useful to meet other allotment officers and hear their views on how to deal with various issues”
“Very useful to discuss issues with colleagues in a similar role. Great to speak to allotments holders [on site visit].
“Very informative and very interesting…every element had something interesting”
“Good networking opportunity”
“New ideas are discussed. It’s always interesting to hear from other officers, ARI, NSALG etc”
“This is an excellent format/forum to enable networking for allotments officers to engage with”
“It’s very important to have a supportive network – it makes me feel that I’m not a lone voice, that others have just as many appalling sites as I have and I am not struggling on my own. I have picked up lots of good ideas as well”
“Nice to see and understand that our issues are very much the same as others” (NW AOF)
“Great to hear other peoples issues – sharing problems – feel less overwhelmed with issues”
“Excellent networking exercise”
“Good sharing of ideas between different allotments”
“Excellent”