At an extraordinary General Meeting held on 2nd April, the sad decision was taken, that the Ollerton Jubilee Gardening Club should close. The club had funds in the bank account, which, in line with the constitution of the club, had to be distributed to other local organisations with a connection to gardening or to the club. Members at the meeting were consulted and three organisations were agreed upon, which would each receive one third of the club’s funds. Since then the committee of the gardening club has organised the handing over of the donations to the three organisations.
St Joseph’s School, Boughton
Four members of the gardening club committee attended an assembly at St Joseph’s School, Boughton, where Mrs Daphne Bowler handed over a cheque for £671 to the Friends of St Joseph’s PTA, who have been busy raising funds to develop the school’s wildlife and gardening area. It is hoped that the donation from the club will enable the school to provide a growing area for each class, so that the pupils can grow fruit and vegetables and become more aware of where food comes from. Mrs Broad, the headteacher, thanked the gardening club members for their generosity.
Ollerton Jubilee Hall Committee
The members of the committee attended a meeting of Ollerton Jubilee Hall Committee, where Mrs Joan Ingram, treasurer of the gardening club, presented a cheque for £671. The Jubilee Hall had been the home of the gardening club for over 30 years and members thought that it would be a very worthy recipient of a donation from the club. The Jubilee Hall committee members expressed their thanks and said the money would be spent on refurbishments to the Jubilee Hall, in particular the kitchen area.
Boughton Allotments
The members of the committee went to Boughton Allotments to hand over the final cheque, again for £671, to the Ollerton and Boughton Allotment Association. Mrs Pam Tomlinson, chairperson of the gardening club, presented the cheque to Jon Dinsdale, chairperson of the Allotment Association, who organised a tour of the thriving and well-maintained site. It is intended that the donation will be spent on a compostable toilet for the site.
All of the recipients were amazed to receive a ‘windfall’ and had exciting plans for its use, for the gardening club committee and members it was good to know, that something positive will come out of the closure of the club.