David Tennant of Plot F up near the bee hives won the Tallest Sunflower Competition with a magnificent plant 120 inches high - the committee also thought it was a very well grown and handsome specimen.   

He wins the bottle of wine, but only just by inches over the joint runners up:  Peter Griffin and Mr R Singh.   
Well done everyone this year our allotments at Binswood looked marvellous, you would think we were in the South of France!

B.L.A.S.T. – 'Bringing Leamington Allotment Societies Together' is the name of the newly combined force of Leamington allotment societies formed to fight any future plans from Warwick District Council. To give WDC a loud blast of our anger at their next meeting. To oppose any plans that could lead to bulldozers on local allotments or green belt.

In National Allotment Week to celebrate 100 years since laws were passed to protect allotments, it’s ironic that in 2008 we are having to fight to protect our plots.

B.L.A.S.T. represents over 1200 people involved in and benefiting from four Leamington allotments:  Binswood, Cliffe, New Milverton and Old Milverton who also have over 100 people waiting for allotment plots.

B.L.A.S.T. believe local people should have the opportunity to exercise, socialise and grow their own produce without fear from planners.

B.L.A.S.T. believe a healthy life style and healthy living can reduce our carbon footprint in Warwickshire.

B.L.A.S.T. believe we should fight to keep our allotments safe from planners today and in the future to ensure our green spaces are kept free for our children and their children.

B.L.A.S.T. intend to attend both WDC meetings in September and December to request that all WDC councillors support Leamington Town Council’s proposal that all Leamington Allotments plus Green Belt be excluded from any future development plans.

B.L.A.S.T. intend to mount a vigorous and continuous campaign to make WDC understand their views and vote for their cause.

B.L.A.S.T. intend to organise two more wheelbarrow walks to tie in with the WDC meetings and a third Green Belt Walk to highlight the dangers of developers’ plans to encroach upon Green Belt in north Leamington.

B.L.A.S.T. have also created a website: www.leamingtonallotments.co.uk which is online now and where people can sign a petition in support of ALL Leamington allotments and green belt being excluded from any future development plans.

Geoff Southgate, B.L.A.S.T. committee member says: ‘We know there are builders hungry to get their hands on our allotments and build on Green Belt. There is a serious threat and we have to be vigilant. Our task is to oppose any attempt to build on land that should be enjoyed by Leamington people. In fact we should be creating more allotments for those 100’s of people on waiting lists, not letting developers plan to build on our allotments, it makes no blasted sense’.

The government decided last year that 10,800 should be constructed in Warwick district by 2020. A public consultation on the matter ended last week to which thousands responded.

But government officials have now stated an extra 4,000 homes need to be built across the 'sub-region' of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull - to the alarm of district councillors.

Read the full Courier story here.