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OAP faces losing allotment

8:50pm Saturday 27th June 2009


FOR 30 years Edith Avery has lovingly tended an allotment outside her back door in Rogerstone - but now it could be taken away from her because it has too many flowers and shrubs and a lack of vegetables.

Rogerstone community council has informed the 89-year-old by letter that her tenancy agreement for the plot has been terminated because she has not complied with regulations.

She was given 14 days to clear it or the council would arrange it and charge her. But until late yesterday Mrs Avery and her family were unable to contact the council since the letter arrived on June 15, leaving her "worried sick" about a deadline on Monday for her to leave the plot.

"I'm afraid I'll wake up one morning and there'll be men here clearing it," said Mrs Avery, an RAF Coastal Command teleprinter operator during the Second World War, and whose late husband Albert served with the Royal Artillery.

"I've grown vegetables and strawberries, but as I've got older, it has gradually switched to flowers and shrubs. It's nice to look out on.

"It's not as if it isn't tended, like a few of the plots around here, which are overgrown?"

Mrs Avery's daughter Sandra Tomaszewski, from Pontllanfraith, said the council finally contacted her after the Argus called it about the situation yesterday. The council told her there would be no eviction on Monday and that it would discuss her mother's plot on Wednesday.

She acknowledged there may be a technical breach of the rules, but said: "I think it's a bit brutal.

"My mother took on this allotment when no-one else wanted it, to keep it tidy outside the house."

Newport West MP Paul Flynn has taken up Mrs Avery's case.

"Mrs Avery has worked this plot for 30 years and it is very well tended, a credit to her," he said.

"I can't understand why the council is taking this stance. It's nonsense."

The council's clerk is on holiday until Monday, and a message on the council's answerphone asks people who have received allotment termination notices to reply in writing.

Council chairman councillor Andrew Cooksey did not want to comment directly, but said he would be discussing the matter with the clerk next week.


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Your Say YourGwent

welshorb, Cwmbran says...
9:28pm Sat 27 Jun 09

What is the world coming to if an 89 year old cannot enjoy her allotment in peace, without being made to worry by "the authority". I think at 89, maybe this lady is entitled to abit of pleasure?

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welshorb, Cwmbran says...
9:31pm Sat 27 Jun 09

Maybe if she was growing Cannabis, then they would have a reason to intervene!!!

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Woolybug, Lliswerry, Newport says...
9:50pm Sat 27 Jun 09

What on earth is the council thinking! Leave the poor woman alone and let her lovely tend to her allotment as she feels appropriate. As quoted by Mrs Avery, is not as though it is overgrown unlike neighbouring plots. I hope that she is continued to allow to enjoy the pleasure her allotment brings to her.

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Woolybug, Lliswerry, Newport says...
9:53pm Sat 27 Jun 09

Ooop's, it was supposed to say 'lovingly tend to her allotment'. My beliefs remain the same, leave Mrs Avery alone and hassle the people who allow their plots to overgrow. Apologies for my error.

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sightseeker, newport says...
11:27pm Sat 27 Jun 09

MY GOD THIS LADY WAS IN THE WAR FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY I BET NOW ALL SHE WANTS IS A FEW FLOWERS GET A GRIP AND STOP PEOPLE MISUSEING THE ALLOTMENTS GOOD LUCK TO YOU MRS AVERY

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angryofcwmbran, Cwmbran says...
11:50pm Sat 27 Jun 09

Arseholes!

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Orson Cart, Here and There says...
6:11am Sun 28 Jun 09

The council should be ashamed and embarrassed, are they completely lacking in sensitivity. Whilst there must be rules and regulations surely they should only be enforced depending on the merits of the case!!!!!!!

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The Avon Lady, High Cross says...
6:36am Sun 28 Jun 09

Leave the women alone,at her time of life,it is her pleasure.The council are bonkers have they no respect for anyone,all they care about is themselves and not normal people,rules and regulations are often enforced in stupid cases,just like this one

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Bobevans, Newport says...
8:30am Sun 28 Jun 09

hat total nonscence. If the plot is well tended what the hell is the problem. By the sound of it there are plenty of empty overgrown plots there.

What the hell does it matter as to whether its flowes or vegtables. Its not as though she is grazing sheep on it or turned it into a fairgrownd

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jilted john, newport gwent says...
9:47am Sun 28 Jun 09

My god the council will finish this poor woman off with stress.
The council should visit council houses ask them to tidy there front gardens
The top of always look’s like the Bronx stones and brick’s on the road fences hanging of. Drunks sleeping out the front.
They winged about a poor lady growing flowers.
Council get a life and sort your houses out years ago the inspector would walk around and made sure your gardens were kept tidy.

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Esta, Newport says...
11:32am Sun 28 Jun 09

The council need a good kick up the backside. Mrs Avery should be praised for still tending to an allotment at 89 whether it be for flowers or vegetables. The council should go around and give her a personal apology for the distress they have caused her!

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bert, newport says...
12:29pm Sun 28 Jun 09

Are the local Council planning on building houses on the allotment?.

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PontyPeter, The Wild West says...
2:11pm Sun 28 Jun 09

This is a community council we are dealing with here - not a city or borough. The community councils don't build houses, they just deal with trivial matters (like allotments) and clearly in this case, can't manage to do even that very well.

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denlexx, cwmbran says...
4:16pm Sun 28 Jun 09

leave the poor woman alone, go and do something useful like get the people who litter up the place not pick on a poor old lady who wants to grow a few flowers to make her world a bit brighter.we are all living in a gal dang mad house what will they think of doing next.

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socialistparty, Newport says...
4:29pm Sun 28 Jun 09

Well done Rogerstone community council, it is not that easy at 89 years of age to manage any type of gardening whether you are growing flowers or vegetables, but the former is much the easier, so I guess in the case of Edith she prefers to keep busy gardening which is obviously her passion, and we have to admire her for that.

May I also remind the “Jobs Worth” who is trying to take away that pleasure, that flowers and shrubs compliment vegetable gardens, as it natures way of attracting the insects and other wildlife that eat the pests that destroy the vegetables. So Edith’s garden allotment is ecological sound and is in balance with nature.

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KazB, Cwmbran says...
6:13pm Sun 28 Jun 09

Well said everyone and good luck to you Ms Avery.

89 years old and having to put up with idiotic jobs worths. Twaddle!!

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Wendy B, Cwmbran says...
7:13pm Sun 28 Jun 09

Typical council, I wouldnt have expected anything different from them! Shame on you!!!!

Leave the lady alone and tend to your own gardening requirements! Some areas look a mess. They shouldn't comment on private or rented land until they have kept their own in shape!!

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Mervyn James, Newport says...
8:55am Mon 29 Jun 09

bert wrote:
Are the local Council planning on building houses on the allotment?.
There is a lot (lol), in that. A nearby allotment had a third sold off to hopuse builders. Igather allotments were set up via the war, so that people could grown food they couldn't buy, so she broke that guideline. Then again I've seen people build small houses (!) on allotments too, complete with settee's chairs, TVs and a carpet.... why don't the councils come down on that ? they are mini 'estates' in some part and not very nice to look at either...

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14LocksDragon, Rogerstone says...
9:06am Mon 29 Jun 09

And yet a few allotments up, someone has erected a poorly constructed 6 foot timber fence which is invasive and completely out of character with the area and the same council refused to do anything about it!

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invaders79, Kings Lynn says...
11:02am Mon 29 Jun 09

Who ever is responsible if they take Edith Avery allotment away from her,will one day reach 89. Then when they look out of their window and have nothing to look forward to, they think back, and remember Edith Avery, then they will know how the stress of this injustice had devastated her future. L Burton Kings Lynn Norfolk

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diandai, new inn says...
11:52am Mon 29 Jun 09

This attitude by the community council surely highlights their ignorance of nature and wildlife.By growing flowers and shrubs she is surely providing a much needed environment for bees and insects that are needed to pollinate all things that grow.Without this we would not have the vegetable crops that are what the council seem so concerned about.Maybe if they the council thought with their brains and not with their arseholes they would have realised the good that a flower patch on an allotment do for all the gardeners.

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EmmaJaneG, Cwmbran says...
4:38pm Mon 29 Jun 09

This is terrible, leave her alone. At the end of the day doesnt Newport support all the City in bloom competitions then they complain that there are too many flowers?

If there are people wanting the plot for vegestable then ok ask the lady if she wants to give up her plot dont just terminate her agreement. Newport could do with some smell of flowers instead of stale food and fumes. Councils are dull as dishwater and have nothing else to do.

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