Category Archives: Allotments

Pest control(Rats) on our Allotment Site

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Woodley Town Council has appointed a new pest control company, which will also be responsible for pest control on our allotment site.

They have recently visited the site, renewed the bait in many of the existing bait boxes and installed additional bait boxes in areas where we have received reports of rat activity.

When I met with them recently, they reported that a number of the bait boxes had been moved by tenants. This really does defeat the purpose of their work.

May I please ask all tenants to assist the Committee and the pest control company in reducing the rat population by not moving these bait boxes. They have been carefully positioned to maximise their effectiveness and are there to help make the allotment site better for everyone.

We will post further updates on the website and Facebook page as and when required.

Many thanks &
Kind regards

Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee

Fruit Trees & Bushes – 2026

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Yes, it’s that time of year when you need to be considering next year’s Fruit Trees and Bushes purchases.

See below for this year’s competitive price list and all the information you need for ordering, payment and delivery.

Once again, many thanks to Teresa Buley for running this yearly event.

Click on the image below to download your copy of the Order Form. Happy Planting.

Temporary BBQ Ban Notice from Woodley Town Council

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Please be aware that from 12 Noon today – 10th July 2026 – Woodley Town Council have issued a temporary ban on any BBQ’s being used across the whole of the Reading Road Allotment Site. The seasonal ban on bonfires is still in force.

See below for a copy of the notice that is now posted on both gate entrances to the Allotment site.

Many thanks & Kind regards
Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee

Newsletter – Summer 2026

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Another great edition, full of interesting information. Once again, the Committee’s thanks go to Hannah Varley-Thompson for the sterling job she has done as our Editor in creating this edition.

One technical point: we believe there is still an issue affecting certain iPhones, which may experience problems opening multi-page PDFs due to compatibility issues with some iOS and hardware combinations. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to resolve this issue directly. If you do encounter this problem, we suggest downloading the PDF directly from the WATA website and viewing it on another device.

Please let us know if you have any comments, feedback or suggestions by emailing us at readingroadplots@woodley-allotments.org.uk. Happy reading.

Please click on the image below to download your own copy.

WATA Special Bulletin 112 – On-Site Shed Roof Refurbishment

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The Committee have issued a Special Bulletin about the upcoming On-site Shed Roof Refurbishment to coincide with the WTC announcement of a partial closure of an area of the Allotment site on Friday 3rd July 2026.

You can download your own copy of that Special Bulletin, by clicking on the image below.

If you have any questions/comments, then please let us know by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post – ‘Leave a Reply‘- or by emailing readingroadplots@woodley-allotments.org.uk and we will get back to you with a response.

Finally, we continue to build up our Mailing List, if you have not already joined it, you can opt-in here.

Many thanks &
Kind regards

Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee

WATA General Meeting – 20th April 2026 – Minutes & Speaker Notes

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Hi Everyone

As you will remember, quite a number of items came up during the talk and therefore, we set out below a series of images that it click on your will be able to download your own copy of..

  • a copy of the minutes from the meeting
  • a copy of the slides used for the talk
  • a copy of the compost menu that was discussed
  • a copy of an IRDC survey questionnaire (for you to complete, if you would like) that Krishna talked about
  • a list of Krishna’s Nepalese colleagues who have plots on our site
  • a copy of BBC article about the IRDC.

It was a very interesting evening — enjoy your reading.

Many thanks &
Kind regards
Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee

WATA Special Bulletin 111 – Skips for early May Bank Holiday Weekend

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As part of the Committee’s ongoing work to improve how the allotment site and plots manage waste, WATA Special Bulletin 111 explains the use of skips that will be on site from 2nd May to 4th May 2026. Click on the image below to download your own copy of the Special Bulletin.

There will be two skips, as usual. However, this time:

 – one skip is for green waste only
 – one skip is for general waste

A member of the Committee will be on site during the skip opening times (see the special bulletin for details) to assist with any questions.

CCTV will be in operation. If the skips are closed, please do not leave rubbish beside them, take it away and return during the designated opening times. Please also note that it is not the Committee’s responsibility to load your rubbish into the skips.

If you have any questions about the bulletin, please contact us on the usual email of readingroadplots@woodley-allotments.org.uk.

Many thanks &
Kind regards

Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee

MANAGED BONFIRES ENDING TOMORROW

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Tomorrow (29th April) will be the final committee-managed bonfire on our allotment site. Please bring any wood waste to the back gate area before 12 noon.

After this date, tenants must burn wood waste on their own plots, with this option ending on 30th April. From 1st May onwards, all wood waste must be disposed of off-site by tenants themselves.

Many Thanks &
Kind Regards

Mike McNamara
Chair WATA Committee

Cleaning up our plots – Are you ready for Plot Inspections?

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As everyone will know, we have now stopped all plastic recycling. I would like to thank Woodley Town Council for dealing with the collection and disposal of what had, by then, become a huge amount of plastic waste.

We will continue with metal and glass recycling. Tenants may also continue to place any rubble from their plots onto the large rubble pile by the main gate.

We are also nearing the end of the committee-managed bonfires (11 have taken place to date), which we have been carrying out by the back gate. Two more will be held before the end of April.

That said, there is still a considerable amount of abandoned wood (and other rubbish) lying on plots, as you will see from the gallery of images below. Any plot identifying information has been removed from these images.

We would ask plot holders, once again, to bring any abandoned wood, broken pallets, or tree branch cuttings from their plots to the back gate before the last Wednesday in April, in preparation for our final managed bonfire.

Many thanks &
Kind regards

Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee

Bonfire season ending in two weeks

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There are now only a few weeks to go until the end of the bonfire season, when bonfires will be banned across the entire allotment site until October 2026.

We will be holding our final two on-site, Committee managed bonfires on Wednesday 22nd and Wednesday 29th April. So please bring any old wood/old-broken pallets/tree cuttings you have on your plot to the back gate area before the last of those two dates.

As mentioned previously, plot holders who are unable, for any reason, to move old wood/old-broken pallets/tree cuttings to the bonfire area at the back gate should contact the Committee. We will assist relevant plot holders in dealing with this. Please leave any material you would like burnt at the end of your plot for collection.

You can contact the Committee via email at readingroadplots@woodley-allotments.org.uk, through the Facebook page, or via your Row Representatives.

Many thanks &
Kind regards

Mike McNamara
Chair – WATA Committee