Children on allotments H/S

Hi all, we have been told children are not allowed to run around the allotment site due to H/S reasons. Our committee said the council is going to conduct a risk assessment on H/S issues.

Any thoughts on this please. It has certainly upset our young families.

We love the kids on the allotment as I think it is safe for them to play under the watchful eye of their parents and really they are no trouble.

Phil(Fancy):cnfs::(

 

I really think it is wrong of the council to ban children from the allotments as long as their parents are there to supervise.
Surely these children will learn something far more constructive by being there with their parents and maybe helping out a bit here and there.

 

These are responsible parents with well behaved children . I have never seen them running amock on plots.

 

Sounds ridiculous to me, local concils are getting carried away with this sort of thing, they should focus their attentions on the youngsters hanging around street corners.

 

I agree with pip, now the nights a drawing in I can't go to my local shop after dark as they all hang out there and it's intimidating.

You would have thought councils would welcome kids onto allotments, getting them into growing food and flowers, premotes healthy eating and keeping them active.

 

There are risks, but nothing above and beyond normal everyday risk exposure. This has nothing to do with H&S and everything to do with liability. You will probably find someone has sued relating to a child injury on an allotment in recent allotment history in your or a neighbouring council area.

 

What an absurdity! Councils are bcoming scared of their own shadows now.

 

Children are the gardeners of the future and should be ENCOURAGED to go with their parents to the allotments. As long as the are not allowed to run wild, I don`t see what the problem is. Are these councillors going to ban THEIR children from their own back gardens? Same thing, in the end.

 

"Are these councillors going to ban THEIR children from their own back gardens? Same thing, in the end."

Exactly Daitheplant, if you rent an allotment surely that is the same as renting a house off the council it won't be long before you will have to carry out a risk assessment in your own garden, absolute madness and the trouble is you are probably right, they probably would ban their children from their own back gardens if that meant they kept their job.

Rant over & yes I do feel a bit better now

Dave

 

More young couples are taking on allotment plots on our site and I can honestly tell you their children are well behaved. Some of them will offer to help you do the weeding and other little odd jobs around. Parents know the children are safe on our allotment site as the gates are always locked. I know they bring their bikes along but only ride on the main path. just one grumpy person complained and now its become a H/S issue.

I agree with all of you no wonder children are feeling bored all the time, every time they do something it becomes an H/S issue.

I seem to notice they dont use the parks so much as they used to.

 

It may be an idea to get in touch with the National Association of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners.:thumb:

 

We have a few young families on our allotments who have children and all are very well behaved and know what's right and what's wrong and also know where they can go and where they can not.

The only problem I have encountered is not the children themselves but the parents of two toddlers both who are under five, these parents think it's ok to 'dump' their children on who ever is knocking around and allow them to walk unsupervised around the allotments which bearing in mind we have water filled baths along the tracks it's not a brilliant idea.

I have looked after the toddlers while their parents got some work done but in turn I don't get a chance of getting any real work done myself as I'm always worried the little ones will get into some peril, to be honest I really think that these parents are just 'playing at it' and only doing an allotment because of all the media coverage because they just haven't a clue and I don't mean allotment wise either.

Their own plot is all fenced & gated off so the toddlers can be kept safe with their parents close at hand and as hardly any of the plot is being used they really should have a children's play and a kiddie home grown section I mean that's what I have done in the past for our own children it not rocket science! Hel.xxx.

 

Helen, we had a similar problem but now have sorted it. Our keeper told them politely the rules and the safety of the children and gave them 1 month to sort it.

Try and talk to them as it is good to tallk. You will find they will come around when they know they will loose their plots.