Good luck to the Ashton Green Revolution

On St. George's Day, Saturday 23rd April, 2011 we started a Green
revolution in Ashton-under-lyne, Tameside, in the tradition of English
radical group The diggers who during the period of the English
Commonwealth, in 1649 reclaimed the common land of St. George's Hill
from the Lords of the manor by digging and cultivating it.

After years of delay by Tameside Council prospective allotment holders
in Ashton have now organised ourselves to take over control of the
land on Ashton Moss that had been allocated for the replacement
allotments, supported by sympathetic volunteers, we came together in a
day of action to reclaim the allotments from Cordingleys who have
neglected and mismanaged the land

Ashton Allotments Action, activists arrived at the the site at 10.00
am on Saturday morning with garden tools and started to clear the
weeds from the overgrown allotment plots.

The major weed infestation on the site is primarily from Soft Rush
Juncus effusus, but also includes many other weeds which are difficult
to remove such as Horsetail Equsetum Arvense.

The action day finished at 16.00, by which time the we had cleared
approximately 30 square metres, after digging the soil over we planted
Beans and potatoes.

This was the first day of action, Ashton Allotment Action now intend
to continue cultivating and improving the allotment site, we invite
others who are on the waiting list for allotments on Ashton Moss and
anyone else who supports what we are doing to join, for information
contact

We now call upon Tameside Council and Cordingleys to remedy the
neglect and mismanagement of the Ashton Moss allotments site.

We call on the Council, as a matter of urgency to call a meeting of
the all of the people who are on their waiting list for an allotment
on Ashton Moss, in order to facilitate the the allocation of allotment
plots and the formation of an allotment association to administrate
and manage the Ashton Moss allotment site.

We call on Cordingleys to immediately hand over the allotment sites to
Tameside Council as a matter of urgency.

We also, demand that Cordingleys make reparation to the future
allotment holders for their neglect and mismanagement of the allotment
site by providing sufficient resources to allow them to utilise the
agricultural machinery that will be necessary to effectively remove
the Soft Rush and other weed infestation from the allotment site.