SEED DISTRIBUTION TEAM FOR 2014-15

[Maggi Young]

URGENTLY WANTED - SEED DISTRIBUTION TEAM FOR 2014-15

The Edinburgh Group have acted as the SRGC Seed Distribution Team for the last twelve years, and will currently be working hard at the seed distribution. However, they have stated a wish that this should be their last year, so we are looking for another group of members to take over the role of seed distribution. The work takes place mainly in January and February, and the Edinburgh group have found it fun and a sociable business, as well as providing a really important service to the Club.

If anyone thinks they and their local group  might like to take over the seed distribution role, they should contact Carole or Ian Bainbridge 0131 445 3268 or greenscenedesign@hotmail.com for further information.

Please bring this request up at all group meetings for discussion.

[Maggi Young]

Seed Distribution team report – These notes and photos are from the last two seasons of the Seed Distribution – we hope they will give a flavour of the project to any Groups thinking about volunteering for this very important task for the Club.

Lothian members moved the seed to the  picking area ( a potting shed in the RBGE nursery) and set up the trays which will allow order processing to start next weekend.
We set up the 16 picking trays on 29th December; only 55,000 packets of seed at this stage, and a bigger list than for several years.  Seems to have been a good seed collecting year in general....
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Mike Hicks checking for reserve seed

[Maggi Young]

The first weekend  in January the Edinburgh hardy folk got going, and we have picked, packed and posted the first four hundred donor requests, so we hope donors will start receiving their seed in a few days’ time.  We'll be hard at work for the next three weekends, and hopefully will have all the requests finished by the end of January.

 Some  snaps taken earlier today. The packets you receive are laid out in trays and the volunteers select from these trays using  the lists you have sent in. They then put them into envelopes according to the regulations of the recipient county as some destinations eg USA and  Australia require extra paperwork such as an accompanying list of contents. The packets  then go into  boxes -UK; Europe; USA, rest of the world etc. and are taken to the post office after each weekend. The green trays have the reserve stocks  of seed and someone  - here madam president - fills extra packets when required. A liberal supply of cakes and biscuits is on hand to encourage the troops.

So far the team (20 different folk have helped) have spent around over 250 hours picking and sending your seed requests.  Stan's snaps below show Sheila Anderson picking a request, Liz Mills packing a completed request, Rob Graham, Frazer Henderson and Ian Bainbridge doing important stuff (!),  while President Carole Bainbridge makes up extra packets which have been requested.

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[Maggi Young]

 Notes from the pickers as the work goes on.......  We picked and packed the first 400 or so orders last weekend (the first 100 person-hours of picking work), and seed is arriving with members. 

 ......We should have all main orders completed by 20th Jan, all being well. We have now picked and packed around 1000 requests, most of which will be in the mail by tomorrow.  Next weekend will see us finish off the last main requests and start on the surplus requests

Some snaps of the volunteers at work:
Using the lists recipients have sent   or emailed in the packets are pulled from the trays. As seed runs out trays are topped up  from the green back up trays. The  tables are  for envelopes to be filled and sealed according to the requirements of the recipient's country.
The boxes on the floor fill up with packets which will go to post on Sunday evening.

The Edinburgh Rock Garden Group began seed distribution on the first Saturday in January; the aim is to have all main allocation requests completed by January 21st.

Surplus seed distribution will not begin until all main orders are completed; not before Jan. 21st, so members will receive their main and surplus orders a few weeks apart. It is hoped to complete surplus distribution by mid February.

Donor’s orders will be completed first, on the basis of their donation record: donating more seed and for more years moves you up the list. Non-donors and surplus seed orders will be dealt with in order of their arrival date with the Team .
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[Maggi Young]

Seed Distribution: early 2015

From 2014-15, we have a new Seed Distribution Team. After twelve years of
superb service to the Club, the Edinburgh Group is taking a well-earned break.
Our very grateful thanks and congratulations go to them for managing the distribution
so well for so long; they have done a fantastic job.

In 2014-15, the South-West Scotland Group will be a taking on the Distribution role, and the Club is very grateful to them for picking up the baton.
Full details of the arrangements for ordering seed will be included in the seed list and on the website.