Anger has been expressed at an allotment association meeting as members clashed over issues such as peat compost and one person was "chased out of the room".
Chinnor Allotments and Gardening Association (CAGA) held a meeting on Tuesday, October 22 at the Chinnor Community Pavilion, drawing an unusually large turnout due to rising concerns about the future direction of the association.
Tensions grew over key issues, such as the condition of the shop and distribution centre (DC) and the leadership of CAGA.
One attendee said the group's chairman Mike Gill "celebrated the increased sales of peat compost, rather than peat-free alternatives".
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The whistleblower, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “This outdated viewpoint raised concerns about the leadership’s ability to meet the evolving needs of the community, especially as some members called for more progressive, sustainable practices.”
She added: “The atmosphere took a further turn when an attendee voiced, 'I don’t want newcomers to the village,' highlighting the long-standing tension between the older generation and newer arrivals.
“This public expression of exclusion raised concerns about the inclusiveness of CAGA’s leadership and whether it was fostering a welcoming environment.”
She said: “This aggressive behaviour highlighted the combative tone of the meeting and cast further doubt on the association’s ability to create a professional and collaborative environment.
“While there were moments of genuine discussion, no clear resolution was reached on how to address the pressing issues, including the financial challenges of maintaining and repairing the allotments' infrastructure.
“The meeting ended without a concrete plan for moving forward.”
On the group's public Facebook page, Carole Pegram defended the current committee.
She posted: “The recent posts, I personally feel, are so disrespectful to the existing committee and helpers who have for many years worked so hard to create this lovely environment which we all enjoy, and they have kept this organisation going.
“This is no easy task in today’s busy environment. I myself play an active role in a community organisation and it can be a very hard and demanding role.
"It feels that the new nominees have already assumed they will be elected and rather than work with the existing committee, they want to completely replace them.”
She added: “Yes there may be things that need to change, every organisation faces these challenges, but there is a right and respectful way of doing this.
"We should be trying to grow the organisation and attract new plot holders as ultimately this will ensure that CAGA continues to thrive successfully into the future, something that we should all want.
"I’m not sure that the current vibe I’m feeling from the past few days social media posts will support this in any way and may in fact have completely the opposite effect. Respect is something that we all can and should give and it costs nothing.”
The Chinnor Allotments and Gardening Association has been approached for a comment.
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