Dear AutoPot Customer,

Firstly, Happy Easter from all at AutoPot and Little Growers! We are pleased to see the sun appearing as spring approaches, this can only mean one thing; the growing season is on its way! We’d like to say a big thank you for all your orders so far in 2010, thanks to the 10% donation from every AutoPot purchase to the Little Growers fund we have so far raised £1593.39. AutoPot’s continuing generosity and commitment to Little Growers allows the charity to press on with its horticultural education schemes across the UK. So thank you to all AutoPot customers for their orders, you are helping Little Growers whilst continuing to grow yourselves!

In this edition of the newletter we cover the following from AutoPot and Little Growers;

AutoPot continues to expand globally and we are pleased to announce the addition of three new distributors in Europe.

Hidroponica is a Romanian horticultural distributor who have recently added the AutoPot Products to their list of growing systems. They can be found online at http://www.hidroponica.ro/   Grodanmark is a Danish outdoor and indoor supplier of growing equipment, following the mantra “We live as long as nature survives.”  They are now selling AutoPot products online at http://grodanmark.dk/shop/front.php     Northgrow is a Norwegan horticultural distributor with a range of products to be found at http://www.northgrow.no/shop/

AutoPot have just secured a contract in the Maldives to erect a greenhouse on the Island of Feydhoo in Addu Atoll, near Gan, on the former British Air Base.  The long term aim here is to trial the products, create a president so that the blue print can be offered to all the islands, thus making each island to a degree self sustainable.  This is a great opportunity for AutoPot and for the residents in the Republic of the Maldives. 








Due to their simplicity, efficiency and no requirement for power the AutoPot systems are perfectly suited to the Maldivian climate where power cuts and lack of water can hamper growth rates.

Little Growers is now through to the final stage of the Local Food Fund, as we reported in the last newsletter. We recently had a meeting with our Local Food advisor to help compose the strongest application, so fingers crossed that our application will make it over this final hurdle and Little Growers can expand into our next phase of setting up 120 schools across the UK.

Whilst meeting with our adviser we visited the AutoPot trial site in Oxford, which acts as a show site for the irrigation systems that are used in Little Growers schools. AutoPot is our longstanding sponsor and has provided ongoing and invaluable support to Little Growers since the start. The photographs below show the trial site in its early stages and we will keep you updated on developments and findings at the farm. Little Growers is also exploring the possibility of school visits to the trial site to facilitate educational days in horticulture for children across the UK. This idea is however in the very early stages, but we will be sure to keep you updated on its progress.

To find out more visit http://www.localfoodgrants.org

Little Growers attended the annual Growing Schools Conference on 25th March at Oxford Botanic Gardens.  We both visited and exhibited at the conference with great success.  We met schools from across the country that showed keen interest in becoming part of our scheme, as well as other horticultural organisations with great potential for future partnership working.  Growing Schools is a government scheme that facilitates children to become involved in gardening in a range of ways including acting as a teaching resource for schools across the UK.

To find out more click here or visit http://www.growingschools.org.uk/

Little Growers is pleased to announce working in partnership with the Allotment Association to recruit volunteers for our community horticulture networks.  By working together we hope to establish a nationwide volunteer network, which would provide the schools with hands on help from enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardeners.  We recently published an article in the National Allotment Association Magazine to recruit volunteers and have already begun recruiting members.

More information can be found at http://www.nsalg.org.uk

Click the article image to the left or here to view the full version

If you are interested in joining please contact heather@littlegrowers.co.uk

In the last newsletter we bought you news of Little Growers establishing a project in Klaeng, 200km east of Bangkok. Rungnapapittaya school teaches around 2,000 children from 3 to 16 years old.  The project is going well as you can see from the photos with the children gaining a great deal from the project, encompassing drawing the produce, harvesting and using the crops in school meals.  A variety of plants are being nurtured by the school children including; Thai basil, chilly plants and lemon plants.

Little Growers is pleased to announce the addition of a new international project to its portfolio.  We are setting up 36 schools in the Maldives with an easy2grow System to start their horticultural schemes.  This amazing addition to the Little Growers family will be funded by the Little Growers Fund, which is a result of AutoPot donating 10% of all online sales to us.  So a huge thank you to AutoPot and their customers for their continual generosity and support.  We will run a competition for all schools involved which will judge who grows the best plants and the best drawings of their horticultural set ups.

Coming soon to the Little Growers website will be a comprehensive annual growing planner for a range of crops.  The planner will have information on what to grow, when to grow and how best to undertake horticultural projects year round and will be available at the Downloads Area of the website.  This will act as an ongoing information resource for schools and will be updated regularly by us with tips and advice on growing.

That's all for now from AutoPot & Little Growers

Jason Ralph-Smith - Director (AutoPot)
& Heather Pearl - (Little Growers)

AutoPot Global Ltd

Brill View Farm
Ludgershall Road
Piddington, Oxfordshire
OX25 1PU

Telephone:

+44 (0)844 858 1520

Fax:

+44 (0)8703 836953

Web:

www.autopot.co.uk

Email:

mail@autopot.co.uk

company no:

05381373