Most allotment societies are run by a handful of volunteers, with a committee, a constitution, a waiting list and an annual round of plot inspections and AGMs. A website is not about looking slick — it is about taking three recurring jobs off the secretary's plate: explaining how to join, answering the same questions over and over, and keeping plot-holders informed.
The three jobs a site should do
- Handle the waiting list enquiry. "How do I get a plot?" is the question an allotment secretary answers most. A clear page — where the site is, roughly how long the wait is, how the list works, and a form to register interest — turns a dozen phone calls a month into a tidy inbox.
- Answer the repeat questions. Plot rents and renewal dates, the rules on sheds, bonfires, hosepipes and livestock, how to report a vacant or neglected plot, where the water and the key are. A simple "plot-holder info" page saves endless repetition.
- Share news plot-holders need. Water switched off for winter, work-party dates, the AGM, the annual show. Even a short notices section beats relying on everyone seeing a Facebook post.
Keep it honest and current
An allotment site does not need a gallery of twenty marrows. It needs to be accurate — rents and dates especially. If you publish a committee list or any plot-holder details, remember GDPR: only names and roles people have agreed to show, and no personal contact details without consent. A single club email address (secretary@) is better than a volunteer's personal one, and it survives committee changes.
You do not need a budget
This is exactly the kind of small, mostly-static site that free tools now handle well. The real cost was always the volunteer evenings to build and maintain it, not the hosting.
How this works on Natterio
Tell Natterio you run an allotment society and it writes a starter site — a welcome page, an about/how-to-join page and a contact page with a working enquiry form — in about a minute, which you then edit in plain language. The permanent free plan is three pages with no card, which covers the three jobs above for many societies. If you later want a members-only area for plot-holders, a noticeboard forum or your own .org.uk domain, the Community plan adds those. Browse other community group examples for a feel first, or start your society's site free.