ALLOTMENT holders in Otley could be about to see a major change in the way the town's nine sites are managed.

A recent survey came up with a list of necessary and wished for improvements at the sites that was quickly revealed as totally outside the town council's budget. Just £4,000 every year is raised through rents from plot holders - and more than a quarter of that will quickly be swallowed up with the clearing of asbestos from the sites.

To give plot holders the opportunity of making the most of their sites, the council is to investigate the setting up of an Otley Allotments Association which would open the doors to all sorts of grants and funding. The town council, as a local authority, is barred from applying for lottery and other funding, but community associations are free to apply.

Clearly, the town's sites need money spent on them. They are a great asset to the town and those who use them, including some of the town's disabled people, get a lot of enjoyment from the plots - and not just for the free healthy foods they produce.

Meanwhile, the allotments are to be cleared of much potentially dangerous asbestos. The material was once used as a cheap building material for sheds and outbuildings, but once damaged can cause health problems - even its disposal has to be treated carefully.

Plot holders are to be given advice on bagging up the material and on a given day it will be removed - a collective sigh of relief for Otley's allotment holders.

Tucked away in a corner of Otley is Otley Sailing Club, and what a great deal of good work it is achieving in its own, quiet way. Having just expanded its fleet of sailing dinghies suitable for both able bodied and disabled sailors, the club is now looking ahead to buying a specially adapted power boat - again for both able and disabled people.

Over the summer it will also be playing host to primary school children keen to learn a new, healthy sport.