It is with great sadness that we report the death of Mick Merrill on 19th December at Good Hope Hospital following a stroke. Mick had been Chairman of the Ward End Gardeners Association for over 30 years when he retired from the role in November 2019, but he was active right to the end – only on 3rd December he was running the Christmas party raffle as he always did.
Mick was born in November 1940, at the height of the wartime blitzes which targeted all the major cities, particularly in areas like Ward End as there were munitions factories in Drews Lane. Perhaps that’s why he was a tough cookie who managed to keep going with his plot, the WEGA Stores and all the other activities he enjoyed even after a cancer diagnosis in early 2021 was only supposed to give him a few months left to live.
His allotment life started early at Lime Tree Road site when his Dad got him involved. Starting at Plot 35 next to the railway line, his Dad then moved to plots 16/17. He grew vegetables and flowers including his favourite delphiniums – a love Mick carried on. He would buy him a pint at the Swan pub in Washwood Heath Road when he had some money and would ask Mick to dig a patch over on the plot to earn it.
When Mick set up home and decided to try and get his own plot in the 1970s, all the sites were pretty full then, so he ended up with plot 3 at Blackpit Lane which was full of blackberry bushes which he had to dig out and burn for months to make space for vegetables. Mick was then working on the railways on night shifts and he would have breakfast with a mate on the plot, cooking eggs and bacon on a paraffin stove, having a kip and then going back to work. He took on other plots over the years, and eventually settled with plots 3 and 4, only giving up plot 3 in October 2021 after his diagnosis.
Starting at Leigh Road school, Mick described himself as a bit of a rebel and didn’t find school a good place for someone like him to learn. He was very open to learning from people around him, always ready to have a go, and prepared to challenge things when they weren’t right. So allotment life enabled him to blossom: he became an amazing gardener and consistently won prizes in the WEGA and Birmingham District Allotment Confederation (BDAC) shows for vegetables, flowers and fruit.
Mick used to compete a lot on the veggies with some of the other regular people who liked to put their best crops in for the shows, winning the Mrs Crosskeys Cup for the most points in the vegetable section for the first time in the year the champion grower had a stroke.
Competition was especially fierce when it came to dahlias with outstanding growers like Charlie Lodge and Brian Wiley competing with Mick for the Flo Pickering Trophy for most points in Dahlia section in the September WEGA show. But Mick was also good with roses and gladioli, and as a good all-rounder, he was also able to learn the skills of judging at competitions and provided that service to other allotment associations over many years
Mick joined the WEGA Committee at an AGM, in the 1980s, along with his friend Eddie Marshall who had a plot at Northleigh Road. Mick then went on to become Chairman and Eddie Treasurer as the previous generation retired or died.
During his time as Chairman of WEGA, there was a period of allotment association self-management which was ended by the Council, and in the last few months we were beginning to talk about that again. WEGA also managed to get a few grants, so they were able to do some repairs, renewals and additional facilities on the sites, despite lack of resources. Mick himself repainted the Northleigh Road pavilion with a 14 year old assistant, and as well as leading the Committee he was always there to do the practical work of erecting marquees or setting out tables for the shows, putting up decorations or organising raffles for the annual party.
When allotments became less popular and vacancies started climbing, Mick kept everything going on the sites, trying to encourage the next generation to get involved so the sites wouldn’t end up being sold off to developers. He was old enough to know about the loss of 3 sites already when the Council sold Lime Tree Road site 1 for housing after telling WEGA it was going to be a wildlife area. So he encouraged new people to come on the Committee and welcomed ideas for changes which could help to revitalise allotment sites. For example, Kate Lancaster was the first woman on the Committee in the 1970s, at a time when most plots were rented by men and many wives never set foot on the sites. Kate Lancaster took on the role of Show Secretary and donated a cup for the most points in the 3 shows that WEGA used to hold up to 2019. Mick supported her efforts to put WEGA on the map when the Birmingham Annual Show used to be held at Kings Heath Park. They would go in Mick’s mini and Kate and her husband George went in their Ford car, both cars full to the top with exhibits. The Police would stop them and say: ‘Are you trying for the record?’ WEGA’s plotholders continued to win lots of cups and awards over the years, including the Frank Carter Shield for Community Involvement in 2012.
A real people person, Mick was always available to people wanting to learn about growing or worried about anything to do with what was going on at site level. Many of us benefited from his wise advice over the years. He was good with children of plotholders and children visiting the site as part of school parties or attending events. And if you needed some tips, he’d be ready with these when you went to buy your compost or chicken pellets at the Stores.
Mick was also an active member in the BDAC where he was on the Executive, as well as the National Allotment Society, suggesting ideas and making proposals as well as helping to run and taking part in events, shows, and meetings. He will be much missed for his contributions which were always timely and based on experience.
BDAC Annual Show at the Midlands Arts Centre August 2019 
Everyone will miss his presence – even those who didn’t know him or were too new to have met him at all. He was at the heart of our Association and his legacy will be if we can keep it going beyond the many changes that happened during his watch, and which will continue to challenge us in the future.
Mick’s funeral will be at the Sutton Crematorium (postcode B75 6LG) on Monday 6th February at 12.15 for anyone wishing to attend. The Wake will be at the Erdington Club (postcode B23 6TD) after the service. All who knew Mick are welcome to join his family and allotment folks to celebrate a life well-lived. Flowers welcome as are donations to the John Taylor Hospice.
