Hi Gary,
I am in a similar predicament (nice to know I’m not the only one!), but slightly further down the road than you.
I’ve got 11 8 x 4 beds, where I just dumped compost straight on top after removing as much bindweed root as I could (my plot has significant bindweed issues). My next door neighbour saw the compost being delivered, and evidently tongues got wagging, as the next time I went to my plot (after having created the beds), a fellow allotmenteer a few plots down was asking me questions about it!
He said that in his opinion it would sink into the soil, and implied that what I was doing was a waste of time. I’m not sure why compost/nutrients sinking into the soil is a bad thing anyway, but I listened to what he had to say politely, and just went about my business.
So I’m playing it much the same way you are. I kind of avoid gardening method discussion (I just listen), and talk football instead! I figure that preaching no-dig will not achieve much other than get me into arguments and get everybody offside. Like you I have found that the digging mindset is completely entrenched, particularly in the minds of the powers that be!
What is interesting though is that in recent weeks, several people have come up to me and complimented me on how weed free my plot is. So my theory that if my plot continues to look good, and I grow plenty of healthy vegetables, then people will eventually ask me questions about how I got there.
And it’s at that point I’ll start talking no-dig with them. I figure that once they see what I am doing works, they will be more open to hearing about the different methods used to get there, and I’ll be able to talk about things a bit more freely!
That’s the plan anyway. I’ll let you know how I get on. Let me know how it works out for you as well!