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Hi,
Following many years of living without an allotment, we had one in a previous home, our local parish council introduced a number of veggie-minded villagers with an offer of land. Unfortunately, this was not felt to be adequate but it did galvanise us to set up our association and begin the quest for a suitable site.
After two years of hard work, we managed to find a suitable plot of land to purchase and, thanks to the generous support of one member, opened our gates in March 2011.
Three growing seasons later, the soggy, chewed up mess that was our heavy clay soil is now being well worked. It looks so established the allotments could have been there for ever!
We are gradually repaying our kind benefactor and hope to have completed the deal within the next three years or so. This has meant lots of fund-raising and high rents but we are all so glad to have a plot and we have had no problem finding members. Within a couple of weeks of setting up our website (in 2009) we went from the couple of dozen original individuals to over a hundred! This pattern has continued and we still hold a healthy waiting list.
My advice?
For those out there living in areas with no allotments, keep badgering the local authority, ask for a meeting of like-minded souls and get out there to find a plot of land to buy (ideally) or rent. It is possible!
Following many years of living without an allotment, we had one in a previous home, our local parish council introduced a number of veggie-minded villagers with an offer of land. Unfortunately, this was not felt to be adequate but it did galvanise us to set up our association and begin the quest for a suitable site.
After two years of hard work, we managed to find a suitable plot of land to purchase and, thanks to the generous support of one member, opened our gates in March 2011.
Three growing seasons later, the soggy, chewed up mess that was our heavy clay soil is now being well worked. It looks so established the allotments could have been there for ever!
We are gradually repaying our kind benefactor and hope to have completed the deal within the next three years or so. This has meant lots of fund-raising and high rents but we are all so glad to have a plot and we have had no problem finding members. Within a couple of weeks of setting up our website (in 2009) we went from the couple of dozen original individuals to over a hundred! This pattern has continued and we still hold a healthy waiting list.
My advice?
For those out there living in areas with no allotments, keep badgering the local authority, ask for a meeting of like-minded souls and get out there to find a plot of land to buy (ideally) or rent. It is possible!
