21 Mar 2011
With the cost of food going up and the demand for locally-grown produce increasing, the demand for allotments has never been higher. With help from Keep Wales Tidy and the Welsh Assembly Government sponsored Tidy Towns Project, community groups across Wales have been able to enjoy the fruits of their labour as 1,054 allotment improvement projects have been carried out since April 2009.
New allotments have been created from areas of neglect land and old allotments have been rejuvenated, creating hundreds of new plots for community groups of all ages and gardening abilities.
Environment Minister, Jane Davidson said, "I have long campaigned for the provision of allotments, both for personal use and as a community resource. They provide opportunities for regular physical exercise and for social contact, whilst of course allowing users to grow their own fruit and veg. I am delighted by Keep Wales Tidy’s success in this area."
One example is the Maerdy Gardeners and Allotment Society in Rhondda Cynon Taf. They received a Keep Wales Tidy grant of £499 which they used to purchase a rotivator, enabling all plot holders to cultivate their plots with ease; and all the materials needed to build a communal compost bin.
Secretary, Colin Henderson, explained; "The Rhondda Cynon Taf Tidy Towns Team and Keep Wales Tidy helped our members to clear the site of 99% of the accumulated debris, and strim the overgrowth and brambles around our perimeter that had been impacting invasively onto the neighbouring residents’ properties.
The result of the grant and the training has been to totally re-invigorate the site. After 27 years of neglect it had lapsed into a state of decay with only 50% of the plots being used and in a very tired looking state.
Now we can boast a 100% take up of the plots on our site, and we even have a small waiting list for plots - this as a direct result of the help and assistance from Keep Wales Tidy".
Keep Wales Tidy’s Chief Executive, Lesley Jones said, "We have been able to support many valuable and interesting projects through the Tidy Towns programme, but the remarkable number of allotment projects that have been developed in less than 2 years gives us great satisfaction. Community allotments contribute positively in so many ways – improving people’s health through outdoor exercise, producing locally grown food, learning new skills, encouraging communities to work together and looking after our environment – truly a win-win situation".