It’s National Allotments Week

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As this week is National Allotments Week, we wanted to share with you what’s been happening lately and shout out Keith Robinson and John Akester for all the work they do on our allotments.

National Allotments week is an annual awareness campaign by the National Allotment Society (NAS) that celebrates the benefits of allotments for health, wellbeing, and the planet. Topics that may be covered include: pollinators and wildlife, eco-friendly pest control, companion planting, and soil health. The theme this year is “Celebrating Biodiversity on UK Allotments”. 

The Ongo allotment is a wonderfully safe environment and biodiverse area. It gives volunteers the opportunity to join Keith, our Growing & Learning Coordinator and John Akester, our Growing & Learning Apprentice, in various activities.

Some of our key achievements over the past 12 months include:

  • St Lawrence School summer fair: Our team attended the fair, donating bird boxes and bug hotels to inspire and educate children about biodiversity.
  • Supporting Outwood Academy, Foxhills: We will be contributing to the creation of a sensory garden, providing a tranquil space for students.
  • Sustainability projects: Keith and John have supplied over 40 items to Andrea Morley, our Sustainability Manager, aiding various sustainability projects.
  • Multiply project: Hosting and supplying items for workshops, including the popular edible bird boxes.
  • Craft workshops: Offering creative opportunities for volunteers to build bird boxes from locally sourced timber. 
  • Community food: Growing produce and delivering it to The Arc, where it is used to prepare meals for local communities. 

Within the allotment, we also have our craft workshop to offer volunteering opportunities to our tenants and people within the local community.

The idea was to create a workshop where volunteers could build bird boxes from locally sourced timber. They would then be taken to The Arc, where the youth clubs would get involved by painting the finished product.

For more information about the allotments or how to get involved in volunteering, contact our team on 01724 844848 and ask for Katie or Keith.