Improving and maintaining mental wellbeing is important to everyone. Working in our allotment provides a healthy route for people with a learning disability, autism or a mental health issue to improve their wellbeing through: being active, connecting with others, taking notice of the environment, learning new skills and giving to others. The allotment grows a range of vegetables, has thriving fruit trees and a colourful flower bed. The produce grown is donated to an organisation of the group’s choosing as well as used by the volunteers to promote a healthy diet. We will regularly update this page with our latest news from our volunteers and allotment lead on the 'patch'.
2018
June - July
This is beginning to sound like a fairytale...
Has anyone noticed how hot it's been? I'm sure you have, the plants have been noticing this too which is why the team have been working hard to keep their thirst at bay. Their hard work is paying off and we have a pumpkin, red currants, tomatoes and grapes amongst the biggest contenders for the happiest plant competition! The 1-and-a-half year old apple tree is also producing fruit which confirms it is well-positioned to thrive in the future. We have a new arrival in one of our greenhouses; a toad that the volunteers have affectionatley called 'England' to help our chances of winning the World Cup. Fear not, he has a make-shift pond to keep him cool and he is earning his keep by eating all the bugs that dare to venture onto our tomato plants. Sadly, the weeds have also enjoyed the weather and they seem to want to take away the volunteers' attention so regular work is being undertaken to stop those pesky intruders taking over.
So, what's next for summer? We are looking for more volunteers to help out every Tuesday between 10:00-12:00 so if you are interested then please contact us using the email address at the bottom of this page. If you are blessed with greenfingers and could help us run a session on another day then we would also love to hear from you. Lastly, if you know any winemakers then we have a gallon of grapes that they could make good use of (I'm sure we would only insist on a little 'taster' of the finished product...).
April - May
An explosion of activity
I think it's fair to say that we have had a variety of weather in Spring and the allotment has been loving it! The allotment team cleared and turned over a small patch at the end of April and mixed in some green manure to help prepare the soil. Needless to say the greenery has come through in an abundance which is a pretty accurate description of the whole allotment at present. There have been sightings of fruit following the fall of the blossom on the apple tree, the goosberries are looking very happy and healthy and the potatoes are in their element and will no doubt produce a good yield (they thrive in their regular growing patch). The bold splash of greens, whites and purples that have replaced the brown muddy grey hue of winter is a rewarding sight that reflects the sterling work of the hardy cold season allotmenteers.
As winter turns to spring... January-March
It's been a mildly frustrating start to the year as the wind and snow has halted the progress of the team...temporarily! When the group gets started there is no stopping them and tasks achieved so far have included:
- re-covering a donated greenhouse
- Pulled up a few leeks that were ready nice and early (as pictured in our new banner above!)
- Planting strawberries, spring onions, beetroots, parsnips and broadbeans
For more information about our allotment or the Volunteer Support Project then please email vspworker@bvsc.co.uk