News

Baby-grow allotments for first time gardeners

24th Sep 2009

The land in Hanwell, which will host 18 'baby-grow' starter plots, has been gifted on a lease to the community-focussed charity as part of British Waterways’ commitment to the Capital Growth Scheme which is helping to tackling the shortage of available growing spaces.

British Waterways’ environment manager, Leela O’Dea explains:

Small plots ideal for busy and first-time gardeners

"These new growing spaces are smaller versions of the traditional allotment plot. Given the shortage of allotments in London, and the sometimes daunting size of traditional allotments for busy and first-time allotment holders, these starter spaces are an ideal way to maximise the number of people who can have a go at growing their own.

"The waterways provide spaces, activities and habitats for all sorts of people and wildlife to enjoy, from wild flower patches to formal landscaping and tree-lined corridors. These new growing plots make a great contribution to the canal scene and are a brilliant way for local communities to get more involved in their local waterway."

Boris - "It is fantastic"

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: "It is fantastic that British Waterways are adding more canal side plots to our Capital Growth scheme to help local people to grow their own fresh food. Not only will the area soon be bursting with all manner of edible goodies, it will help to make the waterway even more attractive for local people to enjoy."

Over the next month British Waterways and the Charity of William Hobbayne is receiving the help of a number of corporate volunteer groups to get the site cleared and prepared for the new growers.

Waiting lists closed

Angela Wallis, local resident and Trustee of the William Hobbayne Charity said: "This is a fantastic new project for us. We recently had to close our waiting list as the demand is so great in this area. These new plots mean that we can get more people involved sooner than we had hoped for."

Volunteers from construction company Bovis Lend Lease will be joining the charity and British Waterways over the next two days to start the preparation works as part of the company’s annual Community Day, an initiative for employees to give something back to the communities in which they live and work. They will be building an access ramp, clearing an access road and installing a new entrance gate to the site amongst other tasks.

Leela O’Dea continues: "The support from Bovis Lend Lease is a fantastic boost for the project. Essential work will be completed in record time thanks to these volunteers, and that means that the serious business of growing plants can start far sooner than we had hoped."

British Waterways is involved with a number of schemes across London, working with community groups and charities to identify land, and even boats that can be converted for community growing initiatives. Projects are also being rolled out nationwide across the waterways, including a bee-hive scheme on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in the North West and a linear vegetable patch along the towpath of the Calder & Hebble Navigation in Yorkshire.

"A call to arms to other landowners"

Seb Mayfield, Sustain's Capital Growth coordinator, said: "This offer from British Waterways should act as a call to arms to other landowners in London. So many people want to have the chance to grow food and in order to help them do so we need to make more land available for growing."

Capital Growth was launched last year by the Mayor of London and Rosie Boycott, to boost grow your own in the capital by creating 2,012 community food growing spaces by 2012. The scheme, managed by the environment charity, Sustain, now has nearly 150 spaces being cultivated across the capital in a diverse range of places including canal banks, schools, roofs, private gardens open to the community and parks. The programme was awarded a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Commendation this year for its success in getting communities growing.