The Green Environment Programme

Allotments open day
by Lisa Swift

Gardeners of Grimesthorpe Allotments celebrated the completion of improvements to their site in May with food, plant sale, and lots of visitors. A team of Park Rangers also helped allotment holders clean up their plots, filling a skip in a record twenty minutes.

The site is now surrounded by new fencing, a community room and toilets have been put in place and two allotments with raised beds have been allocated to people with mobility problems. Grimesthorpe Community Gardens Group, pictured below, secured New Deal funding with Sheffield Wildlife Trust. The work was carried out by Sheffield City Council, owners of the site, making it a real team effort delivering what gardeners had asked for.

Since the improvements there has been a rush to rent allotments that have been empty for years, Andy Healey group member said

“There could be a waiting list soon, but this is what we have been aiming for, a full allotment site. It would mean less vandalism as we could all look out for each other. And when this site is full maybe the council will consider opening another one, perhaps on Woodside after the flats have gone. Everyone should be able to have an allotment.”

Grimesthorpe Community Gardens Group General Meeting is on 15th June at 11am at the allotments, open to anyone who gardens at Grimesthorpe.