Grand Gardens: Revisited

West Ward Allotments

Words & Images: Paul Chapman

At the beginning of the year I was invited to visit the West Ward allotments on Rhodesia Road. Even in the chill of winter, the place held a quiet promise. Now, months later, in the height of the growing season, I returned, and what a transformation I found.

Pam, the allotments’ secretary, welcomed me back with the same warmth I remembered, alongside her, Steve and Alan, others busy tending their plots. What strikes me is the tidiness of the site - every bed neatly turned, every path cared for, with only a half-plot available for rent.

Sally Anderson’s recently adopted plot is already brimming with life. Fresh flowers, carrots, onions laid out to dry - a picture of abundance. Another plot, untended for a while due to illness, has been lovingly revived by new tenants with raised beds installed and an impressive spread of carrots, potatoes, beans, lettuces, pumpkins, courgettes, sweet peas, butternut squash, rhubarb - even a bug hotel and a new base ready for a greenhouse.

Community spirit runs strong here, a spare half-plot has been transformed into a foodbank garden where everyone chips in. Every Monday volunteers harvest produce, and by Tuesday morning it’s delivered fresh to the Sheepbridge foodbank. Weekly photos of the foodbank plot is shared on the allotment WhatsApp group keeping everyone connected and inspired. The feedback, Pam tells me, has been 'amazing'.

As gardeners everywhere, they’ve had to contend with a hot, dry summer. Shallow-rooted crops needed extra attention, and water conservation became a priority. Thankfully, water butts dotted around the site helped. Though some fruit grew smaller than usual, the harvest has still been generous - massive pumpkins, towering sunflowers and baskets of fresh produce.

Even during the driest spells, flowers provide colour and allow the bees to fulfil their role as pollinators. The site may have browned under the heat, but with care it has yet again produced a great crop.

It’s clear that these allotments are about more than food, it’s about friendship, health, and purpose. Members talk about how gardening 'keeps you younger' - it’s physical, it’s mental, and it’s rewarding. The allotment family is a mix of men and women, young and old, united by a love of growing and a sense of shared achievement.

I left with a basket brimming with fresh produce (above), the greengages were so sweet - a gift from this generous community. But more than the vegetables, what I took away was a sense of connection these guys have with the little patch of green they tend.

If you are interested in a plot please contact secretary Pam on 01246 559321.