Page 28 - ALG Issue 2 2025

ALLOTMENT
ACCESSIBILITY
Bridging the Accessibility Gap: Allotments for Disabled Gardeners
By Tom Knight
HACA Mission Statement
•
To provide environmentally
sustainable allotments for cultivation
through non-profit making social
enterprise for the local community
which promotes inclusivity and
diversity.
•
We will help people live longer,
healthier and happier lives through
being active allotmenteers and
creating a place of enjoyment, social
interaction, education and relaxation.
We asked what accessibility means for allotment holders and
we were delighted to hear that you had answers.
Through my RHS training, I heard about
exciting national organisations like
Thrive, dedicated to providing access to
and training in Social and Therapeutic
Horticulture (STH). I learnt that there
were projects here in Cornwall with
similar values, using the power of gardening
to heal, nurture and build community. Just
up the road is Newquay Orchard, a site
combining community growing spaces,
learning spaces, maker and performance
spaces and even a market garden. But
what about the humble allotment? Well, it
depends on who you ask.
Terry Smith is chairperson of Humber
Avenue Community Allotments (HACA)
CIC and, though he would probably deflect
the assertion, he’s a driving force in the
creation and development of an accessible
allotment success story.
“You have to have a vision,” Terry tells me,
“A clear sense of what you are trying to
achieve and that needs to be consistent. We
created a mission statement and that was
not just window dressing.”
In 2021, when Worthing Borough Council
asked Humber Avenue allotment holders
to take on management of the 100-plot site
on the outskirts of Worthing, a handful of
people saw an opportunity to challenge the
status quo. Terry describes a difficult journey
to change not only the way plots were used
but the culture of allotmenteering on the
site. By becoming a Community Interest
Company (CIC), the group was able to
access significant funding, but this came
with a need for proper management and
accountability. At the heart of this drive for
change was a keen understanding of why it
was needed; allotments should be accessible
to all.
Terry assures me, it hasn’t all been plain
sailing. “There was resistance to change,
and it was difficult to win hearts and minds,
with some commenting - what a waste
of money. Communication is the key and
at the start we didn’t communicate well
enough with other plotholders.”
For the project to flourish, it would
require the right people. HACA looked to
its community for people with expertise
in business, finance and communication
along with people with practical skills and
understanding relevant to creating an
accessible site. Terry tells me that people
won’t always come forward and that it pays
to be proactive by asking for help.
With the CIC in place, an application was
made to Sussex Community Foundation
for £5000 to create an accessible plot with
two raised beds made from hardwood, a
polytunnel, a shed and potting area. The 125
square metre plot was given concrete paths
to provide access suitable for wheelchairs.
28 | Issue 2 2025 | Allotment and Leisure Gardener