Page 42 - ALG Issue 4 2019

Yorkshire
Yorkshire and parts of Humberside
HEMPLAND LANE ALLOTMENTS – YORK
Creating a Community Space – we did it!
Hempland Lane allotments, York,
are pleased to announce that our community space ‘Hempland Haven’ was completed on time, and our summer fair on 14th July 2019 was an absolute triumph. 4 weeks before the event it was looking doubtful by some allotmenteers that the event would be taking place, but the committee stayed focused. The Community Payback Team had done such an amazing job creating our community space every Sunday, but we were running out of time and key skills. However, with some help and support from businesses and the local community, everything – and I mean everything – slotted into place.
Sainsburys was celebrating their 150 years, so we applied to become their chosen community project during the summer at the Monks Cross, York Store. They were amazing, giving us
150 hours of employees to help us tidy up the site and prepare for the event. Then, on the day, the Store Manager and his team cooked on the BBQs, ran a book stall, sold raffle tickets and helped on stalls. They even brought along a Sainsburys Home delivery van to provide us with refrigeration throughout the event, as well as donating lots of food
and supplies to help us continue to operate.
Initially Sainsburys Monks Cross offered to help finish off our site by building 3 storage shelters, benches, brick BBQs, entrance gates etc, but when looking
at the detailed plans it was clear that experts were needed. So instead of just apologising and saying that they couldn’t help, they reached out to their building contractors, ARCUS, who also adopted our project and gave us a 4-day version of DIY SOS. We provided the materials and they provided the skills, expertise and tools. Their labour would have equated to £14,000 and
we received it for free! A team ranging from 3-6 worked so hard, at times in temperatures of over 30 degrees. They were on site at 7am every morning and worked until an appropriate time to end each day. The Sainsburys Monks Cross store and our committee kept them fed and watered. They knew that we really appreciated what they were doing for us, but their true motivation was when they could see what their work could do for our community.
The committee held a trial BBQ at the end of the week. Not only was this a
All in all, it was an absolute success and we are all so proud of what has been achieved
chance to celebrate being completed, but also a chance to test the BBQs and to help us complete all the relevant risk assessments and legal documentation required to run a public event and to work out where signage should go.
The day of the summer fair, 1 week later, was phenomenal. We were blessed with an amazing sunny
day and were all set up by 9.30am including a fully licensed bar, courtesy of our local public house, The Walnut Tree Heworth; plus, stalls from local nurseries, charities, craft stalls, through to raffle and tombolas etc. We were
all buzzing and excited for the day but nothing prepared us for the volume of people that came to support us. We were unable to do a head count but
we made nearly £2,500 on the day, including £1,100 on our raffle (the prizes were fabulous, all donated by the local community and all of them were won
by locals). The money we raised on the day covered the cost of the materials that ARCUS used to help finish off the project. We only went over by a small amount due to legalities, licences, portaloo hire etc to ensure that the event ran smoothly. All in all, it was
an absolute success and we are all so proud of what has been achieved.
It doesn’t stop there, as we now have easy access raised beds to rent, and continue to celebrate our centenary year with an official opening ceremony and our Annual Autumn show & BBQ, both in September 2019.
For further information please
visit our website www.hempland- lane-allotments.co.uk or Facebook Hempland Lane Allotments.
42 Allotment and Leisure Gardener