Page 41 - ALG Issue 4 2024

Keeping the Flag Flying
Little Chester Allotment Association in Derby has again been awarded the Green Flag Community Award.This award was
first achieved by Little Chester Allotment Association in 2014 and was the first Green Flag Award to go to an allotment association. This year is the tenth consecutive year
of achieving the award and we take great pride in this.All our committee members are plotholders.This self-governance is important: it means we share the same issues that the rest of the tenants have and keeps us in touch with their needs.
The Little Chester Allotments site covers 10.8 acres of land and we have 170 plots,
of different sizes, and 150 plot tenants. We are proud of our on-site facilities: we have a fully accessible toilet block, which we will be refurbishing later this year ; a skills kitchen and extended community room. We were able to extend the community room last year with a grant from National Lottery Awards for All. We also have a shop – the Trading Post – and a maintenance workshop.We provide water on-site, largely via water troughs, and taps
are available for elderly and disabled tenants. However, we are encouraging the harvesting of rainwater on individual plots where that is possible.
An important aspect of our allotment community is supporting three charities to maintain plots for the benefit and enjoyment of their participants. Derwent Green Gym has been in operation on our site for over 20 years supporting people with physical and learning disabilities, and those looking
to improve their wellbeing outdoors in a stress-free environment. Disability Direct
has a plot on the site called Plot to Plate. This group supports adults with physical disabilities; Derby College students; school students with learning disabilities working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award and young offenders who are attending as part of a remediation programme (Remedi). Plot to Plate currently run a produce donation shed where tenants can donate their excess produce which is then taken to local charities
such as AgeUK. Derby County Football Club CommunityTrust has a plot on site known
as ‘The Dug-Out’.The team of staff on this plot hosts a group of people with dementia and their carers; they work with Derbyshire MIND; the Primary Care Network (North); host a group calledTeamTalk for men with mild mental health issues; and Live It – for children aged 5-11 identified by school nurses as needing to increase physical activity and improve lifestyle choices.
We open the site several times throughout the year and invite in our wider community. This helps to forge positive links with our neighbours, It encourages interest in our site – and potentially more tenants – and encourages younger people to see what we do. We
have barbecues, cake sales, raffles, games and tombolas, and plant sales. At the weekends, our site is open to the public as well as our tenants and the public can buy goods from the Trading Post.We have five working beehives on site producing a very good quantity of honey which we sell in the shop.We have a designated wildlife area near the beehives.
There is a strong sense of community and pride within the allotment site, with increasing numbers of plotholders participating in events and volunteering in the general upkeep
of the site. A warm welcome is extended
to surrounding communities, groups and individuals and members of the public are encouraged to visit the site at weekends
and for organised activities. Little Chester Allotments has a diverse range of plotholders who have different cultural backgrounds and who speak and read in a variety of different languages.To ensure that information on the site is accessible to all we have started to introduce the use of pictograms in our signage and notices.
With an active committee, Little Chester Allotments is constantly evolving and improving with the long-term aim of providing a sustainable site for the enjoyment of future generations.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener | Issue 4 2024 | 41
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