Page 58 - ALG Issue 4 2020

South West
Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset
REPRESENTATIVE
Mr Neil Dixon
12 Flamstead Crescent, Kings Tamerton, Plymouth PL5 2AX 01752 363379 neildixon@blueyonder.co.uk
MENTOR
Allan Cavill
South West 07748178964 allan.cavill2@gmail.com
Welcome to our new members...
Blunts Lane Hen Project
Chudleigh Knighton Allotment Association Stanton Drew Parish Council Allotments 6 Individuals
Chilton Trinity Parish Council
Clutton Parish Council
The changing face of allotment gardening, its resurgence and my hopes for the South West Branch
I have been Chairman of the Newton Abbot & District Co-operative Allotment Association (NADCAA) in Devon for over 20 years now, and it was a great honour to be appointed Chairman of the NAS South West Branch. I thought I would introduce myself by sharing a few of my thoughts and ideas with members across the region.
Allotments play an important part
in the history of Britain, from the Enclosure Act in the late 1700s to
the post Great War policy of “Homes
fit for Heroes”, through to the “Dig
for Victory” campaign of WW2. Allotments were a key source of
food for the working classes. With
the end of WW2 came the start of a slow change that didn’t bode well for allotments. The 60s saw the advent
of the supermarket, jet propulsion
and an increase in food choice never seen before. It revolutionised the way people thought about, and bought, food. Fruit and vegetables that used
to be ‘seasonal’ became available all year round, jetted in from across the globe. Mass production of pesticides like DDT started the slow decimation of insect populations across the country.
Increased choice brought with it a loss of interest in allotments, demand fell, die-hard allotment gardeners aged and slowly passed away and sadly allotment fields stood vacant and untended. The following decades saw the decline and subsequent loss of thousands of plots across the UK.
Scroll forward to the late 1990s, when I became Chairman of NADCAA, 40% of the plots across four sites were vacant, and there hadn’t been one single enquiry in over 12 months. But a change was taking place, with allotments being featured more and more regularly
on TV. This TV coverage sparked the public’s interest and that, combined with a sleek marketing campaign,
saw our fortunes change dramatically – membership rose to 100% and the waiting list grew by the day until it had over 100 names on it; all this achieved within 12 months and resulting in a fifth site being secured in 2007.
Programmes informed viewers that when allotment gardeners interacted with nature, they found it both relaxing and calming. Their allotment offered a place to retreat to, a place to escape the
...a survey in 2013 revealed that 52 people were waiting for every 100 plots
daily grind. Somewhere that the fruits of their labours were both gratifying and rewarding. On their allotment they could experience a sense of achievement and satisfaction, even pride. A refuge where they could relieve stress and be part of a community. On their allotment they were, hopefully, at peace with the world!
A romanticised view? Maybe, but
these programmes captured viewers’ imaginations. As a result, more and more people wanted to grow their own and share in the community spirit that exists on allotment sites. It is also why a survey in 2013 revealed that 52 people were waiting for every 100 plots. The real figure is far more; we know that over 500,000 people enquired about allotments during lockdown. It begs the question: “Is this the right time for a petition for more allotment sites?” The last time I checked, 100,000 names on a petition meant the issue had to be debated in parliament. There is a good case for a nationwide plan for more
58 Allotment and Leisure Gardener