Page 40 - ALG Issue 4 2017

Yorkshire
Shef eld Allotments
Federation
Allotments friendly to wildlife and
growing good crops
Thanks to lottery players, Shef eld Allotments Federation has been awarded a £9,300 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to manage a small, one year project that started in March 2017: The appreciation and protection of wildlife heritage on allotments in Shef eld.
There are two strands to this project. One is the identi cation
and recording of invertebrates on Shef eld’s allotments. Workshops are being led by Derek Whiteley and the Sorby Natural History Invertebrate Group (SIG). The rst one in May was fully attended by an enthusiastic group of Shef eld allotment holders who are now sending photographs and specimens of a range of invertebrates on their sites. The workshop in November will focus on the autumn and winter invertebrates. SIG helps people in identi cation and will send the records to Shef eld Biological Records Centre. Derek is hopeful that 1,000 and more records of insects will be made during the year.
The second strand to the project is concerned with how to encourage and protect wildlife in such a way as to grow good crops, starting with creating good soil conditions. This is being led by
Welcome to our new members...
Brompton On Swale Allotments Association Skipton Middletown Allotments Association Val Allotments
6 individual members
Darrell Maryon demonstrating the importance of compost at Wortley Walled Garden Photo: Chris Esler
Darrell Maryon, Head Gardener and Food Manager at Wortley Walled Garden (organic) and Heeley City Farm. Darrell’s knowledge and enthusiasm for this approach to gardening is both practical and inspiring. There has been a workshop demonstrating growing good crops and protecting wildlife. Darrell has written a lea et, sent to all 2,800 allotment holders and made a short video, all aimed at showing how thoughtful protection of wildlife can enable gardeners to get the best out of their allotments as well as doing good for the environment.
SAF organised a visit to Mossway Allotment site in Shef eld. Doreen Skipper, whose allotment is on this site, won the Bolton Cup award (2015) for the most environmentally friendly and best allotment in Shef eld.
In October, Dr. Jill Edmondson will give a talk on “Soil – its importance in growing good crops”. Jill, from The University of Shef eld, is a soil scientist and ecologist. She has researched soil on allotments and written about the relevance of her ndings to agriculture in third world countries.
This project marks and celebrates the centenary of the Shef eld Allotments Federation. The Allotments Federation has welcomed this support through the Heritage Lottery Fund not only to protect wildlife and promote good gardening but also to use the project to make more contacts on the 70 Council allotment sites in Shef eld and to promote and ll vacant plots on some of the sites in the city. Margaret Boulton - Marion Gerson on behalf of Shef eld Allotments Federation
Further contact: http://sa-federation.co.uk and sheff.allot@gmail.com
Identi cation and recording of invertebrates on allotments in Shef eld. Elsecar Heritage Centre Photo: Josef Palguta
100
NEW SERIES – Centenary Celebrations.
YEARS
Many of our member sites are commemorating their 100th year existence and we would love to hear about it. In each edition within 2018 we will tell stories from sites that came in to being in the early 20th century. Has your site got a story to tell?
Email diane@nsalg.org.uk. The deadline for the next magazine (February 2018) is 28 November 2017.
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