At the allotment

Down at the allotment, our team of volunteers have been working hard since last Spring to make it a welcoming and practical space for people to come and do some gardening, grow their own fruit and vegetables or catch up on latest news.

We have welcomed different generations to work closely together, we’ve had visitors from across Middlesbrough come to view our amazing work and we’ve even hosted the odd homemade juicing and cooking session, to show how easy it is to do it all from scratch.

The team have spent a long time clearing the land in order to dig over the soil, replant and organise the space, so that it is functional and easy to access for all. The images below show the team prepping the land for planting - the Winter is best for things like garlic and broad beans.

The plot is quite close to the entrance of the allotments in Thorntree, so we’re able to bring equipment and vehicles over too where necessary. Now we are working on plans to build a space to house the equipment securely so that it is accessible whenever people need it.

The project hasn’t come without it difficulties, such as bad weather, break ins and lack of resource, but the team are committed to making it a safe space open to the community, so that everyone has the opportunity to get outside, meet new people, learn new gardening and cooking skills and contribute to the community’s sustainability and positive health.

Since the Winter months hit in, we’ve also taken over another three plots behind our current one so we’ve been hard at work clearing the debris which initially filled it above head height, so that we can start to plan how we’ll use this space too. We’ve also had the odd dramatic moment like when our regular volunteer, Gemma, got so stuck in the mud after a particularly wet few days, that she ended up on her bottom! But it was nothing a good cuppa and homemade cake couldn’t solve, which were also provided by Gemma and her nana for the groups tea break.

We have such a caring and committed team who want to make this a great space and we’re really excited to see it grow!