I am a great fan of a nicely turned out allotment, and we are fortunate in Brentwood and Ongar to have some fine sites on which many people grow vegetables, fruit and flowers each year.
Brentwood Horticultural Society manage the allotments in Brentwood, and have been in touch this week to let me know what they have been doing to mark National Allotment Week.
One of the site reps, Steve Griffiths, says allotments have been the saving of many people during the coronvirus pandemic lockdown:
"The immediate clarification by Michael Gove MP post lockdown that allotments were an approved form of exercise brought a sigh of relief to all our members and for many it quickly became apparent that allotments would be a life saver. We could maintain physical distancing without social isolation. After a long very wet winter when many sites flooded, we were now faced with bright blue skies and near total silence given the absence of aircraft and most traffic on the roads.
With furlough in place and a general move towards home working eliminating the daily commute for many there was an upsurge in activity because of the increased time available. We have seen much more food and flower production than in a normal year. The success was such that we were able to hold an extraordinarily successful “donate for charity” event.
We have also seen a remarkable increase in family activity on the plots which is really encouraging. Many more children are taking part helping with parents and grandparents – although ‘helping’ might be a euphemism for playing!
It has also been an uplifting experience to witness the level of cooperation between members that adversity brings out. The inability to get plants and seedlings because of lockdown and the run on seeds at the seed companies has largely been met by active bartering and donating of excess seedlings between members."
I've been supporting Brentwood Horticultural Society in its campaign to encourage Brentwood Borough Council to delay all sites in Brentwood to have statutory status, which is a condition found in the Allotment Act 1925. Brentwood's other site rep, Ian Palmer, has been doing some sterling work in garnering support from local people and allotment holders further afield. Ian says:
"For a long time we have been concerned for the long-term future of our allotment sites because we have seen some Councils right across the UK have been repurposing allotment sites for housing and other developments.
The Brentwood Horticultural Society has been pushing Brentwood Council since early 2017 to declare all sites in Brentwood to have statutory status. To address limitations in the 1925 Act we are proposing a change in legislation.
To support our case we have reviewed the Allotment Act 1925 and the 6 other main Acts that control allotment land. In addition, we have reviewed the findings of various Parliamentary Select Committee reports that have recommended changes to the current legislation, but those recommendations have never been acted upon by previous governments. We are proposing using the findings from the Select Committee reports to underpin secondary legislation to support the 1925 Act. Unfortunately everything is now delayed because of Covid-19."
I'm delighted so many people have benefitted from working on their allotments during the pandemic and look forward to continuing to liaise with the Brentwood Horticultural Society in its campaign to secure the future of allotments across the UK.