Allotment development worker Deborah Simmonds explores how people benefit from allotments, and shares an ‘allotment social’ event for plot holders…
When asked why plot holders have an allotment (in the Lancaster District Allotment Review), the answers cover a surprisingly wide range of visible and less visible benefits.
The most common and obvious reason mentioned is to “grow vegetables and fruit” (which is in line with the primary definition of an allotment in the Allotment Act of 1922), however there are many other secondary reasons that give them huge additional value.
These include physical and mental benefits, getting outside and having a link with nature, doing something for nature – promoting biodiversity and wildlife, and working with and sharing it with family.
People also said the traceability and freshness of food, very low travel miles, helping with the cost of living by growing your own, having a solitary space for some peace and quiet and being part of a social community as other great reasons for having an allotment.
The social element of allotment sites can range from chatting to others you meet when visiting your plot, meeting the committee onsite, annual AGM gatherings, to helping on volunteer work sessions and going to regular on site “drop-ins”.
FoodFutures is hosting another informal social event for plot holders across the Lancaster District’s network.
Why not come along to the next Allotment Social with Lunch?
It’s an opportunity to meet up with other plot holders, get to know each other, share information and hear what other sites are up to.
It’s taking place at Friends Meeting House in Lancaster on Saturday October 31 from 10.45am to 1.30pm.
This is a free event but booking is required for catering numbers here: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GWMJ.
Attendees at previous allotment social events have said they found the atmosphere very welcoming, they were able to get support and useful information from other attendees, and the event allowed plot holders time to talk about all sorts of things.
For more information about this and other future allotment events and training sessions contact deborah-allotments@lessuk.org or visit the What’s On section of the FoodFutures website.
Deborah is employed by LESS (Lancaster) CIC to support the network of allotment sites across the Lancaster District.
 have them…){kind=link}