Help us make this project happen!
We have designed an allotment garden that celebrates the importance of allotments to our area as a whole - through biodiversity and wildlife, community and education. Our proposal has been accepted by RHS Hampton Court and now we just need the support... and thats where you come in!
Why do we need your help?
Our garden will heavily rely on recycled and salvaged materials but some things will need to be paid for. All materials used in the show garden will return to the allotments to carry on life across the borough and all plants either returned to their individual growers or donated to the Junk Food Project.
Additionally, any budget left over will go towards our borough-wide seed swap and plant sale next spring!
Why have we decided to do this?
As the Borough of Richmond Allotment Group, we represent the 24 allotment sites scattered across the borough and our aim is to bring these 24 sites together to create this garden, collaborating and bringing a greater sense of community among our members and a wider appreciation for what allotments mean to our whole borough not just us as plot holders.
So what will it look like?
The overall look of the garden is to be reminiscent of a single plot, loved and cobbled together over time and with recycled and found materials but it will speak to a far greater purpose - what our 24 sites give back to Richmond as a whole.
We have designed our garden using the allegory of a postal service - sending out the benefits across the whole of the Richmond area.
With a traditional postal sorting box at the centre of the garden, the 24 ‘pigeon holes’ with each be labelled with the names of out 24 sites. The story will be told through vegetables, saved seed, fruit and flowers in the sorting boxes ready for delivery. This is a metaphor but also a direct representation of the many donations our members send out to our local food banks and soup kitchens each year.
The garden itself will be a reflection of the many elements that make up an allotment with the traditional shed, raised beds and pots but they also tell a greater story.
Community
Many of our sites have community outreach schemes and ‘club houses’ where activities take place. Plant sales and seed swaps, summer bbq’s, picnics and ‘bring the family’ days. We have a covered area with a small table and chairs to represent allotments as a place to bring people together.
Our shed will be built with recycled materials, collected by plot-holders and unique like many an allotment shed is. We will plaster the inside of the shed with posters from all the different sites advertising their events and community projects from across the years.
Biodiversity
We are lucky to live in a borough that is covered with 100 parks and open spaces and 21 miles of river frontage plus 140 hectares of the Metropolitan Green Belt but these spaces are managed in a way that isn't necessarily aimed at preserving biodiversity, with numbers of key insects and amphibians falling. Many of us have increased our growing of wild and pollinator friendly flowers, added ponds and wood piles, left patches of nettles in recent years as the importance of this has become more understood. Surveys and citizen science projects have confirmed we are making a difference and have provided an incredible environment for increasing butterfly, insect and amphibian populations across the borough.
Education
Many of our sites have school plots and shared spaces, mini-plots for people to get involved even if they don't have a plot themselves. All this adds to the growing understanding of nature and where our food come from.
And finally a benefit that is very close to my heart personally is the role allotments play in fostering a new generation of kids who appreciate all these things. The newts and the butterflies, the diversity of both vegetables and people. I am one of these kids, having been on my allotment since I was 3. In 1987 it was uncommon to have families up on the plot and my mum and I were an unusual sight. I’m very happy to say that there are now many young families on plots and this is something we would like to represent in a small way.
Why 'Bridging the Gap'?
Our garden is bridging a lot of gaps within our borough.
- The allotment sites in Richmond Borough Bridge the Gaps between our large areas of parkland and our urban gardens, providing a refuge and pathway for a huge amount of wildlife.
- We as growers are helping to Bridge the Gap in food poverty and insecurity for ourselves and others by donating our excess veg to projects like the Junk Food Project.
- The building of this project is Bridging the Gap between disparate allotment sites, bringing a new sense of wider community to our members.
- And the Borough of Richmond Allotment Group its self is Bridging the Gap between the council and the plot holders. Allowing us to push issues that matter to our members.
So... who is 'we'?
We are the Borough of Richmond Allotment Group, a community group set up in 2014 to represent the 2200+ allotment plot holders across the borough. Liaising with the council, helping to shape allotment policy, sharing ideas and building bonds between the 24 different Richmond sites.
You can find out more about what we do here:
http://www.braghub.org
Jessie, leading the project:
I have been lucky enough to be an allotment gardener from childhood and still work the same plot my parents took on in 1987. The allotment has had a huge impact on my life and since lockdown I have been vlogging about our plot on IG and YouTube, finding an incredible online community of vegetable growers and gardeners!
http://www.instagram.com/plot_37
http://www.youtube.com/jessiestplot37
I have also been a member of B.R.A.G for the past 7 years and have designed this garden, in collaboration with allotment holders from across the area to represent what i feel is so incredible about our sites and the impact they have.
In those 7 years I have watched BRAG shift gradually from a problem solving council touching point into a dynamic group of allotment champions keen to create a greater sense of community across our sites. This year we held our first borough wide seed swap, have had guest speakers come to talk to us about a whole range of relevant issues from Asian Hornets to Newt breeding and this project is the next step in building that bond.
... help us make this project a reality
We really believe this is an exciting and worthwhile project, that we have worked very hard on and we would very much appreciate your support to make this happen!