Sentinel digs for victory to beat downturn » Housing » 24dash.com

RESIDENTS in Hartley Wintney will soon be munching on their own fresh organic vegetables after a new tenant allotment was built this week. 

Staff from Sentinel Housing Association pulled on their wellies to turn an under-used communal area in the Hampshire village into a vegetable garden, to help residents beat the recent food hikes.

Residents of a block of flats at the Becketts called in Sentinel for help, so the landlord sent a Community Impact Team of 20 staff to build raised beds, and plant cabbages, tomatoes, and salad all in a single day.

Project Manager Anne Morley said: Ive been growing on cabbages and other veg at home, for an instant transformation of a neglected corner of this development. Some residents joined in, and for us, it was a chance to get out into the community to make a genuine positive impact.

The garden makeover was one of six ambitious community projects delivered by Sentinel staff across north Hampshire all on the same day, including painting a village hall, running a ballroom tea dance, landscaping scrubland, and running a family fun day.

The Community Impact Day was organised instead of a staff conference, after staff said they'd rather help out  in local neighbourhoods than listen to motivational speeches or the chief executives review.

For more information, contact steve.murphy@sentinelha.org.uk