The Big Dig

Published by Lizzie Murrie for Quicksilver PR in Housing and also in Communities, Education, Environment, Health

A piece of land used as allotments by locals is to undergo a transformation that will see it flower into a full-blown vegetable garden for use by the wider community.

The gardeners using the land contacted Leicester-based social housing group LHA-ASRA which owns the land for some help with their fundraising efforts.

The huge tract – capable of accommodating up to 100 allotments but cultivated by only 15 keen vegetable growers - was subject of a Big Dig which took place last week.

Staff turned up with spades, forks and rakes to help break new ground on untouched parts of the site, which was once used to graze pit ponies from the now defunct Welbeck Colliery in Meden Vale, Mansfield.

LHA-ASRA service delivery manager Sally-Anne Underhill explained: “We are now working on a new lease for the allotment members so that they can get funding for running water and other grants to allow the allotments to grow and to be a part of the community."

The association does not charge the green fingered residents any fees or rent for the use of the land.

Said Sally-Anne: "The Big Dig event involved a number of volunteers from our office who were there for the day to help residents clear the land that is currently not being used, so that they can have more allotment members.

"We are also aiming to help allotment holders that already have plots there with anything that they may need doing, as our contribution to building relationships with the local community."

John Lincoln, chairman of the Welbeck Gardenholders Society said: "The land once belonged to the colliery and was acquired by the housing association when the pit closed.

"Local people have been growing vegetables here for years, but the numbers have been falling off for some time as members grow older or lose interest."

The Big Dig was aimed at attracting new members to the society, both as a means of restoring the village's community spirit, badly affected by the closure of the pit, and of putting food on the table at very little cost.

"A lot of people have been put off by the fact that allotments can be very large, and difficult to work. Some of ours are fairly substantial, but we also plan to offer members some back garden-sized plots which should be easy to keep, but still provide enough vegetables for the average family," said Mr Lincoln.

One veteran member of the society will benefit from the Big Dig in a special way. Eighty-three year old Norman Hill was planning to surrender his allotment – until the committee decided to create raised beds to allow him to carry on gardening without the discomfort of having to bend down.