Category — England

Campaigners ‘absolutely gutted’ over allotment decision.

UK gardens will be replaced by hospital and homes

By Adam Binnie
Waterford Observer
May 8, 2013

Excerpt:

An allotment campaign group has vowed to continue fighting to save a patch of West Watford allotments, after the Government has granted permission to build on it as part of the Watford Health Campus.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, announced today that he has approved building on the Farm Terrace allotments as part of project, which includes a new hospital and 600 homes.

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Bristol permaculture guru Mike Feingold has four plots which he uses to demonstrate, trial and teach permaculture principles. Photo by Mark Diacono.

What began as book research – to find beautiful and interesting allotments – became a pilgrimage to Britain’s top plots

By Lia Leendertz
The Guardian
12 April 2013
Last year Lia Leendertz and Mark Diacono tracked down 30 of the most beautiful and interesting allotments in the country for their new book My Cool Allotment.

Excerpt:

The allotmenters on whom photographer Mark Diacono and I eventually settled ran the complete gamut, from the old boys doing things the traditional way – all sharply edged and weed-free beds – to the permaculturists seeking out a new and more sustainable path, with not an inch of bare ground to show for themselves. Each would be horrified by the other’s plots, but each starts from the same basic point: the same-sized plot of rented land and a desire to grow. Artists, jam-makers, a prize dahlia grower and a grower of dye plants had all turned their plots to their own particular needs. We found orchards, vineyards, cut flower gardens and national plant collections, all as different as can be, all homed in plots of roughly 10 poles (to use the medieval word that lingers on purely for the measuring of allotments) or about 250 square metres.

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A Green Champion in the Making

By Josephine Wilka
In collaboration with Iwona Bisaga
UCL Blog
2 May 2013

Excerpt:

When asked about the reasons why they have decided to focus their efforts on bringing the idea of urban agriculture to life at UCL in an interview, UAS members Maria, Martin and Thomas unanimously answered: because there is something in it for everyone! Some, such as Martin, find it important to increase food autonomy in urban areas and import less agricultural products from overseas, especially since the diet of about 2 billion people does not contain sufficient nutrients or calories and the exported food is needed elsewhere.

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Allotment being worked, Piccadilly Gardens, 1942. Larger image here.

From the Manchester Archives

Southern Cemetery Allotments, Princess Road, 1944

Allotments, Exbury Street, Manchester, 1972

Prince Phillip visit to Cheetham Model Allotments , 1972

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See urban faming network at minute eight of the video.

Tastes Like Cricket: Designing A Delicious, Insect-Based Food System

By Patrick James
Fastcoexist
Apr 9, 2013

Excerpt:

“If you roast wax worms, which are these little caterpillars that eat only honey,” says Aguirre-Bielschowski, “they taste pretty much like pistachios. Locusts, they’re very nutty, kind of like walnuts. Crickets are different, actually very meaty. So if you pan fry them, they taste a bit like sausages. And obviously I think the first time you try them, you associate them with a lot of things that are already familiar to you. But as you eat them more and more you start recognizing their own flavors.”

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Wartime Farm is a historical documentary TV series in which the running of a farm in the Second World War is reenacted. Above Episode One. See all episodes from here.

From growing your own vegetables and keeping chickens in the back yard, to having to ‘make do and mend’, many of the challenges faced by wartime Britons have resonance today.

Starring Peter Ginn, Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands
2012, 2013

The book Wartime Farm accompanies a major 8-part series on BBC TWO. Presenters and authors, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn and Ruth Goodman spend a year turning the clock back and running a Hampshire farm as it would have been in World War Two. They deal with everything from the desperate battle to get as much land as possible under cultivation to mobilising the land army, cooking on rations and keeping themselves entertained.

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He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread; but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. – Proverbs

The Labourer’s Friend Society was a society founded by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830 for the improvement of working class conditions. This included the promotion of allotment of land to labourers for “cottage husbandry” that later became the allotment movement, which the Society campaigned for after the Swing riots of 1830 as “the most plausible remedy for the social problems of the countryside”.

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The Biospheric Project is transforming a derelict mill on the banks of the River Irwell into a thriving agricultural space.

Orchards, crops and a fish farm will fill the empty spaces of a former printworks as the Biospheric Foundation comes to Salford.

By Christopher Arden
The Guardian
March 1, 2013

Excerpt:

In the world’s first industrialised city, Vincent Walsh is hoping that Manchester will now become “the first biospheric city”, in his flagship project transforming a disused printworks in a deprived area of Salford into a state-of-the-art urban farm and research centre.

Walsh, founder and director of the Biospheric Foundation, has teamed up with Manchester International Festival as part of its 2013 programme of events, to create a project that educates communities about sustainable food production.

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UK’s ‘I’m an Urban Farmer’ does the interview

From I’m an Urban Farmer
March 20, 2013

Excerpt:

In our first of two interviews with expert gardener Alan Titchmarsh we are treated to his recommendations on how to grow our own food in the City.

Having established a career as a gardener and a gardening journalist, Alan also become a media personality through presenting and appearing on programmes such as ’Gardener’s World’ and ‘Ground Force’.

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From left are Luke Attwood, Joel Wilson, Richard Leatherby, of Tool Shed, Zoe Jordan, Matt White and Kelvin Pashby. Left: the planting area.

A UK City college is working to turn disused land into an allotment-style community garden.

By Claire Jones
Plymouth Herald
March 7, 2013

Excerpt:

Grow-Allot is an initiative created by City College Plymouth to restore an area of disused ground at its Kings Road site.

With funding from the Big Lottery’s Local Food Programme, its aim is to create a relaxing, green space for students, staff and the local community.

Allotment project co-ordinator at the college Matt White said: “This project will give budding gardeners the opportunity to explore the wonderful variety of edible plants that can be grown here.

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Help us turn a car park in central London into a sustainable urban farm using a specially modified shipping container and greenhouse.

By Kate Hofman

With your help we will build our urban farm and open it as part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival in May 2013. We’re planning to be onsite at 47/49, doing the installation from the start of April, and we’ll have a grand opening in May. We’ll then continue to farm the box across the summer and beyond! We’ll be open to the public so that you can come along and see how its possible to grow fresh vegetables without soil, chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and produce fresh, sustainable fish.

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Spitalfields City Farm from Dan Walsh on Vimeo.

We represent around 120 city and school farms, nearly 1,000 community gardens, a growing number of community-managed allotments and at least 200 city farms and community gardens in development.

Administrator
Organisation: Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
Salary: £19,126 – £20,858
Location: Bristol
Hours: Full Time
Position type: Paid
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: Fri 29 March 13
Website: www.farmgarden.org.uk
Contact telephone: 0117 923 1800
Contact email: admin@farmgarden.org.uk

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“Brewed in South London for South Londoners.”

Hop plants were grown in gardens, parks, pots and community areas across South London

From Oct 2012’s debut as heard in a forum:

“I travelled to the far flung outposts of East Dulwich tonight to try out the Brixton Beer and it was well worth the trip. It had sold out in at least two pubs too. A success!”

“Prima Donna is a great pint, nice tart bitter.”

“Draft House told me it was the quickest selling pint they can remember – sold the whole barrel in less than 6 hours!”

“We’re thinking of experimenting with growing barley next year and doing a honey ale with Lambeth honey as well.”

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Growing Success: The impact of Capital Growth on community food growing in London

News Release
30th January

Growing Success, a new report out today reveals the huge and positive impact of the Capital Growth programme over the last four years. The programme, funded by the Mayor of London and the Big Lottery, and run by London Food Link has helped get around 99,000 people growing on 2,012 new community food gardens, with 82% in the more deprived parts of London.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who wrote a foreword for the report, said:

‘Capital Growth has proven to be an astonishing success which has unlocked a primal love of gardening in city dwellers. The scheme has been especially successful not just in the leafy suburbs, but in the more deprived inner London areas where gardening has brought people into contact with neighbours often for the very first time. London is now an acknowledged world leader in urban agriculture with Capital Growth showing that bringing people together to make a physical investment in the soil, reaps environmental, social, educational and even economic dividends.’

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This film explores how community gardens benefit public health and was commissioned by NHS (National Health Service) Midlands and East. Find out why Community Gardens are good for us by watching this video.

‘Gardens Where People Grow’ – film made for the National Health Service

Director: John Hill-Daniel
Camera: Carl Jorden, Peter Austin
(Must see. Mike)

NHS Midlands and East commissioned Martineau Gardens to report how the community garden is a model for improving public health and resilience in Birmingham, with particular focus on the impact of the garden and gardening on the mental health and well being of the people of Birmingham. The film documents the activities of Martineau Gardens (and other urban growing projects) with evidence from staff, volunteers and visitors who use the Gardens.

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Forthcoming March 2013

By Naomi Schillinger
Short Books
March 2013

This book celebrates the fact that anyone can ‘grow your own’ and that through veg growing you can meet your neighbours and grow your own community too.

A few years ago, Naomi Schillinger got together with her neighbours to start a community gardening scheme. Today, they live in a street in which no less than 100 residents have turned their front gardens over to growing their own fruit and veg: lettuces, leeks and beetroot in raised beds, teepees billowing with sweet peas and runner beans, rhubarb by the door.

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Tony and Janet Mason now rent a secret plot to stop acts of sabotage on their crops Photo: BBC/ALAMY.

BBC One documentary – There’s’ something deeply satisfying about pottering around an allotment and growing your own produce. No doubt that’s why plots are currently in such short supply with waiting lists of up to 40 years in some areas of the country.

By: Adrian Lee
Daily Express
January 22, 2013

Excerpt:

It is estimated that there are about 350,000 allotments in the UK but another 150,000 are needed to meet soaring demand.

The boom in popularity is being driven by a desire for homegrown fruit and veg, rising prices at the greengrocers and the wholesome image associated with being outdoors and getting your hands dirty.

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Click on image to see larger file. Freightliners Farm was founded on wasteland behind Kings Cross station in London in 1973. Freightliners is the only city farm in the UK which has a non-slaughtering policy.

The Farm is situated in the London Borough of Islington, the tenth poorest borough of London

By Jon Dean
Islington Gazette
January 20, 2013

Freightliners City Farm, in Sheringham Road, Holloway, has scooped more than £130,000 from Local Food supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

It will use it for its Islington Combined Harvest project to try to produce high quality local produce for people in the area.

The café will host tastings and children will be invited to learn about food production and agriculture.

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St Werburghs City Farm is 34 years old

Two popular lion-haired rabbits have been returned to St Werburgh’s City Farm after they were stolen in a New Year’s Eve break-in. Vandals damaged animal pens, CCTV units and security lights at the Farm’s charity centre during the raid at 9.45pm. Following an appeal for information in The Post, police say they received an anonymous tip off from the community. The rabbits were then recovered from an address in Easton where the suspect was arrested.

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‘Edible Britain’ will see community gardening groups create 2,000 edible gardens in public spaces around the country between 7 and 14 April

Royal Horticultural Society
11 January 2013

Excerpt:

Edible Gardens will appear in public spaces across the UK when RHS Britain in Bloom 2013 launches in April. Streets across the UK will be lined with herbs and vegetables for local people to harvest for years to come, thanks to the launch.

‘Edible Britain’ is the theme of Britain in Bloom 2013, which will see community gardening groups create 2,000 edible gardens in public spaces around the country between 7 and 14 April.

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