Allotment
gardening
Why grow your own food ?
The
Government
doesn't
hold
any emergency food supplies. And
as
we discovered during the blockade of the fuel depots in 2000, the supermarkets
operate a 'just in time' supply system. They hold up to three days
stock. So if things went wrong again, we could find that we are just
'nine meals from disaster', as one report put it.
That's a pretty good reason for growing some of your own food. But of
course there are many other good reasons. There's lots of good advice on
this website : 'The Allotment Handbook' -
Sophie Andrews Eco-Logic
Books
See also : www.allotment.org.uk
Find an
allotment without waiting for the Council
There
are
100,000
people
waiting
for
allotments in
the
U.K.
Landshare is a website
which
aims to
connect people with spare land and people looking for a plot of land
for an allotment.
A quick
web
search showed a number of people in Ormskirk, Skelmersdale, Lathom and
so on offering plots, and
people wanting allotments. Give it a go !
Council
allotments
West
Lancashire
Borough
Council
has
a
legal
responsibility
for
providing
allotments.
Unfortunately
the
council has a poor record in fulfilling
this responsibility.
If you intend to apply for an allotment, you would
be
well
advised
not
to
do
so
by
phone.
Your
application
could
possibly
fail to
be registered.
Instead send a letter (W.L.B.C., 52 Derby Street, Ormskirk L39
2DF) asking for an application form.
You will probably be told that no cleared allotments are available and
there is a long waiting list. This may discourage you from applying.
But take a look at the Council's allotment sites :
Ormskirk - Tower Hill, Clucas Gardens and Owen Avenue
Burscough - Richmond Avenue
Hesketh Bank - Chapel Road
You may be surprised to find that there are plenty of unused sites
covered in weeds. You might offer to clear the ground and start to use
the allotment plot. But this is not how the Council operates.
A long public campaign to 'persuade' them to take urgent action to
bring the allotments into use didn't change their attitude.
You may be shocked to know that some would-be allotment gardeners took
direct action and simply occupied a plot without the permission of the
Council. Fortunately they have not yet been punished.
Of course it would be irresponsible to recommend this kind of
occupation.
In the meantime it might jolt the Council to receive letters urging
them to clean up unused allotments and to acquire new ones to meet
demand.
Skelmersdale
The
situation in
Skelmersdale is very different.
There is a flourishing allotment group which is independent of the
Council.
Their excellent website is at
http://skelmersdalehorticulturalsociety.co.uk/