Special project takes root
In a quiet corner of Hartlepool, tucked away just yards from the bustle of Oxford Road, a very special project is - quite literally - taking root.
Set up in 2007 with investment from Hartlepool Borough Council and the co-operation of local partners, the Waverley Terrace Allotment project has transformed a disused patch of waste ground into a thriving allotment site.
Waverley Terrace Allotment is a result of partnership working between a number of local charities and organisations including Hartlepool Mind, DISC, Nacro and Hartlepool College of Further Education, as well as various teams and officers from the council. It aims to provide an opportunity for vulnerable, socially excluded adults - offenders, those with a history of substance misuse, a learning disability or a mental health need - to make a contribution to their community.
A hive of activity
When we visit during an informal open day in June, we are lucky enough to be enjoying a sunny spell. Colourful blooms spill from containers hanging on fence posts. A water sprinkler flicks lazily back and forth over a large patch of turned earth. In contrast, the rear of the plot is a hive of activity.
Volunteers talk amongst themselves as they tend a flourishing vegetable patch. Hartlepool's Mayor, Stuart Drummond, admires the site as he talks to some of the people who have made this project such a success. Nicky, an employee from Hartlepool College of Further Education, gives us a tour of the plot. Potato plants - earlies and main crops - grow in neat furrows. Green netting protects a raised bed brimming with strawberry plants. We crunch over a tidy gravel path to see radishes sprouting from the soil. Nicky is enthusiastic about Waverley Terrace, and talks to us about what she'd like to see happen with the plot as she shows us around.
A portacabin at the rear of the allotment would provide an on-site classroom for those wishing to study horticulture, enabling keen volunteers to transform their interest in gardening into a career, she says. Selling fresh produce grown on the plot would give members of the group experience of retail and customer services, as well as providing income to re-invest in the site.
Grants and partnerships
The project does not have a budget of its own but received funding from various organisations to help with the set-up costs. A grant from the Safer Hartlepool Partnership paid for secure fencing around the site. The Primary Care Trust, seeing the health benefits of volunteering on the allotment, provided a member of staff, part-time for one year, to work with the volunteers. Pride in Hartlepool, a Mental Health Capital and Social Care Reform Grant, the Hartlepool Learning Disability Partnership Board and a Communities Health Funding Grant have all contributed to the site's infrastructure, tools and equipment.
This funding has provided the large Waverley Terrace Allotment with some notable features. A gravelled car park set back from the road ensures visitors' cars do not inconvenience local residents. Should the weather turn sour, volunteers can take refuge in the two impressive glasshouses which are home to seedlings, tomatoes and other plants more accustomed to warmer climes. A smart paved area - with slabs kindly donated by builders' merchant Travis Perkins - makes Waverley Terrace Allotment accessible for those with mobility difficulties.
Breaking down barriers
When work first began on the project, there was some tension between the independent allotment holders and one of the charities using the site. Darran Hutchinson from Hartlepool Borough Council says: "The issues between the members of our group and the independent allotment holders created barriers, not just between us and the wider allotment community but amongst our own volunteers, too. We wanted to break down these barriers to create a better experience for everyone involved.
"We did this by introducing ourselves and explaining the aims of the Waverley Terrace Allotment project. We helped the independent allotment holders with lifting and carrying and were sure to talk to our neighbours, letting them know how we were getting on."
The group's efforts paid off, and the independent allotment holders donated plants such as leeks, strawberries and rhubarb to the project. They also offered to show the group members how to build a compost bin.
Rethink, reuse, recycle
Rethinking, re-using and recycling is a fact of life at Waverley Terrace: "One of the aims of the allotment is to show our service users how to re-use things that they can find around the house to grow their own at home," says Darran.
"We use old plastic cups to set seeds off in, reuse plastic bottles to cover and protect our seedlings, and lollipop sticks to mark what's what and as supports for young plants. We have learned how to let vegetables grow to seed, how to gather the seeds and store them correctly. All of this will enable the volunteers - and the allotment site itself - to become more self-sufficient."
The staff and volunteers who have worked so hard on the Waverley Terrace Allotment are keen to continue developing the site. They have recently taken delivery of a composting toilet and are planning to hold an open day during the Tall Ships Races weekend this August.
Being involved in the project brings many benefits. It provides a chance to learn, exercise, and spend more time outdoors. The volunteers get a real sense of achievement when their crops flourish - and access to cheap fruit and vegetables, of course. Most of all, the Waverley Terrace Allotment is a community project which aims to bring people together. Volunteers are welcome at the site and donations - of tools, plants or expertise - are always gratefully received.
For more information
To find out more about the Waverley Terrace Allotment, contact Chris Horn on:
- Email:
- Telephone: 01429 523687
Photographs courtesy of Phil Dale at Hartlepool Borough Council.
Address
Waverley Terrace Allotment
Waverley Terrace,
Hartlepool,
TS25 5NB
Lat/Lon: 54.67214351404115,, -1.228172779083252