Allotments Regeneration Initiative Concludes (From Smallholder)

Allotments Regeneration Initiative Concludes

7:52pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative (ARI), which has helped revive interest in allotments and food growing across the UK over the last decade, has reached its conclusion.

ARI’s original purpose, to encourage the regeneration and uptake of allotments, has largely been fulfilled according to the partnership behind it - the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society (SAGS) and the National Allotments Society.

Though ARI will no longer continue in its current format, all the partners are committed to ensuring that the good work delivered by ARI will continue and are confident that the momentum in the allotment movement, will continue over the coming years.

The highly-successful Allotment Mentor programme will continue to support and advise existing (and aspiring) allotment holders and managers. In England this work will continue through The National Allotment Society – details from: diane@nsalg.org.uk In Scotland this work will continue through the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society (www.sags.org.uk), while in Wales two former ARI mentors will provide support through FCFCG’s Tyfu Pobl programme (contact wales@farmgarden.org.uk). In Northern Ireland, FCFCG and Northern Ireland Environment Link will continue their partnership to support the growth of the community farming and gardening movement. (More information at: www.farmgarden.org.uk/farms-gardens/your-region/northern-ireland).

Landowners and community groups hoping to create allotment sites can also get help from the Community land Advisory Service (currently operating in England and Scotland, hopefully extending to Wales in the near future).

CLAS supports communities seeking to gain access to land for community gardening and associated green space activities, through offering both hands-on help and online information resources to both landowners and community organisations. Visit www.communitylandadvice.org.uk

“ARI is proud to have contributed to the increased profile and importance of allotments.

FCFCG Chief Executive Jeremy Iles

 

FCFCG Chief Executive Jeremy Iles said: “ARI is proud to have contributed to the increased profile and importance of allotments. The initiative has focused on creating and nurturing a culture of positive thinking amongst communities about the future of allotments and the ways in which they can be regenerated; and we are confident this positive momentum in the allotment movement, which ARI has helped to start, will continue over the coming years.”