Acknowledgments

Big, big thanks

to Paul Jayson and Mandy Oliver of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens for their advice, support and useful networking.

to Helen Raper, Allotments Officer, Newcastle City Council for information on how Newcastle tackled similar problems.

to Phil Hartley, Assistant Team Manager, Land Contamination for Newcastle City Council for talking us through the science and giving us hope.

to Hilary Burden of Camden Council and George Nicklin of Spennymoor Council for also finding ways of keeping their contaminated allotments open.

to Monty Don for telling us to fight

to the Dean of Gloucester Cathedral for joining us even though he's got a large garden of his own to look after

to Parmjit Dhanda MP for taking our case up with Margaret Beckett

to Ralf Stahlmann for hosting the site

Friends and Links

Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens
Help with contaminated land, community orchards and community gardens. www.farmgarden.org.uk

National Association of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners
Providing a united voice and action to protect and preserve a traditional way of life, the NSALG offers a wide range of advice and services on aspects of allotment and society matters including: advice, seed scheme, insurance, show and association supplies. For full details see website. www.nsalg.demon.co.uk

Green Space and Urban Parks Forum www.urbanparksforum.co.uk

Information about land contamination www.contamlinks.co.uk

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative (ARI) is a new partnership between the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) and QED Allotments Group, funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

ARI aims to stimulate more people to get growing on urban allotments, both as individual plot holders and through community projects. It will do this by:

As part of its initial work programme, ARI will be working with up to five pilot projects to regenerate sites that have fallen into partial disuse. This work will begin in 2003 and run for two years. Grants of £50,000 - £100,000 will be awarded to the pilots and ARI development workers will give projects the technical support they need to ensure that regeneration is successful and lasting.

The first five factsheets in a series of ten, are now available:
  1. Money Maze -advises on fundraising and grants;
  2. Toilet Paper- explains how to install an affordable allotment toilet;
  3. Project Allotment -will assist groups and partnership initiatives working on allotments (with profiles of 20 projects);
  4. Safe Sites - tackles site security and crime;
  5. Promoting the Plot - details methods of attracting more plotholders.
Later factsheets will address the restoration of derelict plots, disability access, working with children, devolved management and risk assessment.

For further information contact ARI or see their website:

Bethan Stagg
Allotments Regeneration Initiative
54 Allison St
Birmingham
B5 5TH
T: 0121 643 0402
F: 0121 643 0609
E: ari@farmgarden.org.uk
W: http://www.cityfarm.org.uk/ari/

The Land is Ours
TLIO campaigns peacefully for access to the land, its resources, and the decision-making processes affecting them, for everyone, irrespective of race, gender or age.
16B Cherwell Street
Oxford
OX4 1BG
E: office@tlio.demon.co.uk
W: www.thelandisours.org

Local Government Association website contains some useful policy information and reports on allotments:
www.lga.gov.uk/lga/allotments/index.htm

Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
Gives grants to community projects near landfill sites.
www.ltcs.org.uk

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
www.opdp.gov.uk
(Responsible for national allotments policy)
Informative 'Plotholders' Guide' (250Kb)
Future of allotments (100Kb) the Government's thinking