Communities turning to gardening for health benefits

The plots are open to everyone, regardless of their gardening skills

Private allotments are being transformed into community gardens around the region.

The idea was established by a group of friends who worked to find an alternative to long waitlists for council allotments.

The Roots Allotments team, which opened an allotment in Bath, has been inundated with customers.

The founders said the allotment is "the first organic no-dig site of its kind in the world".

The team is actively looking for sites in Bristol, with the hopes to establish a garden there.

Ed Morrison, Will Gay, Josh Gay and Christian Samuels founded the site in Bath after realising the need to have a "modern day, inclusive allotment" that applicants would not have to wait years for.

Ed Morrison, Will Gay, Josh Gay and Christian Samuels

Waitlists for allotments in Bristol are currently at three to four years.

The private allotments are more expensive than the council plots, with the Bath plots costing between £10 and £50 per month.

The garden is a "no dig" concept

However, this is the only way for some people to gain access to green growing spaces.

Many of the gardeners who have plots at the Bath site commute in and split the rental fees, as they value the benefits - both physical and mental - of gardening.

Mujahid Chowdhury travels from Trowbridge

Mujahid Chowdhury, from Trowbridge, is hoping to grow exotic vegetables inspired by his Bengali heritage.

He is growing them as a surprise for his Nan, who is unable to grow them herself anymore.

The Kandola family travel 40 minutes to Bath

The Kandola family, who live in Almondsbury, travel to Bath every other day.

The journey can take 40 minutes, but they did not want to wait for years to secure a nearby council plot.

The first-time gardeners are renting three plots in Bath. Despite the distance, the whole family love their new hobby.

Many people are forming groups when renting plots

Ed Morrison is a grower and adviser from Roots Allotment. He says gardening has many mental health benefits.

He said: "People are actually coming here for a sense of community and a sense of belonging and I've found that over the last two years with Covid, people have become very disconnected with each other.

"So this is a really nice opportunity to just spend some time together and really get to know each other."

Charlotte said: "It’s a brilliant way to have some exercise or some relaxation and to spend some time as a group"

Charlotte is part of a large group from Bath who all share a large plot.

She said: "It's not just an allotment to grow things, you can already feel there's a real community spirit starting to grow."

A similar concept is set to be unveiled in Chippenham, after The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre was awarded £10,000 to showcase the history of gardening, through archives, activities and events, in order to promote the benefits to physical and mental wellbeing.

The community garden is supported by the community group, Rooted Chippenham, and Chippenham Town Council.

Rooted Chippenham was founded by Rebecca Beach and Vanessa Davey, who met on social media.

Rebecca Beach and Vanessa Davey founded Rooted Chippenham together

Rebecca reached out to local residents on Facebook in 2020.

She wanted to connect with people that shared an interest in gardening, as she was isolating during the 2020 lockdown after being diagnosed with cancer.

She lives with her husband and children in a house with a big garden. Rebecca has been growing vegetables at home for more than a decade.

She said she was grateful for the space, which served as respite from being stuck inside.

Rebecca said: "Planting seeds was almost like a promise to myself that I would be there to see them grow."