Works to install electricity at Abbots Way allotment are now complete.
The brand new supply has now been officially switched on, providing power to the allotment’s communal hall, built in 2017, which replaced the then deteriorating small wooden communal hut dating back to the 1940‘s.
The power supply will also support the compost toilet and allotment ‘shop’, with the project funded through a £17,500 grant from Bromley’s Community Initiative Fund plus a contribution from the Allotment Association of £5357.60 of match-funding.
Prior to its installation any functions held in the community hall relied on cumbersome generators being brought out of storage by the group’s members. Allotment holders are now able to stage local events more easily and continue building links with other community groups, including local schools, promoting and building an understanding of growing fruit and vegetables
Councillor Diane Smith, Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health and Ward Councillor for Kelsey and Eden Park said, “There has always been a superb can-do team spirit in the Abbots Way Allotment community. It has been an absolute pleasure to have worked alongside them over a number of years and to see this project through to a conclusion. The construction of the purpose-built hall which has its own dedicated kitchen facilities, now has a robust power supply which enables the group to increase the number and range of social functions held at the hall including horticultural demonstrations, whilst also providing a more user-friendly community and social hub for plot-holders and local residents. The direct physical health benefits of allotmenteering and vegetable and plant growing are well known however there are also positive outcomes relating to addressing mental health issues and alleviating feelings of loneliness and isolation which is a key priority for the council.”
There are 145 allotment plots at the Abbots Way Leisure Garden site with over 50 similar sites across the borough, managed in partnership by idverde, with limited availability at some sites and with all plots occupied at Abbots Way. Interested people are advised to seek further information about plots by visiting www.balgf.org
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Editor’s notes –
- idverde are the council’s contractor for managing and maintaining Bromley’s parks and greenspaces in partnership with Friends of Parks, sports, allotment and other community groups.
- For further information about Bromley’s allotment sites visit www.balgf.org
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Head of Public Affairs, on 020 8461 7670 or email andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk.