A shared place where confidence grows

From digging the land in the cold days of spring to the harvesting of delicious potatoes, beans and lettuce in the late summer, the allotment has become a place where our clients, staff and volunteers go to boost their spirits and connect with nature, while building relationships and new skills.

Catherine Menta, NHS Lothian ARBD After Care Co-Ordinator tells us about how the Community Allotment came into being and the vital role it’s playing in our community.

What is the Community Allotment and how did it come about?

The Community Allotment is Rowan Alba’s plot at Lauriston Farm’s Agroecology site. It came about a couple years ago when David was doing community development work for CARDS. I took it over with Rynagh after David went on leave and between me, Rynagh and some determined clients and volunteers, we got the plot up and running.

It sounds like a lot of work! Who manages it on a day-to-day basis?

It is! The allotment is a true community effort. While I oversee logistics and admin, clients and volunteers have taken the charge on planning out the plot, gardening and maintenance.

How does the allotment connect to other Community programmes like Self-Management and Volunteering?

Because it is a space for clients and volunteers to take ownership of, the allotment is innately connected to these programmes. Clients and volunteers have to sign an agreement that was created using clients’ consultation. Within that they have to take responsibility for showing up every week and communicating with staff or volunteers on what’s needed for the plot. It’s very much a collective project that takes a lot of trust in one another to keep going.

What are some of the benefits you have seen for clients and staff from the allotment?

It’s definitely helped with mental health. Clients, volunteers, and even I have all said at some point that they might be feeling a little low or anxious on the days of our meetups but as soon as we get there, everything feels better. It has also been nice to see clients and volunteers grow in confidence as we’ve been working on the plot. I’ve seen both aclients and volunteers start from being unsure about what to do or how to do it and over the last 6 months they’re now fully calling the shots!

Community staff and partners breaking new ground together

Was the allotment done in partnership? Who got involved?

We applied for the allotment and after we were accepted the community engagement manager from Lauriston Farm received funding to help us and other organisations get our plots started. She along with someone from FreshStart held weekly sessions that truly got us up and running.

What are the plans for the allotment over the winter and into next year?

We’ve already cleared out the remaining space of our plot and are planning to build raised beds and add some furniture for the winter season. We’ll also be doing some planting that’s typically done this time of year. We’re hoping to drum up more client and volunteer interest as the training wheels are fully off from the starter sessions we had and would love to see more faces around!

More about Lauriston Farm

Lauriston Farm is a 100 acre piece of land in North West Edinburgh, overlooking the Firth Of Forth, and has a long history of food production, however in recent years the land was solely being used for intermittent grazing and silage production.

Edinburgh Agroecology Co–operative proposed a vision for a different agricultural landscape focusing on the interrelations between food production, nature and the local community. After carrying out a community consultation in the autumn of 2020 and lengthy discussions with the council, EAC began in the winter of 2021 to transform Lauriston back into a large scale food growing farm which is nature and community rich.

You can find out more about Lauriston Farm over on their website at https://www.lauristonfarm.scot

More about FreshStart

Fresh Start is an Edinburgh based charity helping people who have experienced homelessness establish themselves in their new home, through the provision of goods and services. Fresh Start was established in 1999 when a group of church members decided that they wanted to do something to help and support their local community. Noticing that homelessness, deprivation and poverty were real issues for many Edinburgh residents, they went out and spoke to people who were having real, lived experience of this at the time.

You can find out more FreshStart’s work over on their website at https://www.freshstartweb.org.uk/