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Fruits of your labours
By John Ives
IN TODAY'S choked, grey towns and cities, a growing army of people is choosing
to return to nature and get its hands dirty.
Allotments were once the sole preserve of the flat-capped old man with a
well-worn spade and muddy wellies.
Now they're holding their own in the face of housing developers and their
bulldozers - and attracting a trendy new breed of green-fingered fans.
More than a quarter of a million of us now grow our own vegetables on our own
little plot of land, according to government figures - and young women are the
fastest growing group of allotment gardeners. Deborah Burn is one of them.
As development officer at the Allotments Regeneration Initiative (ARI), she has
noted a growing interest in allotment gardening in recent years.
"I've been a plot-holder for eight years and I can't think of a better way to
spend my spare time," says Deborah, 36.
"The traditional image of the male allotment holder who might be older is
starting to change.
"Younger women are getting involved - not necessarily professionals, but maybe
women with families.
"Black and minority ethnic groups are also getting involved, as well as
community groups and schools, and people with physical and mental health
needs."
Geoff Stokes, national secretary of the National Society of Allotment and
Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), agrees that there's an allotment renaissance going
on.
"There seems to be a marked increase in the number of people wanting them," he
explains.
"We're seeing a change in the type of people taking allotments. It was always
thought of as land for the labouring poor, but that's changed." Stokes says
there are many reasons why allotment gardening is so popular: "They include
wanting to be out in the fresh air, exercise, being close to nature, growing
fresh organic produce, and knowing what's gone into what you're eating."
Certainly organic food seems to be a big draw for many newcomers.
Sally Smith, from organic supporters the Henry Doubleday Research Association,
says growing your own produce is a cheap and accessible way to eradicate
chemicals from your diet.
"Nutritionally speaking, it has been shown that conventionally-grownfood may be
lacking in certain trace elements.
"More people want to know where their food has been grown and what has gone
into it."
The benefits of allotments haven't escaped the Government.
ARI's Deborah Burn says: "The message has gone out that allotments are a
sustainable facet of urban life, and that's been picked up by the Government,
the NHS and regional trusts as a way of promoting healthy living.
"So the future is very bright for allotments."
Check out the following link.
http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/1500lifestyle/tm_objectid=14170653&method=full&siteid=50100&headline=fruits-of-your-labours-name_page.html
Make sure you visit http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk
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