This is a brilliant idea - one that my wife and I have been expounding for some time. At the end of June, I contacted the Wrexham Leader in response to the rise in food prices push up demand for Wrexham’s allotments.

Nearly 4 months ago, I said
"According to Matt Sims of the Wrexham Leader, demand is soaring for allotments in Wrexham as rising food prices, growing concerns over food miles and demand for organic produce prompts a new generation to grow their own. http://www.wrexhamleader.co.uk/news/Rising-food-prices-push-up.4219320.jp

With no allotments in the whole of Caia Park, where a quarter of Wrexham’s population lives, surely some alternative arrangements must be made.

With local councillors launching a consultation to find out how many people in the area would like an allotment, the process could take forever. Even though there was an election pledge to provide allotments and there is local demand for space for growing fruit and vegetables, persuading the council to allocate land, finding and identifying the right land and getting the project off the ground looks set to get bogged down in bureaucracy. Meanwhile, residents of Caia Park, Wrexham, Wales and beyond are left in limbo.

According to recent figures released by the Local Government Association, more than 200,000 allotments have been lost over the past 30 years in the UK despite demand having never been greater. Presumably, the land has been turned over to unaffordable housing, which is not much use when one cannot afford the mortgage or to feed oneself; that is another matter for further discussion.

If you are planning on growing your own to survive the credit crunch or waiting in an endless line to get an allotment, why not join GardenLend? We also need those with gardens that are not in use to join, to provide space for the keen but landless growers.

The scheme - although online - is locally based and led, based on need and availability. People wanting garden space to grow

(contd.)
fruit and vegetables register their desire so to do, giving brief details of their aims and ambitions. Others, with gardens that are underused or neglected, post the details of the land they have that could be turned over to more productive use. Either by browsing the lists or by replying to details posted, the two then contact each other - firstly online - and, should they want to take matters further, arrange the finer details, including share of produce and take matters from there. Couldn’t be simpler and avoids all the waiting involved with local authorities coming to a decision.

Please register at http://find.gardenlend.co.uk/ucp.php?mode=register and take the first steps towards your green dream."

Quoted from:
http://blog.gardenlend.co.uk/2008/06/29/rising-food-prices-push-up-demand-for-wrexhams-allotments/

Similar voluntary schemes are taking off in Totnes, parts of London and are being discussed in Transition Towns. Surely Wrexham is ideally placed to take the lead in Wales?

Kind regards,

Ian Springham