On Saturday 27th September, the Health for Life team worked with NSC with The Challenge and Holloway Hall for the grand opening of Ley Hill community allotments.
The Challenge brought around 100 volunteers from schools around Birmingham to come and do some practical work with us to benefit the community. Throughout the day they were given different tasks to do with us in order to get the allotment ready to be opened when the day was done.
The tasks varied with one group building a large raised bed out of railway sleepers to go with the smaller beds that had already been built on an earlier volunteer day. Alongside we had a fruit tree orchard being planted alongside the back of the site, which will be producing fruit for the local community to harvest and use as they please. One group was also making small raised beds and planting in a variety of soft fruit bushes that will provide; blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries amongst others. As well there were many smaller tasks being done such as; tidying the site, planting wildflowers and bulbs ready for spring and filling in the already raised beds with top soil.
By the end of the day, with a lot of hard work the site was fit for opening. Some of the community and representatives from Holloway hall the local community centre came across and were pleased to see the results. Everyone finished with some well earned food before making their way home.
The site is open and ready to be used by anyone interested and we have working days there during the week that are open to all. To find out more or to get involved please email s.lewandowski@tcv.org.uk or Jacob.williams@tcv.org.uk.