Going for the good life Gardeners plot a greener future
Gardeners want to help Newark people eat more healthily by selling vegetables grown in the town.
They have set up a social enterprise called Smiles and have taken over disused allotments at Eton Court.
One of the eight directors of Smiles, Miss Janet Welsh (52) of Victoria Street, said they wanted to spread the word about gardening as a hobby and as a career.
They hope to get volunteers involved and are looking to employ people on a part-time basis.
Miss Welsh, a gardener at The Grange Hotel, Newark, said the project could be a springboard for people starting a career in horticulture.
She said all the food they produced would be organic and environmentally-friendly because of the lower food miles.
“I have had people say to me that they don’t want to own their own allotment, as they are a lot of work, but they would like to come and pick their own vegetables,” she said.
People will be able to visit the allotments to buy vegetables, or purchase a £6 bag of vegetables that could be delivered to their workplace during the day.
The bag would contain a minimum of five seasonal varieties.
It is hoped vegetables will be available to buy from the summer onwards, with produce on offer all year.
Smiles has sprung out of another group, the Hawton Road Community Allotments Project, for people with mental health problems.
Two of Smiles’ directors are members of Nottinghamshire County Council’s social inclusion team and the group has received money from the council to help it start up.
A director of Smiles, Mr Mike Bown (40) of Yorke Drive, is a member of the allotments project.
He said: “Gardening is great therapy.
“If you have got a problem you can come into the garden and hit a few weeds.”
It is hoped part of the allotments can be turned into a public garden.
Smiles also wants to get schools involved and wants to hold horticulture workshops and courses at the allotments.
Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst campus is already involved, and horticulture students will be working on the allotments.
The head of horticulture at Brackenhurst, Mr Stephen Dando, is a director of Smiles, along with a student, Mr James Wilkinson.
Mr Wilkinson is the son of Mrs Gillie Wilkinson, of Lincoln Road, the chairman of Newark Allotments and Gardening Society and also a director of Smiles.
Another director is Newark town councillor Mrs Marika Tribe. The town council is renting the allotments to Smiles after ten years of disuse.
There is no water supply and Smiles hopes to harvest rainwater.
People can visit the allotments from noon to 2pm on Tuesdays. For more information visit
www.smilesnewark.co.uk
