A PATCH of unkempt wasteland in East Devon has been transformed into a plot of allotments for less mobile gardeners to enjoy.
Thanks to a handful of keen gardeners, nine plots have been created on land adjoining Newton Poppleford Allotments for those who would otherwise not be able to tend one.
Allotment holders, Mikala and Harvey Tillotson have been instrumental in getting the project funded and completed.
And it was Sidmouth Garden Centre which helped push the project over the finish line.
"The land has been a mess for years," explained Mikala. "My husband used to get fed up with me asking him to cut it!
"We thought they'd be people who'd like to garden but who are less mobile or can't bend.
"So we thought we'd make some trugs, put them on a woodchip slab base which are high enough for the less mobile. I really enjoy my allotment and just thought there must be other people who would love to garden but can't. It's a social thing as well as being about growing."
In addition to the nine trugs, the gardeners have created two communal boxes, where strawberries, beans and rhubarb are already sprouting, and a communal orchard. The project wouldn't have been possible without the fundraising efforts of the gardeners which helped pay for the wood and the hard core. And it is thanks to the generosity of James Trevett, manager of Sidmouth Garden Centre which enabled the project to be completed in time for the growing season.
The centre provided slabs, compost and paint in addition to the landscaping team helping allotment volunteers get the job done.
"A lot of people gave their time and man power," continued Mikala. "Particularly Bill Tuck and Ted Reed."
