Reaping the rewards from their work on the allotment
Life with an allotment offers peace, quiet and sanctuary during a tumultuous time for humanity, as allotment holders in Telford have discovered.
The rewarding feeling of growing your own food and having a quiet space to visit is keeping members of the Leegomery allotments sane, chairman, Les Bradley and committee member, John Tanner, said.
During lockdown and the recent sunny weather, the allotments have been busy and thriving with fresh produce and people out and about, tending to their plots.
John said they were so grateful when the Government allowed allotments to stay open, as they provide much needed solace for people, and lend to themselves in regards to social distancing.
The site, which covers the Hadley and Leegomery area, contains around 80 plots and backs onto the Hadley cemetery. In a quiet and secluded area of Telford, members relish in the chance to escape life and an allotment is a welcome distraction in the current climate.
Les Bradley, chairman of the allotment committee, said they have plot holders with lots of different backgrounds and all ages, so it brings a nice variety to the site.
"There must be people from all over the world who have a place here, it is so varied.
"We have a waiting list, it is probably in the teens I'd say. A few years ago, we wouldn't have had such a long waiting list, so we are definitely on the up. And as regards social distancing, allotments are ideal."
However, after nearly three months of lockdown and a sunny few weeks, Les said the increase in water usage has been a bit of a problem.
"People have been using much more water than normal," he added. "People who normally come maybe once or twice a week are now coming everyday. We need it to rain really."
John Tanner, a committee member who has had his plot for 12 years, said that for him, the allotment is a pleasant escape from reality.
"Everybody needs their own space," he said. "There is three of us at home, with my wife and my son, and we all need time to do our own thing.
"It is good for your health as well coming out here and working for a bit everyday. Normally I spend a lot of time walking but now I have spent more time gardening. When I come up here, I forget about everything, all of the problems.
"I try and get here, when I'm not working, at around 6.30am and there is nobody here, it is so quiet. It has honestly kept me sane."
Leon Murray, a former mayor of Telford and Wrekin and borough councillor for Hadley & Leegomery, has had his plot for around 15 years, and said it a welcome respite from a busy life.
"I travel all over the place, I work in London and I am away a lot so my allotment keeps me sane," he said. "Last year my family and I went to New Zealand, Australia, and Jamaica. So having the allotment keeps me sane after all that."
On the site, people grow anything from onions, lettuce and courgettes, to rhubarb, flowers, asparagus and beetroot. As well as handing out any surplus produce to each other and neighbours back home, the community has also helped out in return.
John explained: "When lockdown was announced, Homebase had shut. The Telford store gave us all their potatoes and we ended up with about 70 or 80 bags of them.
"We all share things around and also give produce to our neighbours back home. When I came up here in March, it had been quite prosperous and I had enough rhubarb to feed my whole street."
