Autumn has brought a clear up on site
We were fortunate to have a phone call out of the blue recently from the Probation Service, who we had invited as guests to the allotment site back in May. A supervisor rang up to say they could bring down a group of adults on the Payback scheme to help tidy up the allotment…that afternoon! Well, we jumped at the opportunity, as there’s been a lot of tidying up and clearance work to be done.
It should be borne in mind for new readers, that our Taff Allotment site is the size of five tennis courts and we inherited the plots with a lot of work to be done on them. In the main, we have tackled what we can, but there is a limit to goodwill with tenants and staff, so some extra input was required.
I have to say, we have been very impressed with the set-up of the Payback team – you give them the tasks to get on with and they set about them with gusto.
There was a greenhouse area where the glass had blown out, riddling the ground with shards, which they cleared.
Next, they came in with strimmers and removed a large area of weeds and cleared those away.
And finally, they decanted a huge mound of top soil and spread that across the west side of the site, saving us hundreds of pounds.
I am also pleased to say they have been working alongside the Leckwith Allotment committee members, clearing vacant plots and overgrown areas of the site, which has made a big improvement to the overall appearance of the allotments.
So, this article is largely a big thank you to the Cardiff Probation Service team for all their hard work.
Work is going on behind the scenes to get the regeneration work the site needs, including fencing and pathways, which will give us an opportunity to access the site better over the winter months – and a headstart going into the spring, when we hope to work on further plans for the plots. More of that when it is all confirmed!
Taff Housing Allotment Project 