Ledbury Allotment Assocation started as a voluntary community group in 2004, and has grown into a not-for-profit social enterprise which attracted a Big Lottery grant so that the Association could buy the land it was renting. With over 90 members, the Association still wanted to develop even closer links with the community, and it was felt that the best way to celebrate and to promote this was to develop a website. This was when Grassroots funding was suggested by the local community development worker, and Dave Barclay of the Herefordshire Community Foundation met Ian and Elizabeth to discuss the project, which Ian then wrote an application for. It was with great pleasure that they learned later in the year that the sum of money asked for had been granted in its entirety.
Elizabeth has continued to work with the Association’s continuation of the ‘Sow and Grow’ project by helping Ian to organise a volunteer opportunity. The Association wanted to recruit a volunteer to project manage a community education course starting in September 2010, covering vegetable growing, bee keeping and cookery. On the 15th June the interview was held at Ledbury CVA offices, with Elizabeth as one of the interviewing panel, and a well-qualified volunteer Angela Thompson was successfully appointed. Angela went on to organise a preliminary event, a Gardener’s Question time, and asked the CVA to help with distribution of the free tickets.
At the same time Ian said that the Allotment Association wanted to turn some scrub woodland into an area for the Forest School, in association with the Children’s Centre and primary school, and for a community orchard with dwarf fruit trees. He would be looking for grant aid for the trees. Elizabeth gave him the details of Herefordshire Council’s historic fruit tree subsidised purchase scheme and also recommended trying for a Community Pride grant. A successful application was submitted for a Community Pride grant and work to develop the community orchard and Forest School facility is now well under way.
