Low Fulney Family Allotments

Family Services Goes Outdoors!

“We were working with a group of Young People who were permanently excluded from school, and there was this one girl who told us about her trips with her Grandad to his allotment. They were good memories. So we said to ourselves, could we have an allotment, where more young young people could make happy memories together?

And the answer was yes.”

Tracy Cuthbert – Early Help Worker

Grow & Share

That was a decade ago, and the Grow & Share Young People and Family Allotment at Low Fulney is well established and fruitful, despite the last 18 months of pandemic limitations. 

It is a site used and enjoyed by families with children. It is also where Early Help Workers run sessions for young carers – children who find themselves with caring responsibilities for their own parents. These young people benefit from a bit of time away from the home responsibilities.

“It’s a magical space!”

In terms of the Early Help Team’s objectives, the allotment tackles everything – childhood obesity, mental health, social interaction, learning, and so on. 

We know what a big impact social gardening has. The rest of the Early Help team are supportive, too – some of them have allotments or gardens themselves, and they see the value in it.

At times, practice development sessions for staff have been run at the allotment, where social distancing is easier, and staff pick up new ideas too! 

Prior to lockdown, events such as Halloween, and a Santa’s Grotto were held in partnership with the Childrens Centre, along with courses jointly run by Family Learning and a Compost Course run by Anglian Water and Garden Organic.

Transport to the site is difficult for many families, though, and public transport is very limited.

Most sessions at the allotment are supported by the Grow and Share team and there’s also a community allotment next door. 

There is an induction because safety is a priority, and a handbook available with hints and tips to help newbies learn the ropes of an allotment site, how to recognise weeds and so forth.

If you are a young carer, or a parent with children in the Boston and South Holland area and you would like to spend some time outside and learn how to grow fruit and veg, please contact the Grow and Share Team GrowAndShare@lincolnshire.gov.uk to find out more. 

#Grow&Share at Low Fulney’s family allotments

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