Friends of the Windmill Allotments
NEWS

MEETING WITH THAMES WATER
Friends of Windmill Allotments attended an optimistic meeting in September with Thames Water Property services new team. They have plans to manage the Allotments in Brixton more efficiently.  Issues discussed and agreed to forward up the Company system were - ensuring vacant plots are relet in smaller urban plot sizes, clearing wasted space to create new smaller allotment plots, and supporting the community project plots. There will be more news later, after follow up discussions with the company.

VOLUNTEERS FROM THE CITY COME TO WINDMILL ALLOTMENTS
On a lovely sunny day KPMG a city firm sent its employees to help clear overgrown areas on the Allotments and then began to adjust the position of the raised beds. Their second day brought monsoon rains but they soldiered on. More clearing days are planned to clear and level the allotment plots lost in the undergrowth and breath new life back into these forgotten corners of the site.

NEWS ABOUT THE INTER-GENERATIONAL PROJECT
The community plot is running an inter-generational project with elderly wheelchair bound gardeners and a local primary school sharing a plot, and maintaining some raised beds. The project shares allotment gardening knowledge and is building skills. The school is taking many lessons from the allotments into the curriculum and it is hoped to develop even more links with the elderly over time. It is widely recognised that initiatives such as these build respect between the generations. This project is set to encourage everyone to live a better healthier life.

GARDENING HISTORY
History alive, London fed itself in the dark days of the second world war by turning all possible space into growing space. Now living in the local care home a lady brings history alive by telling of the days when her friends, neighbours and she herself did allotment gardening on Clapham Common. London was on its knees in the war and had to change large parts of common land and parks previously left for leisure walking and ornamental planting into food growing areas to keep its people alive. Today, the weekly visit to the beautiful allotment garden here has opened up to the elderly and the children alike an understanding of how local initiatives are still making positive differences to peoples lives.

GARDENING IS GOOD FOR YOU!
Research shows gardening extends life expectancy.