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The Chiswick School allotment, opposite the school, is a project spearheaded by English teacher, Miss Wyatt. The school acquired the plot in March last year. It was extremely overgrown and initially a group of teachers gave up their weekend to clear it so that students could begin to cultivate the beds. It was a great success and they managed to grow many different varieties of tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, kale and even watermelon.

The aim of the project is to engage and support children who may struggle to settle down in class or those suffering with mental health issues. In addition, it is to be used as a resource for the school's eco-committee and for science classes. It has enormous potential and is a wonderful space full of fruit trees, a greenhouse and plenty of space to grow food. So far the children involved have really enjoyed their time there and have taken on the challenge with enthusiasm, even happily spreading the manure!

Over the summer holiday, the plot became overgrown, so we enlisted the help of the GoodGym, a group of runners who meet at the town hall on Wednesdays and run to a local community project to lend a hand. They arrived: an army of gardener ninjas in trainers along with some parent volunteers and Owen Kenworthy, a fantastic chef involved in setting up a new local restaurant focused on sustainability and community outreach. The team blitzed the site in 40 minutes. The beds were turned over, weeds and brambles removed and paths re-laid with wood chipping. It is now much more manageable. A big thank you to the GoodGym. 

When the new restaurant opens in the spring we are hoping to supply them with some of our fresh organic produce and it is hoped that the children will be able to do some work experience and possibly even enjoy an occasional meal there.

Watch this space for more on this exciting local community project!