07 December 2006

Gardening Allotments in Coventry

Some good publicity for allotments in today's Evening Telegraph.

Allotments cost £10 to £35 a year, depending on location and facilities, with reduced rates for those in receipt of benefit. For information about vacant plots contact Len Parnell on 024 7671 5290.

There are nearly 400 vacant allotment plots in the city, and allotment holders are encouraging others to grow their own vegetables and reap healthy benefits. Allotment holders in Holyhead Road, Coundon, celebrated a bumper crop this year and people are being encouraged to follow suit by taking on their own patch at other sites across the city.

Len Parnell, secretary of the Coventry and district allotments and gardens council, believes the new year is the perfect time for people to sign up for an allotment: "People tend to overindulge over Christmas and one of the best ways to get back into shape is by growing your own vegetables in the fresh air which is far better than being in a sweaty gym ... In the past 18 months a lot of younger women are taking them on and bringing their children along, which is probably to do with the current emphasis on healthy eating ... People can take it on for the following season and it's a marvellous social and community thing ... It really is an economical thing to do as well."

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