Gosforth community comes together to transform Newcastle allotment site with uncertain future

A Newcastle allotment community has rallied together around a site in Gosforth after its future was threatened.

With news in October that Dobbie's Garden Centre in Gosforth was to close at the end of the year after being identified as unprofitable, the allotment community was left in limbo about their future at the site. But the community, which is growing all the time, has come together in recent months and transformed the site.

Steve Flanagan, 68, said the allotment site has been transformed from one of "overgrown weeds/grasses, some over six feet tall, structures blown over by the gales, sheet plastic obstructing pathways, vegetation from dormant adjacent allotments growing into other properties," to one that is "immaculate."

And Steve said the community at the Gosforth allotment made it happen. He told ChronicleLive: "Community spirit is alive and well here. I never imagined it would be like this, but it is.

"You can see by the number of people who have turned out today. There must be 15, 16 volunteers, and it was really a call to arms I put out a couple of weeks ago. I was concerned nobody would turn up, but everybody did."

Steve, who is from North Shields but now lives in Killingworth, has had his allotment space for 18 months. "I'm recently retired. I used to be a gas service engineer and had my own business. I basically wanted a hobby, an outside hobby. I fell into it, I didn't even know it existed! But like I said there’s a happy little community here. We're all in this together and I want to remain."

When asked why he decided to have an allotment at this particular plot, he said: "The reason why I came here was, I was approaching retirement and I had my name down on North Tyneside's allotment waiting list. But sadly, there was a five-year wait and it wasn't getting any shorter by the day. I only live round the corner in Killingworth, and it's only a five-minute walk around Gosforth Park, so that was a great attraction. The cost of it I thought was reasonable, £5 a week, which is affordable."

The inclusiveness of the allotment community made Steve feel at home straightaway. "When I retired, I wondered, with being in the gas industry for 50 years, I'd made lots of friends and acquaintances, and I wasn't sure what retirement was going to offer me.

"When I arrived here, I didn't know anything about gardening. I wanted to work and it's amazing how many of the people, my new friends, came along and gave me good information, offered help, lent us tools. 18 months on, I'm very proud of my allotment, as is everybody of their own plots."

But with the closure of Dobbie's in Gosforth, the future of the allotment site is unclear. Steve believes that it is frowned upon to close allotment sites. "Allotments have not only provided people with a place to garden, but they have also created green spaces in urban areas, benefitting the environment," he said.

"Allotments can also provide habitats for wildlife, improve people's mental and physical health, and also bring communities together."

And bringing the community together is exactly what this allotment site has done. During our visit there were around 15-20 people, ranging from mid-20s to 80s in age, who had turned up to help clean, cut grass and move equipment around, while also preparing new plots for new plot holders.

Steve concluded: "We want to remain at these allotments for many years to come. At present, there are 104 plots in total, 49 which are occupied, meaning there are over 50 plots available for letting in the future.

"Some people have spent £2,500 to £3,000 on their allotments, and if we ever lose this, it will be a massive dent for the community."

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