Allotment gardeners welcome £5k water system grant for 'Jurassic Park'

Operators of Lane Avenue and Moorside Community Allotments, in Reedswood, in Walsall, were given £4,900 by Severn Trent Water's Community Fund towards the cost of an irrigation system to harvest more than half of the garden's yearly water usage. The equipment will be used to water the vegetable patches.

Under a five-year plan the tenants also hope to help wildlife in the area by improving nearby pools to attract herons, ducks and kingfishers at an adjoining Site of Local Importance to Nature Conservation (SLINC).

The community group also wants to aims to make safety improvements including repairs to an unsafe towpath at the neighbouring Anson Branch canal as part of plans to encourage schools to use the area for outdoor lessons once more and assist the Canal and River Trust to access to the waterway.

Lane Avenue and Moorside Community Allotments committee member Ray Ledsam-Smith said: “We’re really grateful for the grant from Severn Trent that will allow us to harvest water at three areas across our site – it will have a great impact environmentally as water is a valuable resource and will hopefully benefit 100 plots.

"The Moorside SLINC had seen better days. We call it Jurassic Park so the improvements that will be made to the area will benefit everyone from a safety perspective, as well as local wildlife.”

The popular site near Reedswood Park, formerly managed by West Walsall Leisure Gardens, is bordered by Lane Avenue and Wolverhampton Road and is among the largest allotments in the borough. Residents have been campaigning for more than a decade for funding to make major improvements to the tune of £100,000 at the site after problems with flooding and overgrowth.

Severn Trent Community Fund officer Natalie Cunningham said: “This is a wonderful project that will have huge environmental benefits – from rainwater harvesting that will benefit plot owners, to improvements to a nearby wetland that will attract local wildlife. There’s so many aspects of this work that the group should be really proud of.

“As a company that looks to take care of one of life’s essentials whilst making a positive difference to the communities we live and work in. This is exactly the type of project we love to help through our community fund. If you would like to apply for funding, we’d love to hear from you.”

Severn Trent’s Community Fund was created for groups and projects that aim to improve the wellbeing of residents by helping them to lead a healthier lifestyle and gain new skills, plus looking after the natural environment.

For more details visit stwater.co.uk/communityfund