Our latest venture, ‘Grow It, Fix It’, is an allotment, orchard and white goods repair project for local residents, based in Manton next to the Food Hub. We have several community allotment plots, a polytunnel, a fruit tree orchard and apiary, and a workshop and welfare unit. We’re now harvesting our first lot of produce, which will go into emergency food parcels and support our Lunch Club!
We recently employed a Project Manager to oversee ‘Grow It, Fix It’, maintain the site and build a team of volunteers. Thank you to the Worksop Charter Trustees for funding this position!
Today you can learn more about the project from Mick, ‘Grow It, Fix It’ Project Manager.
What does a day as Grow It, Fix It Project Manager look like?
It’s very hands on. Each day it’s taking care of and maintaining the large site. There’s the daily watering of flowers, vegetable plots, trees. Other duties include planting seeds, clearing weeded areas, creating wild areas, and expanding the allotment growing area.
What do you like about the role?
It’s an opportunity to help create and maintain something that wasn’t here before. It’s becoming a vibrant and colourful place with wild and cultivated areas, welcoming to insects, bees and birds. I’m looking forward to rivalling Clumber Park’s wildflower meadows in two years’ time.
What has been accomplished so far?
Since January the workshop and office space have been put in place, and two large storage units. We’ve established a compost area, marked out the allotments, and the polytunnel has been erected. We’ve one beehive with a working colony and a protective surrounding with viewing windows. We’re growing numerous varieties of fruit and vegetables, including corn and cabbage, on our allotment plot and in the polytunnel. Twenty fruit trees have been planted, with varieties of apples, pears, plums and a damson tree.
How can volunteers play a role in the project?
There are lots of ways that volunteers can help out. Digging, watering, weeding, planting, mowing, cultivating and harvesting… I’m looking to create bird feeders and bird boxes for the area and perhaps primary schools, so there’s opportunity to support there too.
