Celebrating National Allotments Week

An initiative set up by the National Allotment Society, National Allotments Week encourages people to celebrate their green spaces and the social, health, and environmental benefits they bring. Allotment spaces support and encourage wildlife, improve air quality, mitigate carbon emissions and help to promote wellbeing. In celebration of National Allotments Week, taking place between 12 and 18 August, we’re shining the spotlight on our community Allotment Group!

The Dorothy House Allotment Group

As part of our care, we offer several groups that are open to our wider community. Many will be aware of groups such as the Coffee Connection and our Bereavement Help Points, but we also offer groups that aim to connect people with the great outdoors, particularly given the benefits of nature for wellbeing.

Time spent at Dorothy House’s growing beds located within the Gloucester Road Allotment Association, Trowbridge provides an opportunity to step into a calm, quiet, nature-filled safe space. Having been running for over ten years, it’s a little gem that forms part of our community offering to those struggling with bereavement, a palliative diagnosis, or life-changing illness. A lovely group of long-standing members, together with three great volunteers, meet every Tuesday morning from March to November where they plant, cultivate and pick a variety of own-grown vegetables throughout the season.

The annual sunflower growing contest is already well underway and this year, the little natural pond has welcomed a newt in residence! The paths and raised beds ensure that the plot is accessible to everyone, and there is also a club hut at the site to the group can enjoy a well-earned cuppa afterwards.

Additionally, the group tend to plots at the Springfield Community Centre in Corsham, and our herb bed here at Winsley House.

The produce grown is shared among the group members, and with Alzheimer’s Wiltshire. The charity then benefits by using them in their day centres across Wiltshire.

Our Allotment Group is open to everyone in our community. It’s a great space for companionship, reflection, and gentle activity. The group would love to welcome new members, so if you would like to join, please get in touch for more information.

What does biodiversity mean?

The theme of this year’s National Allotments Week is about celebrating the importance of biodiversity. Defined as “the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem,” biodiversity plays a key role in the resilience and the health of our environment.

While many associate allotments with growing our own produce, they also contribute to biodiversity. Allotments help to create habitats for various species of small mammals, birds, and insects, whether that’s in the form of compost heaps, ponds or wildflower boarders. Additionally, the mixture of plants, herbs and vegetables help to provide a rich forage for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. Allotments can also contribute to soil health through practices such as composting and crop rotation, which help to promote a diverse range of insects and microorganisms.

Biodiversity at Dorothy House

The launch of our Interactive Nature Trail earlier this year was an exciting addition to our grounds here at the Hospice. Our Winsley site is home to incredible bio-diverse species which visitors can learn about as they explore the trail. From Bechstein bats and cucumber-scented grasses to fireflies and yellow ant eco-engineers, there’s so much to discover. Thanks to our interactive app, visitors also have the chance to take selfies with our resident wildlife and collect digital stamps as they learn fascinating facts along the route.

Our ongoing partnership with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust helps to highlight the benefits of nature connectedness, opening up our beautiful grounds to the wider community. Through our partnership with the trust, we’re also working to improve the biodiversity on our grounds. This includes the creation of a grassland meadow, which attracts pollinators such as butterflies and bees – just one of the ways in which we’re working towards becoming a greener Hospice.

Calling all Winsley residents!

Dorothy House Hospice Care is committed to seeking out new ways in helping to access the wellbeing benefits of nature. We are currently considering sharing part of our grounds with the local community of Winsley through providing space for allotments. If you are a Winsley resident and this is something you would be interested in, we invite you to complete and submit our survey.