Smiles All Round at Pershore Potato Planting

This April we are finally starting to feel that spring has reached us. The sunshine and signs of new life everywhere encourage us all to leave the house and try something new.

An Open Day at our thriving Age UK Wyvern allotment in Pershore showcased the fantastic work carried out by our volunteer gardening group. Enthusiastic volunteers were kept busy planting “early” potatoes to harvest later in the year. The group meet every Tuesday morning to tend the flowers and vegetables, but also to chat, swap gardening tips and enjoy a well-earned cup of tea and slice of cake. It’s a warm and welcoming team ranging from gardening novices, who want to try a new hobby, to life-long gardeners.

The Open Day fell on April Fools Day, and one of the regulars, Melvin Crooke (pictured above), had a surprise in store for his fellow gardeners. He’d drawn smiley faces on the potatoes they were putting in the soil that day, which drew quite a few chuckles from the team.

The allotment, found at the Nogains allotment site on the edge of Pershore, is a haven for older people who want to enjoy growing plants but may not want the responsibility of a garden of their own. The sweet peas, potatoes, rhubarb and numerous other goodies grown there all help to raise funds for Age UK Wyvern, but the benefits don’t stop there. Members of the group notice the difference that regular outdoor exercise and the chance to chat to other people bring to their mental and physical health.

One participant, Annette Hughes, had this to say, “The icing on the cake has to be harvesting our wonderful produce - whether misshapen or perfect in form! We all take pride in the boxes of fruit and veg that go back to Age UK for small donations and, of course, very much enjoy taking some home. There is something very special about eating food that you have had a hand in growing”.

The project is supported by Caroline Savage, Age UK Wyvern’s Social Inclusion Manager. “We call it the green gym,” says Caroline, who has some words of encouragement for those in the local area looking to exercise their green fingers. “It’s a lovely community and there is always a job for everybody. We’d be delighted to see some new faces! If anyone would like to volunteer to help out at the allotment, or just come along to try some gardening, they can ring us on 01905 724294.”