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Allotment donation project 'life-changing' for children

Chris McHughin Oxford
Chris McHugh/BBC Three man and three children pose for a photo in the sun. The children are all holding trays of plants in soil and the adults are around them, smilingChris McHugh/BBC
Members of the Deddington Allotment Society have donated crops for children to plant

Food and crop donations from an allotment to a youth club have been "life-changing" for children, according to club staff.

Since June last year, Deddington Allotment Society has donated hundreds of kilos of freshly grown fruit and vegetables to Rose Hill Junior Youth Club (RHJYC).

The Grow A Row scheme has saved the club hundreds of pounds, taught children about growing food and improved their diets, the club says.

The youth club is appealing for more allotment holders to get involved.

Chris McHugh / BBC A man poses in his allotment holding a bunch of freshly cut rainbow chard, which has large green leaves and pink branches.Chris McHugh / BBC
Mike Lewis, chair of the Deddington Allotment Society, has donated some of his rainbow chard...

The club serves free meals to about 120 children a week, for which it needs to raise £12,000 each year.

Megan Harcourt, a coordinator with RHJYC, said planting the vegetables on their own patch had improved the children's enthusiasm for a more varied diet.

"Rose Hill is a really urban area and it's quite fun and vibrant but there's not a lot of green space," she said.

"Having a supply of plants from Deddington allotments has been a bit life-changing, in the sense that the children can see the results of that seed planting."

Chris McHugh / BBC A close up of a vegtable stir fry cooking in a frying pan. A variety of vegetables including rainbow chard, cauliflower and carrots can be seenChris McHugh / BBC
....which is then turned into a vegetarian stir fry and served up that very same day

Mike Lewis, chair of Deddington Allotment Society, grows rainbow chard which is delivered to the club and eaten on the same day.

"It's such a good cause," he said. "And it's giving them sort of nutritious food rather than some of the processed food which is out there today."

The club's director, Aimee Winkfield, said the more varied meals they could now serve were making a big difference.

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