I was invited to take a look at a patch of disused land last week that was used as allotments many years ago in Broadway.
The land currently belongs to Mendip, but Broadway Allotments & Community Garden Association (find them on Facebook) is desperately hoping that Mendip will grant this land to Frome Town Council so that they can reinstate this old allotment site for the community. Home to an abundance of wildlife including badgers and bats, they’d love to create an organic community allotment with access to any interested groups in Frome who would like to grow produce to share.
There are already several areas on the plot in use by extended house gardens as a place to grow vegetables and flowers, but there’s a vast area that’s covered in brambles & nettles so there’s plenty of work to be done to clear it. There’s also space alongside it to create a separate community area that could be used by children and families and the hope is that this would be used by anyone in the town who would like to take advantage of a safe space to relax in.
It’s not straightforward however, as this week Mendip announced they are also going to apply to keep the land and utilise it for social housing, so there will be two propositions for the planners to consider.
This is one of the last little pieces of green space in our town and much as there is a need for social housing, it would be good to see it used as a community resource. It might even be possible for there to be one or two tiny homes built on the site, as long as there is plenty of room left to develop the rest for communal use.
I was delighted to see the reopening of the Community Fridge last week. The fridge and the larder are located down in the Market Yard and the service is open from 4pm – 6pm every day. Terri Pitts does a wonderful job in championing the sharing of waste food that is donated by some of our bigger shops and supermarkets. We’re so fortunate in Frome to have some great volunteers who do such a magnificent job in making sure everyone is looked after. Don’t forget the Share Shop has opened again too. For a tiny fee you can access some amazing things which will save money and storage space. It’s all about helping the environment. Find out more here: https://sharefrome.org
