The beginning

The clearing of a large, vacant, and overgrown plot at the Holcroft North site had begun in late 2018. Plot holders began removing the rubbish and brambles. The process was slow due to the scale of the plot (tennis court size!) and only now in 2021, we can say that the work has finished. In the photos below you’ll see how much work has been done to clear the plot.

December 2019

Brambles, scaffolding poles, plastic bins and bits of carpet were found. Shrubs were trimmed and a huge pile for burning was created.

March 2020

A rotten composting bin structure was removed by the plot holders. A huge amount of decomposing plastic was found in the bins.

January 2021

April 2021

In April 2021 the plot looked much more manageable. Plot holders burnt lots of rubbish, enthusiastic parents built a mud kitchen for the children and it seemed that we were almost there. Until we realised that under the grass there was a layer of old carpet. This made it impossible to level the ground and enable all members to mow the grass and generally look after the area. Therefore, funds from the Club Shop (built up over many years by members using and running the shop) were used to hire a digger.

August 2021

The works took place, Franks Forestry were commissioned. Now the plot is level and we have decided to make good use of the space. As the plot is very large, we created two mini-plots at the front and have left space for a fire pit and seating area at the bottom for all plot holders to use.

It’s been a long process but we feel it was worth it as this will allow local residents to use the space and create productive gardens in the future.