Delighted allotment holders at Stanley now have a new on-site 'HQ' for their meetings, thanks to a bumper £690 grant from Erewash Borough Council's Voluntary and Community Fund. Stanley Gardeners Association successfully applied for the money to fund the much-needed shed - and had the cashpot boosted by a further £200 thanks to a grant from Councillor Carol Hart, the Council's deputy leader and Lead Member for Community Services.
Cllr Hart awarded the extra money in her role as a Derbyshire county councillor, presenting the Association with the money from the county's Community Leadership Fund. The Stanley Gardeners Association is one of the borough's oldest allotment groups, having been established in 1892. There are 62 allotments on the five-acre site and there are currently 45 green-fingered gardeners who cultivate the plots to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Among the plot holders are youngsters from the pre-school group based at Stanley Village Hall who, together with their leaders and parents, enjoy learning gardening skills while they look after their 'patch' and watch their vegetables grow. The allotment holders had previously been using a run-down shed on the site and had initially looked for support to help renovate it, but thanks to the grant were able to buy an all-new base from Ilkeston company Walters - and have also been able to lay some new paving slabs and improve the immediate surroundings of the shed.