Council steps in to save allotment from climate change

Even though this summer’s record-breaking weeks of scorching weather have now subsided into the usual September drizzle, the impact of five back-to-back heatwaves is still being felt by many of the people and plants at Meadoway West Allotments in Church.

When the Lancashire Telegraph visited the allotment, avid grower and committee member Andy shared how the hottest summer on record had left many of his prized tomato plants stunted in height and his cucumbers the size of a gherkin.

“It stresses you out when you come up to the allotment and see your tomatoes aren’t working; it’s disheartening after putting in so much work,” he added, pointing out how many use Meadoway West as an escape from the largely garden-less social housing blocks that surround it.

Andy's usual bumper crop of tomatoes withered on the vine due to the heat (Image: Will Morgan)

 “Coming up here is so good for our mental health; it’s our little slice of heaven,” said plot holder Mari, who enjoys getting out of her flat to come and sit next to her chickens with a coffee and good book.

With their usually green space situated on a hill overlooking the Hyndburn and Rossendale moors, fellow committee member Elaine said: “There’s no view from my flat, but when you are here, you can just hear the birds. You wouldn’t even know that you’re in Church.”

However, the heatwaves left Mari begging other allotments for water, just to keep her hens hydrated.

She added: “Year by year we are getting longer, hotter, and drier spells.

"We have bought, at our own expense, several bulk containers, but even that has not been enough; we ran out in just a few weeks.

“It’s soul-destroying.”

In other allotments, this is when many growers would start filling their watering cans from standing water pipes. But in Meadoway West, their taps have been turned off for over a decade.

Mari's concern for her chickens in the heatwave left her asking other allotments for water (Image: Will Morgan)

 Normally, the periodic rain showers that break up a typical British summer would be enough to keep them and their plants going, but recent years have seen drier and drier summers due to the continued impacts of man-made climate change.

Even armed with this knowledge, nothing could have prepared plot holders for this year’s heatwaves. Elaine said: “You’re always checking the weather forecast and this summer it was just dry every single day.”

Seven of the UK’s hottest-ever summers have occurred in the past two decades, with both last year’s and this year’s summers beating previous records by a significant margin.

Because of this, the people who maintain the Hyndburn Council-owned allotment have tried in recent years to get their mains water supply restored, but have struggled to have their voices heard.

That was until this week, when their pleas came to the attention of council leader Cllr Munsif Dad, who stepped in to instruct workers to turn their taps back on.

This is something Andy said would be a ‘game changer’ for the next growing season.

The allotment's committee called the water supply restoration a 'game changer' (Image: Will Morgan)

Cllr Dad said: “The Council is working closely with the Meadoway allotment tenants to restore the mains water supply in time for the 2027 growing season.

“We recognise the value that allotments bring to our communities, not only by helping residents grow their own food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, but also by supporting healthier lifestyles.

"The allotments are an important service provided by the Council, and we want to help tenants to continue to enjoy the benefits of growing good-quality local produce for years to come."

With visible relief for his crops, Andy reacted to the news by saying: “We can go back to growing without having to worry they’re going to die. We can go back to normality.”

Church ward’s Cllr Stewart Eaves, Hyndburn Council’s Deputy Mayor, had flagged the issues facing the allotment’s tenants and welcomed the return of their water supply.

He said: "I'm pleased we've been able to help allotment tenants with this issue.

"Restoring the water supply will make a real difference to those who use the Meadoway allotments, and it's great to see this support in place for the 2027 growing season."

With this security now in place for next year, the Meadoway West allotment committee’s focus has now turned to other areas that need improving in their ‘little slice of heaven’.

These improvements include repairing some of the site’s broken pathways that have become trip hazards, as well as finding new tenants for some of Meadoway West’s under-utilised plots that could help more people get out of their flats and grow their own produce.