Allotments Regeneration Initiative (North Ayrshire)
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-01922, in the name of Kenneth Gibson, on the allotments regeneration initiative in North Ayrshire. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament acknowledges that there are more than 500 community, therapeutic and allotment gardens throughout Scotland involving more than 12,500 people every year; encourages the introduction of the Green Gym scheme, which has so far been established in various areas throughout Scotland, including Kilbirnie in North Ayrshire; understands that planning permission has been granted for more than 70 community vegetable plots and 72 individual allotment plots in Kilbirnie for the Garnock Valley Allotment Association; considers that the Allotments Regeneration Initiative indicates that allotments allow local people not only to grow their own fruit and vegetables in a sustainable way but keep active, meet new people and improve mental health, and understands from similar projects in South Ayrshire that allotment gardening can contribute in many different areas including healthy eating, sustainable food supply, healthy activity, educational purposes and fostering community links and green spaces.
17:02
I am pleased that the Parliamentary Bureau selected my motion for debate and I thank MSPs of all parties who signed the motion and made that possible.
Everyone has the right to live in an environment that benefits their health and wellbeing. That is crucial if people are to keep healthy and illness is to be prevented, and it can also be important in the management of or during recovery from mental or physical illness. If we are to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation, we must emphasise the importance of having a decent quality of life. Good health is not all about doctors and nurses.
There are a variety of environmental projects in which individuals and communities can become involved. For example, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers runs the green gym, which offers people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to improve their fitness by getting involved in practical environmental activities, such as tree and hedge planting and creating and maintaining community allotments.
Green gyms help to improve people’s cardiovascular fitness, as well as providing the added benefits of fresh air, an improved local environment and social interaction. All green gym sessions involve trained leaders, who support volunteers. Sessions begin with warm-up exercises, demonstrations of how to use the tools that are provided and a briefing on the task ahead, and they end with cool-down exercises and a tidy up. People—young and old—are shown how to get to grips with digging holes, stone walling and planting, to improve fitness and the local environment. They can also be given hints and tips on how to grow food in their gardens.
I well recall the launch of the green gym at Bridgend community centre, in Kilbirnie in my constituency, on 21 January 2010. The Scottish Government has provided £300,000 to support the expansion of BTCV green gyms across Scotland by 2012—this year.
Research shows that working in the fresh air reduces stress levels, depression and the risk of heart disease and stroke. Such activities also improve muscular strength and help people to lead more independent lives while they meet new people and make friends. In addition, the opportunity is presented for people to conserve wildlife habitats and other aspects of the natural environment and to grow their own food and vegetables in a sustainable manner. Growing food helps to promote healthy eating, and community food-growing initiatives provide a source of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are the added advantages of physical activity and gaining valuable new skills and knowledge.
The let’s make Scotland more active national physical activity strategy includes the target that, by 2022, half of all adults and 80 per cent of children should meet the current recommended levels of physical activity. Adults should do 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five days a week, and children should do one hour of moderate intensity activity every day. In 2009, the Scottish Government Minister for Public Health and Sport stated:
“It only takes”
half an hour
“a day of physical activity, at least five days a week, to gain enormous health benefits and help prevent many serious diseases like heart disease, cancer and stroke.”
Soon after I was elected in 2007, I put forward to North Ayrshire Council the idea of establishing new allotments. At first, the idea was not welcomed by the Labour executive. After many discussions and much lobbying, Scottish National Party councillors Craig Taylor—who is, sadly, now deceased—and Joan Sturgeon formally proposed the idea of establishing allotments in the Gamock valley.
Councillor Anthea Dickson and I strongly supported the group of people who subsequently formed the Garnock valley allotment association, and Councillor Dickson started work with the estates department to identify suitable areas for the GVAA. As the council did not have local land ownership maps on computer, Councillor Dickson did a lot of work to identify a possible location, determine who owned it and have it surveyed for suitability. Members of the group in Kilbirnie spent months raising money and trying to secure a site, and their determination paid off. They won the Scottish learning partnership award for health at adult learners week in May 2010. A derelict patch of ground was transformed into a community sensory garden at Bridgend community centre, and the GVAA has done a great job of turning it into a successfully regenerated green space. The group now has around 70 plots and it continues to grow its membership. Nearly all the plots that are currently available are taken up. Further work on the site is taking place to create proper paths, increase security and develop social areas.
Frustrations remain with the continuous need to apply for funding. Kilbirnie green gym is funded by NHS Ayrshire and Arran, but individual projects, sites and gardens do not have any funding behind them. If we want to encourage people to take more regular physical activity—this ties in with the Scottish Government’s preventative spend agenda—allotments and their advocates will require additional funding and support. The key point is that councils may not set up and provide allotments, but would facilitate groups that sought to create allotments.
A further example of the growing success of allotments is described by the allotments regeneration initiative, which has stated:
“There are more than 500 community, therapeutic and allotment gardens throughout Scotland which involves more than 12,500 people every year. These projects range from small communal gardens in urban tenements, to large established rural community farms, to specialised units in prisons and hospitals.”
Evidence from the BTCV suggests that people who live in areas with high levels of green space are 40 per cent less likely to be overweight or obese and that exercise in green space can significantly reduce depression. Working with local councils to further develop green gym schemes and other allotment initiatives would benefit communities by improving areas that may have fallen into disrepair. We need to build on the BTCV’s capacity to work with local partners, including local authorities, health boards and community groups, to establish more green gyms.
There is no doubt that there is demand for more local allotment sites, that they bring people together, that home-grown food tastes better and is cheaper, and that the health and social benefits of being outdoors are excellent. Allotments are a win-win scenario. I understand from speaking to Brian Adam that, only yesterday, he opened an allotment in Cullen, which is in the minister’s constituency. It was partially funded to the tune of £29,000 from the climate challenge fund. Therefore, I have no doubt that the minister will show enthusiasm for the expansion of allotments in Scotland.
I urge the Scottish Government to support communities to help them to establish allotments and green gyms so that they can become more sustainable and active while they work to help people to help themselves.
17:09
I am delighted to take part in this debate and congratulate Kenny Gibson on securing a debate on the topic.
Among my limited talents, I am quite green fingered. I am part of the green-fingered brigade, but I have a very small garden and have run out of space. I love allotments, and am one of the many on a waiting list for one. In fact, we find that we are waiting to fill dead men’s or dead women’s shoes. The waiting lists run to some 10 years.
I have looked far and wide for an allotment. I have looked in my constituency and have noticed that, in Peebles, there are four sites for allotments, 42 allotments and a 10-year waiting list.
In Midlothian—the other part of my constituency—only Penicuik has allotments. There are 23 there, and again there is a 10-year waiting list. The Presiding Officer looks very sad about that—so am I. It will take me ages to get my spade intae the grun, as they say.
Recently in Walkerburn, new allotments were opened up on a south-facing slope, and what a difference that has made to the community. Apart from the fact that people can be seen out working, there is a communal shed. No one is allowed to have their own shed, so I am afraid that the days when someone could take a stereo, have a seat and smoke a pipe outside are gone.
The whole area has improved because of the allotments. There is nothing better—I am going to wax lyrical—than someone digging up their own new tatties, taking them home and cooking them in a wee bit of butter and a wee bit of mint. That is wonderful, as are peas—if the crows can be beaten—straight from the pod and strawberries straight from the ground.
Many children do not do such things or know about them because many of the modern housing developments have rather small, twee gardens. Once someone has the twirler, the space for the barbecue and the timber decking to sit on, there is no space left to plant in. I hasten to add that that is not like my garden, where there is no room for another plant.
As the number of allotments is limited, I suggest an alternative, which I know is done in Edinburgh—the garden share scheme. The scheme takes place under the auspices of care and repair, which, as members may remember, is where small tasks are done for free for elderly, vulnerable and perhaps disabled people. Under the garden share scheme—which is a proper, monitored scheme—somebody who has a great big garden, who wants to stay in the house but who is not capable of digging and maintaining the garden is partnered with someone who is keen on gardening. That person will do the tatties and vegetables, trim the hedge and keep the front garden looking tidy. It costs the homeowner nothing, they have a blether, a cup of tea and some of the produce, and it is sociable, just as proper allotments—if we can call them that—are.
The garden share scheme is to be commended. I tried to do something similar in the Borders about a year or so ago, but, given the current local government hiatus, there is not much point in talking to anybody about anything because they are all too busy fighting for their seats.
However, once the election is over, I will go back to Midlothian Council and Scottish Borders Council and ask whether we can have more space for allotments. The idea that in the country there is a lot of ground to grow on is not true: fields are industrial and contain animals and grain, so they cannot be used. It is therefore important to have allotments in the country. I will also raise with the councils the garden share scheme.
Let me give some breaking news. I understand that the Government is introducing a community empowerment and renewal bill—I know that that is on the tip of all members’ tongues. The bill may give members the opportunity to raise issues to do with allotments, such as the protected status of existing allotments. Unfortunately, until fairly recently a lot of housing developments took swathes of allotments out and left people with nowhere to grow things.
I am pleased to take part in the debate, and I will certainly make a press announcement on the day on which I get my own allotment. The spade is ready; it is in the shed with the rake—I have all the tools. Christine is willing: she just needs her allotment.
17:13
I thank Kenny Gibson for bringing this debate on allotments to the chamber. As the motion states, allotments bring great benefits to communities. They used to be extremely popular in this country, and I welcome the fact that they are becoming popular again.
It is good to see that 70 community vegetable plots and 72 individual allotment plots have been created in North Ayrshire: in Kilbirnie, for the Garnock valley allotment association; and in Kilwinning, where the Big Lottery Fund has awarded more than £99,000 to Eglinton growers. That money will be used to create community gardens and more than 80 allotment plots, which will be available for the residents of Kilwinning and Irvine to use.
Such schemes not only promote health and wellbeing, but are a practical example of sustainable communities where people can come together to grow healthy foods such as fresh vegetables. On top of that, they bring a whole range of educational benefits. They are an example of the think global, act local mentality and can be used to promote the tackling of climate change at a very local level. Anyone of any age can get involved in the activity that they encourage people to participate in.
Beyond that, the plots promote social aims, in that they provide a sense of community cohesion and give those who are involved the chance to meet new people who share similar interests, as well as keeping them active through the physical aspect of gardening. What better way to promote a healthy body and mind?
The green gym is another good idea that the motion mentions. As the chair of the North Ayrshire community planning partnership, I have seen at first hand how it has benefited the people with mental health problems who have participated in it. In North Ayrshire, the scheme has been renamed “breaking ground” and it is run by North Ayrshire Council’s education department and rangers from Eglinton park, and is backed by the national health service. The aims of the breaking ground group are to learn new skills, to establish a regular routine and to meet new people. In addition to improving mental and physical health, its work helps to improve the environment.
The scheme introduces people to environmental conservation work, in which many participants may never previously have been involved so, like the allotments, it promotes environmental education. When people take part, they may carry out a number of tasks, from tree planting to path building or clearing land. The group has recently carried out a humongous amount of work on a garden project in Eglinton park, which has involved the making of willow fences, the building of a pond and bird tables, and the planting of hedges. Bee, wasp and butterfly beds have also been created, which will provide a resource for the public and schoolchildren when they visit the park. As well as benefiting the community’s outdoor spaces, that work will help to promote wider use of them.
The motion highlights the great way in which local volunteers, communities, third sector organisations and councils can make a real difference in improving health and wellbeing at the same time as promoting sustainable communities and environmental conservation and education. We should nurture such schemes and ideas in Scotland, not only to promote and regenerate our outdoor and green spaces, but to help us tackle climate change. The examples that I have given are true examples of thinking globally and acting locally, and they come with great health and community benefits.
17:17
I, too, thank Kenny Gibson for enticing this subject into the chamber, and I congratulate Christine Grahame on her “just four minutes” performance, which was without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
I should begin by confessing that a large part of my speech derives from the speech that Annabel Goldie was going to deliver. Unfortunately, she has been called elsewhere. I will leave it to members to work out which part derives from her speech. I will conclude with a practical suggestion for the Presiding Officer, which he may wish to take forward, as he sees fit.
In January this year, Annabel received a joint letter from the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, the allotments regeneration initiative and Trellis Scotland, which informed her that there are more than 500 therapeutic and allotment gardens throughout Scotland, in which more than 12,500 volunteers are involved every year. From small communal gardens to large community farms, all those sites offer benefits to their areas and to those who can use the facilities. Those benefits include community regeneration, improvements in mental health, provision of education, training and volunteering opportunities, locally grown sustainable food, the creation of wildlife habitats and, of course, physical activity and healthy living.
As someone who let his wife attend to their garden during the Easter recess, I can assure members that many muscles—some of which I did not know she had—are used during gardening and that it is, allegedly, hard work. That is the part of Annabel’s speech that I had to paraphrase. The benefits of gardening to the individual, the community and the environment are extensive.
The allotments regeneration initiative was launched in 2002 by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens. It aims to support and develop allotment regeneration and to gather and disseminate information about good practice in allotment management. Its original aspiration was to get more people growing on allotments, and that remains the core thinking behind its ethos. Those are very worthy sentiments.
In the autumn of 2010, a community council in East Renfrewshire was keen to embark on the establishment of its own allotments. Its experience is instructive with regard to how, between the theory and the practice, an idea can sometimes get caught up in bureaucracy. The community council had identified a site on council property that lay derelict, and it approached the council to see whether it would be suitable for turning into allotments. The group says that the minute that it suggested opening up the derelict site, the ground suddenly turned into a major capital asset, as far as the council was concerned, and the phrase, “over my dead body”, was used in relation to its being used for allotments.
What made the group’s project possible was the fact that it was awarded a grant of £30,000 from the green network development fund before it got any agreement from East Renfrewshire Council; the fact that it contacted the previous landowner, who was able to confirm that the ground could not be used for anything other than recreation and education; and the fact that it worked with local people adjacent to the site and enlisted their support.
Last September, the council finally agreed to the proposal, although it took a further six months for the lease to be agreed. Various objections were raised along the way, which all turned out to be spurious. The group was told that an old fuel tank on the site would make the ground unsuitable, but no fuel tank was found. The group was told that it must apply for all kinds of planning permissions before the lease could be agreed, and it was given ridiculous estimates of the costs that would be involved. The group felt that many of those instances of planning permission were unnecessary, given the experience of others who had been involved in setting up allotments.
At the end of all that, however, the group has succeeded. The topsoil is now being delivered, 50 people are ready and willing to work the ground and new allotments that will involve the community will be established and made ready for use.
Presiding Officer, the practical suggestion that I have for you concerns the fact that, as I have noticed as I look out of my window in Parliament, many of the Parliament’s roofs are grassed. It seems to me that there is a perfect opportunity for you and your colleagues to consider subdivision of those grassed areas into allotments for members to experiment on and develop as a beacon of hope to others elsewhere. I realise that they would be suitable only for shallow-rooted vegetables. I by no means wish to insult any member with that observation; I refer to the produce, not the producers.
Can I put my name down on that list? It might take me less than 10 years to get an allotment.
I certainly would not accuse Christine Grahame of being a shallow-rooted vegetable. I leave it with you, Presiding Officer, to establish whether that would be a useful way for Parliament to demonstrate its commitment to allotments.
If you put the suggestion in writing, we will of course be pleased to consider it.
17:22
I thank Kenneth Gibson for bringing the motion to the chamber. It is topical, given the increasing interest in the “grow your own” approach, and the positive solution that it provides to many of the questions that we face as we work towards a sustainable future that provides energy and food security.
People are increasingly aware that local seasonal fresh food is no more expensive than supermarkets’ fresh food. They are concerned about the way in which some of the supermarkets’ food is processed, the age of the produce and the food miles that are involved, and many people are increasingly aware of the pressure that is put on producers by the supermarkets, which promote loss-leaders—all too often of the junk-food variety—that help to perpetuate the myth that supermarkets are a low-cost option.
For all sorts of reasons, the popularity of allotment gardening has increased. In Lothian, thanks to the efforts of plot holders, some local authorities and other groups, we have many well-tended sites, although—as Christine Grahame pointed out—there are not as many as we need. Such is the demand in Edinburgh that more than 2,000 people are on the waiting list. Christine Grahame mentioned the 10-year-long waiting list for Deanburn allotments in Penicuick. West Lothian has no local authority-run allotments, but the Linlithgow and district allotment society proudly opened its Oakwell community plot last August.
People are so keen to get their hands on land that, in this city, some are resorting to guerrilla gardening, and neglected borders in the city are sometimes transformed by those green-fingered guerrillas, which I welcome.
As has been mentioned, there is also the option of greening derelict sites. Why should we let sites sit empty? With the slow-down of the property market, we have a lot of brownfield sites that are simply inactive, and they could be put to really good use.
Allotments provide an opportunity for people to lead a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle and are a form of exercise that can last a lifetime. I had no time to go running the other night, so I got out my trusty old push-pull lawnmower, which provides fantastic exercise that anyone can enjoy. Most people think that the push-pull lawnmower is a relic of the past, but I heartily advocate its use.
Allotments operate with due consideration to the environment, and many of them provide habitats on or around their plots for indigenous wildlife. Boundaries can be formed by planting natural hedgerows, and allotments also contain log piles next to rich flower beds and beetle banks.
As has been said, if we grow locally, we reduce our carbon footprint. Fruit and vegetables arrive in our kitchens in only their natural packaging, so we reduce the demand for resources and for waste disposal. Trees and plants grow and absorb CO2, and cultivated land produces soakaway, which plays a part in reducing flooding.
Allotments promote social inclusion; they have tenants from all walks of life and of all ages, from very young children gardening with their parents, to people who are well beyond retirement age. Allotment gardening also does much that the Government and the national health service advocate. In some areas, councils provide tenants with sheds or other garden buildings, but in other areas there is not such generous spending. Allotments are a great example of preventative investment because they help with the challenges of peak oil and the need to provide pollen-rich sites for beleaguered bees. They provide the benefits—for both mental and physical wellbeing—of being outside and they offer financial savings to people who grow their own. Allotments are, indeed, a win-win.
I have visited allotments in Bridgend, Redhall, Midmar and the Royal Edinburgh community gardens, and I have been inspired by what is going on. The Transition Network movement is active on this front and the Scottish Association for Mental Health knows the many benefits that are accrued.
In summary, we must ensure that we do all we can to support allotment growth. If we fail to do that, an opportunity will have been missed. Instead of growing potatoes, we will risk producing couch potatoes who drain the NHS budget.
17:26
I, too, congratulate Kenneth Gibson on securing this debate on therapeutic gardens and allotments throughout Scotland. Unlike Christine Grahame, I do not have green fingers. I do not intend to take up the spade, but I recognise the value of that for those who choose to do it. It should be promoted.
It is right to acknowledge the environmental, health, recreational and other benefits that allotments can bring to plot holders, their families and the wider community. I will concentrate on a therapeutic garden in the part of North Ayrshire that I represent. As Annabel Goldie did, I received a letter from Trellis, which asked whether I would like to visit a therapeutic or community garden in my area. I admit that I did not know of that project. I said that I would like to take up its offer, and I was referred to Todhill Country Centre, which is situated between Kilwinning and Stevenston.
Todhill Country Centre is a residential unit for men with learning disabilities. It also caters for day-care patients and respite patients who have learning disabilities. Its garden is part of their therapy. The centre, which is set in the country, has a beautiful garden. It has apple trees and pear trees—not being a gardener, I hope I get this right—and it has cauliflowers, cucumbers, courgettes, tomato plants, hanging baskets and flowering plants that it sells to the local community. The plants are all grown from seed by the residents.
The benefits for the residents are incredible. The unit also has small animals; working with them is also therapeutic for the residents. The residents can choose whether to work with the animals or in the garden. Some of the residents have decided that they want to start making garden furniture and garden gnomes to sell to the local community on their open day.
Centres such as Todhill offer natural therapy, the benefits of which include feelings of safety, security and increased self-esteem for the residents. There is also the restorative effect of the natural environment—as we have talked about, there is nothing better than fresh air. The natural therapy also gives the residents a sense of responsibility and pride. They feel that they are part of the community; they are producing things and the rest of the community is coming in, purchasing them and looking around the place.
I was privileged to visit the Todhill Country Centre—I admit freely that I did not know it was there. It was one of those occasions when, as an MSP, one learns about something that is good and positive in one’s constituency. The residents and staff were all working together to prepare for their open day. They were excited about the plants that they were going to sell and they were considering what colours to paint their gnomes. All of that was being done with a great deal of pride.
Community farms, allotments and therapeutic gardens provide tangible benefits to many people’s lives by increasing their wellbeing, their community involvement and their pride in their environment. Those benefits go a long way towards supporting the Government’s agenda in relation to health, education and social inclusion and they deserve the recognition of Parliament.
17:30
I congratulate Kenneth Gibson on securing the debate. His motion talks about the
“500 community, therapeutic and allotment gardens throughout Scotland”,
which illustrates the interest in the issue. Mr Gibson also talked about physical health improvements and mental health opportunities, and the way in which allotments and green gyms can contribute to that agenda.
My region has a network of allotments, many of which are long established and offer the traditional allotment experience. Alongside that, more recent projects have been established such as the community garden in Burntisland, which is a small shared space with some allotment plots that seeks to engage older people in the community and encourage them to work with the primary school. If we can engage children at a young age, they will gain skills that they can carry with them through the rest of their lives.
Kenneth Gibson talked about access to funding. The range of funding possibilities shows that policy makers appreciate the wider benefits of allotments and the whole agenda. Christine Grahame talked about access to land and her experience of the difficulties in trying to find a plot. We are also talking about the advantages of working with the community on community engagement issues. Jackson Carlaw highlighted that when he talked about the objections that were made to some of the projects that he had been involved with—or was that Annabel Goldie? I am not very sure. We need to convince communities and take them along with us by letting them see the advantages and positive benefits of an allotment site.
In the Parliament, we talk a lot about food security. What better way to have individuals contributing to that agenda than by helping them to grow food themselves? How easy is it to grow lettuce all summer rather than buying plastic bags of it, as Alison Johnstone said? That can be done on a windowsill. We need to engage people with that agenda. Allotments are not just about providing food; there is also an issue around how we impact on our carbon footprint.
Allotments provide a lot of community support and knowledge sharing. In some ways, growing our own fruit and veg is a lost skill. Allotments can provide mentoring. I know that I can grow cucumbers, but I have tried to grow butternut squash and I cannot get the flowers to turn into vegetables. I can read many glossy books and watch celebrity gardeners on television, but if I had someone who has grown veg in Fife and knows what the land is like there, I could find answers to my questions. I am not just talking about myself, but I would like to work alongside experienced gardeners. I would have to find the time as well as the plot and not having an election next spring might help with next year’s crop.
I thank Kenneth Gibson for bringing the debate to the chamber. It has been an interesting discussion.
17:33
I thank Kenneth Gibson and everyone who has contributed to this interesting debate. I am not entirely certain that it is a good idea to have a debate in which we talk about politicians digging holes; we tend to do that metaphorically rather than physically. The debate has been interesting from that point of view.
I was absolutely delighted to hear about the genuine local action and engagement that Kenneth Gibson described from councillors in his area. We forget that a large number of councillors get engaged with issues that matter to local people. The example to which Kenneth Gibson referred, which has led to the action in North Ayrshire, is to be commended.
An important function of local councillors is involvement with the local development plan. We have heard repeatedly about the identification of areas of land. I take it that the minister would encourage greater involvement by local authorities in the identification of land. To that end, could the Scottish Government assist by making any land that is within its control more readily available for the use of allotments?
Mr Finnie makes a good point. With regard to the Government’s land, we have already disposed of almost everything that it is possible to dispose of. We are bound by rules that require us to dispose of land at commercial rates. However, local authorities can dispose of land at lower rates for community purposes. In many ways, it is good and appropriate that local authorities take the lead on the issue. That works well when there is a commitment to do it.
I thank Brian Adam, in his absence, for filling in for me yesterday by opening the Cullen allotments. I had been looking forward to doing that but, because the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is away all week, I had to take on one or two of the responsibilities that he would have discharged, so I had to come to Edinburgh sooner than I had previously planned.
Christine Grahame talked about 10-year waiting lists for allotments. When we took the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill through the Parliament, which was a big effort, one of the happiest days was when the bill team leader, who is an enthusiastic allotment person, received the news that she had reached the top of the list and now had an allotment near Inverleith Gardens. That was a happy day—she even took us out for a drink to celebrate, so excited was she. It was absolutely right that the bill team leader was engaged in that issue, given all the good aspects of that bill.
The small role that I play is that I dig the potatoes that someone else plants in our garden. I generally do it with my bare hands, which is a pleasant thing to do.
Christine Grahame talked about the proposed community empowerment and renewal bill. I am not sure how allotment issues will fit into that, but I will think about it.
In relation to Margaret McDougall’s comments, I am delighted that another member of the Parliament likes to use that delightful word “humongous”. She made a point about bee, wasp and butterfly beds. The official with whom I worked on this debate referred in some of the notes to bees, but he omitted wasps, because he does not like them. Of course, wasps are an important part of the pollination cycle, just as bees are, but we often forget that.
I was looking forward to hearing from Annabel Goldie, as I knew of her interest in the issue. I am beginning to wonder whether, in the modern climate, there is a gender issue, because it seems that it is all women who are getting engaged in plots and not the seedy old men with flat caps and a pipe, as might have been the traditional view. The important point is that the client base for allotments is changing and broadening, and more people are getting engaged, which we absolutely should welcome. I will watch the parliamentary roof with great interest.
Alison Johnstone talked about brownfield sites. There are successful allotments throughout Scotland on such sites. Boxes are available that can be put on brownfield sites to isolate growing vegetables—and, for that matter, flowers—from contamination that might be present in the soil. That brings into use brownfield sites that might be difficult to decontaminate because money is not available. In the meantime, with that technology, we can use areas for allotments even though the land is contaminated.
Margaret Burgess talked about therapeutic gardens. I have a particular interest in that, because many members of my family have been involved in mental health activities. My father-in-law was a psychiatric nurse and I briefly worked as one, as did other family members. Therefore, I am absolutely seized of the therapeutic advantages of allotments for people with a wide range of conditions, and in particular for people with mental ill health of one sort or another.
Kenny Gibson highlighted the marvellous work in his constituency. North Ayrshire Council’s allotment regeneration initiative is a good example that I hope many other councils will consider. We absolutely recognise the health benefits, the benefits of local growing and having vegetables on the doorstep and the benefits of just getting people outside and taking exercise. The North Ayrshire green gym is an excellent example of a project that encourages that.
A number of good examples have been mentioned in the debate. The Scottish Government is supporting the best practice event that is being held at Battleby, Scottish Natural Heritage’s headquarters, on 17 May. The event is being organised by SNH, and interested private and public individuals and organisations will be able to exchange knowledge to help our communities to be even more vibrant places. We are behind what is going on in allotments. The list of public bodies that are engaged in that is substantial and includes the Forestry Commission, SNH, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Trellis Scotland and NHS Lothian. We also have a grow-your-own stakeholder working group, which is delivering recommendations.
There is much more that I could say on the subject, but time is against us. I commend the work that is being done and assure all those who are present and all who read this that the Scottish Government is fully committed to the grow-your-own agenda and to community garden projects and initiatives. I thank all members for their contributions.
Meeting closed at 17:41.