BANTRY HOUSE ALLOTMENTS

The Open Day planned for this Saturday will now take place at a date to be confirmed in October.

Bantry House Allotment Gardens were one of the first projects of its kind to be established in recent years outside of Dublin city. Recognising the many benefits to the local residents, West Cork Community Partnership in conjunction with the owners of Bantry House established these allotment gardens in 2007. The same year, together with Cork County Council, WCCP developed pilot allotment projects in Reenrour, Bantry and Clonakilty. Since then the with increasing demand from “Grow it Yourself” enthusiasts, west Cork can boast successful allotment schemes in Clonakilty, Bandon, Skibbereen and Kinsale amongst others.

The Bantry allotment gardens site is within the old walled garden at Bantry House which was worked as a vegetable plot over the generations. Not only does it have good soil and shelter but also a sunny southern aspect, ideal ingredients for growing. This idyllic spot just beyond the town provides an enviable location and a welcome chance to rub shoulders with fellow gardeners, both seasoned old timers and novices to the wonders of being a “plot holder”.

Now in its third year the management of the project is being handed over to Sustain West Cork who has a track record of supporting community projects which promote local resilience to economic and environmental threats. The local group has been addressing the question “How does a community ensure that it has access to quality and affordable food, water and energy?” over the last five years. Their members have been active in establishing a community network to come up with practical solutions. A primary focus of Sustain West Cork is the issue of “food security” and the true value of locally grown produce. During the last few weeks the world news has reminded us of the reality of crop failure due to adverse weather conditions. The possibility of shortages and resultant price rises is looming large this coming winter.  So it’s no surprise that Sustain West Cork want to support local people who are enthusiastic about growing their own healthy food. Recently they’ve been working alongside the newly formed Transition Skibbereen group to structure the planned Town Council allotments in Skibbereen. They also recognise that enthusiasm is only the first ingredient to growing food. Many potential GIY’ers are put off by daunting tasks that seem like a mysterious ritual only known to the initiates. To remedy this they are planning a series of demonstrations and gardening classes to get beginners up and running. In conjunction with West Cork Development Partnership, Sustain is proposing to offer some new subsidised allotment plots and training to unemployed people or those on welfare supports. For anyone who has an interest in growing veggies and the allotment scheme there will be an event at Bantry House the date of which is to be confirmed to celebrate the “harvest home” which is traditionally enjoyed around the autumn equinox. There will be a panel of experts available for your gardening questions and plenty to interest both the experienced or ‘would be’ gardener throughout the day with competitions, plant and seed sales etc. Contact info@sustainwestcork.com for more details or the website at www.sustainwestcork.com