16th August 2022
Sanctuary
Previously unloved land at a Torbay community centre is now helping feed local residents thanks to a local project.
Potatoes, courgettes, beetroot and cucumbers have all been harvested from beds around the Windmill Centre in Hele Village, Torquay.
The project is part of the nationwide Incredible Edible campaign run by Turning Heads, a local community interest company which works with adults with disabilities and others who are socially isolated.
Funding from local social housing landlord Sanctuary has helped fund the beds, and also brighten up the area with floral planting.
Alan Tilley, chief executive at Turning Heads, said they had transformed the neglected outside areas at the Windmill Centre, cutting grass, planting flowers and also putting in a couple of test beds to grow vegetables.
“One small bed gave us 16kg of potatoes and we bagged them up and gave them out around the estate,” he said.
“We have also grown courgettes, beetroot and cucumbers which we use in the community café which takes place in the centre three days a week.
“We have created more beds, including one at wheelchair height, and will plant these up in February to expand what we are doing next year.”
Turning Heads meets three times a week at the Windmill Centre, and runs a gardening club on two afternoons.
“There are real wellbeing benefits to gardening, and we will also be able to provide free veg to the community, which will not only help them cook healthy meals but also help with the cost of living crisis,” said Alan.
Lynne Roberts, Sanctuary’s Neighbourhood Partnership Manager, added: “This project has so many benefits, from encouraging people with a disability or learning difficulty to socialise, learn new skills and gain work experience, to providing free, healthy food at a time of real pressure on people’s budgets.
“Everyone in the local area will be encouraged to take part and share the produce.
“It also really brightens up a piece of land that just wasn’t being put to good use, and is lovely to see.”
The Incredible Edible network began in 2012 and encourages people to transform their own landscapes and turn disused plots into sources of healthy food.
