If you’ve been to an allotment lately, you might have noticed that things have changed. Once a place seemingly reserved for silver-haired gardeners to while away their retirements, allotments are now increasingly popular with young couples and families, but that hasn’t stopped the threat they face from local authority closure.
The increase in enforced half-plots, a tactic to increase numbers who use each space used by local authorities in order to cut down their notoriously large waiting lists, is thought to help explain the change in demographic. Smaller plots are far easier to manage for people with busy lives. As a result, allotments owners are now diverse mix of ages, genders and backgrounds, something which the National Allotment Society is celebrating this week with its National Allotment Week, as well as highlighting the importance of protecting plots for future generations.
The latter is particularly pertinent to those who look after allotments which are threatened with closure. While popularity for plots is on the rise, the numbers of allotments being closed - with land often sold to developers - is growing.
According to figures released by a freedom of information request by campaigners, just four out of a total of 198 applications by councils and other owners to close sites were turned down between 2007 and 2013. In total 128 were approved with the remainder being invalid or withdrawn.
To celebrate National Allotments Week, from 10-16 August, and to help highlight why they are important, we want you to share your pictures of your local allotment. We’d love to see images which celebrate how any age, gender or background can benefit from having one in their community, what you’re growing or perhaps just a part of your plot that you’re most proud of.
You can share your photographs or videos of your allotment by clicking on the blue ‘contribute’ button on this article or you can download the free GuardianWitness app if you have a smartphone. Please use the description field to tell us more about the photo or video.
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