Last week was National Allotments Week, which was a fitting time for us to don our hats (some woven, others of the cap variety), fill up our water bottles, and leave our computer screens behind to spend our morning volunteering at the Fork and Dig It allotment. The community food growing project has been running since 2007, and operates out of the Stanmer Organic allotments, buried within Stanmer Park.
Fork and Dig It offers a mentor programme, tools, resources and organic land for individuals and trainee farmers to develop their own community-supported agriculture. It also allows organisations like ours to join them on a Friday morning, helping with whatever the allotment needs that season.
With how hot and dry this summer has been, the crops needed frequent watering, and we were more than happy to assist. With the temperature on Friday nearing 30°C and little shade, it was no easy feat – but we managed to water plenty of crops to keep them thriving and ready for harvesting soon.
Fork and Dig It’s team made sure to keep us both busy and educated. One of the regular volunteers, Julian, took us around the site and showed us the different crops they harvested, from rhubarb to tomatoes, and how to carefully tend to each.
The team also kindly treated us to a delicious lunch – a curry made up of the vegetables from the allotment. It was the perfect way to close out a nature-filled morning.
Thoughts from our team
“I had a wonderful time with the Magenta team at Fork and Dig It’s Friday volunteering day. We spent our time watering the crops, especially those that have been struggling amid the heatwaves this summer. We also learnt so much – Julian showed us around and told us about the seasonal processes and the different plants grown. I’m not naturally green-fingered, so I really appreciated the education, and we were treated so kindly. The delicious curry lunch made with freshly harvested veg was definitely a bonus!” – Eve Dickie, account manager
“It was great to learn about the community garden alongside the volunteering that we did. They have a great set-up, and it was a perfect setting for a team activity. I expect we’ll be back on another volunteering day soon!” – Greg Bortkiewicz, account director
“I took so much away from my volunteering day with Fork and Dig It. We were able to get stuck into some meaningful jobs around the site and learned a great deal about sustainable crop production thanks to Julian’s expertise and enthusiasm. On top of this, the team were so welcoming and friendly, making a real effort to look after us on one of the hottest days of the year. The shared lunch with vegetables fresh from the garden was the perfect way to top it all off!” – Charlie Payne, account executive
“Volunteering with Fork and Dig It was absolutely fantastic and my colleagues and I can’t wait to go back. The work they do for the community is invaluable and it was nice to play a small part in that. Jools and Julian gave us such a warm welcome and we learnt so much about plants, wildlife and agricultural processes. A big thank you to the team.” – Sabrina Stubbs, account director
“The morning with the Fork and Dig It team was a hugely rewarding experience. We helped water many of the crops they’re growing on the site, including squash and spinach, doing our bit to support this brilliant Sussex farm start while learning more about growing local produce. I’d recommend it to anyone keen on building a deeper connection to the land and their food.” – Simon Iatrou, senior content strategist
How you can get involved
For the team at Fork and Dig It, community gardening takes a huge amount of time, effort, and perseverance to keep running. Alongside the Friday volunteering days, it also offers training for new growers, one-day organic practices courses, and student and teacher training for schools and colleges.
For companies like ours, volunteering takes just a few hours of our time, and covers tasks that would take each of the allotment’s volunteers alone a whole day. It’s a chance to get out of the office, step into nature, bond and learn more about sustainable gardening practices. And at the end, you get a delicious thank you, for all your hard work.
Find out how you can get involved on Fork and Dig It’s website.
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