The Children’s Allotment

Hub England & Wales

Number of people in group:

4

Active participants in last year:

200

Paid roles?

Yes

Legal Structure:

Co-op

How active is your group?

Somewhat Active

Live Projects:

• Community Growing
• Other food projects
• Nature
• Community hub or activities
• Festivals, fairs or events
• Youth or education projects

Our story started in 2017 when we discovered a dilapidated plant nursery next to an allotment site off Cricket Road in Oxford. It was disused for 10 years and was overgrown with brambles. But there was something magical about the place and with a cabin, poly-tunnels, an orchard and growing areas, we saw there was huge potential to unlock.

A group a parents, community members and educators formed a Cooperative and set about to transform it into a beautiful educational space for families to be outside and connect with nature.

We want to offer community education activities from our site, for children and up, with a focus on Forest School, food-growing, outdoor play and self-directed learning.

The space will also be a welcoming local resource, a place where local families can spend time with their children, meet other parents and build social networks. Alongside regular childcare, we will offer community activities and events.