Volunteers hoping to reopen a community allotment in Perth are appealing to community-spirited local builders to help improve access to it.
The small group of gardeners have been busy of late working at the allotment in Muirton in their spare time to get it ready to receive visitors and grow produce again but have hit a snag in recent weeks.
Volunteer Nick Ward told the PA the group had arranged for a local builder to go along and put down new paving around the site but they unexpectedly pulled out at the last minute leaving them in the lurch.
Nick said the setback was disappointing as the group has a waiting list of people who want to make use of the allotment but they are unable to allow them onto the site until better access to it has been provided.
“Me and a few other volunteers have been chipping away at getting it ready by getting the greenhouse fixed with new glass and getting some new equipment likes spades and forks and things like that,” he explained.
“But the big thing that is holding us up now is being able to offer safe access - it’s kind of thrown us back a bit.
“One of our members is fully wheelchair bound and can’t get into the allotment because of a small step and it being uneven gravel.”
Nick and the rest of the volunteers working at the Muirton Community Allotment are now appealing to other local builders to help them put down new paving and open the site up to visitors.
He said the builder they previously had lined up to do the work managed to persuade a supplier to provide the materials they needed for the job for free and this was perhaps something other builders may be able to do as well so they would only need to provide their labour to get the job done.
“The space is only 23 feet by 43 feet and when you then deduct from that the space taken up by the greenhouse, the shed and the seven raised beds we have its not a massive job,” he said.
“It was estimated by the builder who let us down it would be around two to three days work for two to three men. The allotment volunteers were going to provide some assistance with hand balling etc to ease the work.
“If any builders want to assist they can call me on 07876 655961.”
