Town Park polytunnel produces fresh veg for care homes
Cucumbers, peas, beetroot, lettuce, corn, runner beans and more are all being grown in a new polytunnel built by a volunteer gardening group.
The tunnel has been funded and built by the Friends of Telford Town Park (FOTTP) and aims to provide fruit and vegetables to care homes across Telford, once a regular crop is secured.
The tunnel has taken almost three months to build and the materials cost around £500. It was built by FOTTP volunteer Adrian Namara, who is also a carpenter and Simmonds Transport employee, alongside a little help from other volunteers.
Adrian Smith, chairman of FOTTP, said: “We are so pleased with the new polytunnel.
“Adrian Namara has done such a fantastic job and we’re all excited to have our first vegetables in the soil already.
“This year will be a trial crop but once it is established we hope to offer the produce out to others next year.
“The idea is to grow vegetables and offer them to local care homes, it won’t be regular as it will depend on how well it grows, but we hope to be able to make a difference to some.
“Before this was built, it was a raised flower bed that was rotting away and collapsing, we had to do something with it and we’ve spoken about creating a polytunnel for years so we are all very pleased it is now here.”
The tunnel, in the Chelsea Gardens in Telford Town Park, is 10 meters long by 2.8 meters wide.
The Friends utilised any materials they could from the old flower bed for use on the polytunnel floor or the vegetable beds inside.
This is just one of a number of projects the Friends are undertaking, others include a forest school area by the Grange Pool, creating an opening for use by lizards and snakes on the north bank and cleaning and repainting benches, bins and railings around the play areas.
They have also just secured Lottery funding to replace the Crannog bridge and will soon launch a campaign to raise money to replace the wooden walkway in the Japanese Garden in the Maxell Gardens.
There are 25 members of FOTTP and gardening sessions are held each week on a Wednesday morning and once a month on a Saturday morning as well. They welcome volunteers from local businesses to join them as part of employee wellbeing or volunteering schemes.
To keep up to date with their work follow their Facebook page, Instagram page or visit their website www.friendsoftelfordtownpark.org.
You can also support them by signing up to the TWINCL lottery to help raise money for the work they do. Anyone can do this by visiting www.twincl.co.uk and choosing FOTTP as the cause to support.
