The West End Centre's Community Allotment

The West End Centre is a small community centre based in St Oswald’s Church Little Horton. We aim to reduce social isolation and challenge digital exclusion. The Centre offers a range of social groups and learning opportunities. We also have a community allotment where we offer therapeutic gardening, produce fruit, flowers and veg to feed the community, support our affordable food market and help us to plant wildflower gardens in unused public green spaces as well as improve our environment by guerrilla gardening.

It is our allotment and the difference it makes to people that we would like to ask for your help with.

The allotment is open to all and has been a haven to many as covid restrictions relaxed and people began to be able to meet. This has been more apparent in the last two years as it’s been a lifeline to many.

We have many people who live alone and without the allotment would spend a great deal of time isolated from others.

Because of the allotment, they can come together to help themselves and help others. They increase their physical activity and by enjoying the benefits of fresh air and outside activities they improve their confidence, self-esteem, and general wellbeing. They take what they learn and with our support go on in many cases to grow their own food at home. Not only their physical health improves but their mental health as well.

They have said:

Thank you so much for listening to me, it has really helped me and lifted a weight, would be very hard for me if I didn’t have the allotment to help me.

It definitely improves my mental health and gives me confidence and a safe environment to meet and talk together.

It lifts my mood and certainly makes me feel better

We need to make sure this can happen this year. We have prepared the growing spaces but desperately need to replace our decking, so people have somewhere safe to meet, sit, talk, cook, eat, sow seeds, pot on, drink tea, enjoy crafts and even play games and hold impromptu music sessions.

If you can make this happen it will stop so many people from being isolated, alone and depressed. It will help feed people in our community. It will educate people about healthy life styles and support them to make positive changes for themselves. It improves people’s lives and make them feel happier, more valued and cared for in their

community.

If you can help, please do. We need to raise funds to replace our decking area with more sustainable materials to ensure we don’t end up having to do this every year. We want to replace the existing rotten wooden platform with a longer lasting composite decking.

Can you help us by donating money, materials or your time?

Please donate now or get in touch.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Contact Number: 07592 003595

Email: [email redacted]

Website: The West End Centre Bradford

Facebook: West End Centre

Twitter: @westendcentre

Charity Number: 1150070