Story: Lisa Swift
Grimesthorpe allotments were targeted by thieves and vandals over two nights in July, just weeks after the launch of the Greenfingers project. See ‘Lord Mayor Leek opens health garden’.
The shed of the New Deal funded project was broken into and equipment, including waterproofs for the project participants, were taken.
Other allotments holders also suffered with about 20 sheds broken into and the contents strewn about, although many report that tools were not taken. The Allotment Society’s hut was damaged and the windows to the toilets, bought last year with New Deal money, were broken.
At a meeting plot holders expressed their frustration at the damage after years of hard work to make the allotments more secure and better used. Some gardeners felt this incident was not an isolated one as Roe Wood’s allotments had around 40 sheds attacked in one night just weeks before. The meeting wanted the police to do more and called for all allotmenters to contact the police about any break-ins on 220 2020 and request a incident number.
A Crime Reduction Officer, who also attended, described how sheds could be fortified. One of his more useful suggestions was to mark tools with permanent UV pens so that thieves would find it more difficult to resell them at car boot sales.
Despite the difficulties Grimesthorpe gardeners enjoyed a barbeque after the meeting and discussed plans to make the main gate more secure. Some people were concerned that this incident might deter people from taking up allotments – some felt that a well-used allotment site was the best defence against vandalism.
Rob Bullock of Grimesthorpe Community Gardens Committee said, “We mustn’t forget that we’ve achieved a great deal in the last two years and made real progress. It is undermined by this kind of mindless destruction, but we will persevere.”