MR LUCKHURST wrote last week regarding Okehampton's Community Garden.

In six months, this newly formed community garden's steering group has astoundingly reached the level that other Devon Community Gardens have taken two or three years to achieve. Forty members? — In fact over 140 volunteers have worked enjoyably together on various tasks  in the garden. 

From simple planting of seeds to the bigger challenges of infrastructure; not all visible from the road due to the site's natural elevations. 

Individual members include children, teenagers, families, senior citizens, disabled and people with limited mobility.

Groups from all walks of life in Okehampton are involved; families, schools, unemployed or disadvantaged, care homes including Castle Ham Lodge.

Members have shared a variety of  produce grown; salad crops, potatoes, beans, beet, cabbage, rhubarb, parsley . . .

Members do not have to make any commitment of time in our busy lives of today — helping for just a few hours whenever possible, to join.

Along with others, over 20 supportive local businesses and including our MP Mel Stride are involved.

I congratulate their success and achievements in such a short space of time; despite this year's inclement weather.

Lois Gallimore HogCO

Community Council of Devon

WHAT a shame that Mr Luckhurst has time to stand on the sidelines and criticise the efforts of others to create a community garden for the people of Okehampton and the hamlets on Fatherford Lane that is an inclusive facility for all in the Okehampton area and Okehampton hamlets.

Does he understand that a community garden is not an allotment? It is a garden for children to play in, people to sit in and admire the view or just sunbathe, grow vegetables or flowers in or have bees and chickens in or even pigs if they want, and Okehampton charities will allow.

Perhaps it will be news to him that over 140 people have been involved in or visited OCG on site since April, 2012, when we took on the lease. We also have photographic evidence shortly to be displayed in town. It is pretty obvious to most people that this is a site under construction unlike the allotments which I believe were constructed for the allotment holders to replace the ones that they unfortunately lost due to the housing development on Okehampton United Charity land.

The 40 or so members of OCG have worked hard with the support of key community groups and the cadets since we took on the lease of the 3-acre site to put together a storage shed with water collection, a compost loo, trench in water pipes, plough and rotivate an acre, dig a borehole and a pond, create two sensory gardens, mark out the site for the planners, stock fence the area, put in 3 bays of the community composting scheme and a smaller composting area, build a temporary shelter to get out of the rain and complete the recycling area as well as grow some flowers and vegetables.

I am sure that the 21 teenagers from the National Citizen Scheme and the Prince's Trust Project who worked hard for four weeks both on and off site on this project ate less than impressed to think that he thought they were just there to drink tea.

However, if he is there on Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon between 2pm and 5pm when we are currently open, I hope that he comes and joins in, rolls up his sleeves and does some work with us to support our community and make some new friends. He might also learn a little bit more about what we have been doing and what is currently on site.

Thank you to the Okehampton Charities (our landlords), Home Grown and Community Owned (HogCo), all the businesses and people who have supported and helped out at the community garden to date.

A planning application will go in shortly for a 32-meter poly tunnel and a large meeting shed for members for which we already have funding. We continue to go from strength to strength. Watch out for our flier through your doors in the next few weeks giving further information on how to become a member and get involved, what times you would like to see us open and which groups you would like to get involved with.

Michael

Elderly and Disabled Okehampton Community Garden manager