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Local award winning charity Shepway Chariots, has transformed an abandoned allotment site into a family friendly garden that the whole community can enjoy.

The area on Northumberland Road, Shepway used to be allotment plots but were abandoned a few years ago due to the lack of water supply.

Mum of four Nikki Gough, who set up Shepway Chariots in 2016 to bring the Shepway community together, applied to Maidstone Borough Council’s Allotment Committee with the ambition of turning the half acre into a fully functioning Community Garden. Maidstone Borough Council agreed and in January this year the organisation took over the land, beginning the task of clearing away the last few years’ worth of weeds and overgrown plants. Golding Homes stepped in to help by clearing the garage site in front of the garden, which was full of fly-tipped furniture and rubbish.

Nine months on and a mains water supply has been installed, and Nikki has secured funding from the National Lottery to build a purpose built classroom for training and events, re-fence the land and create a compost area.

Shepway Chariots has received two of our Community Chest Fund grants, to help towards the cost of their Christmas and Easter event, aimed at the local community.

Members of the Shepway Chariots have also received training from Garden Organic, the charity commissioned by Golding Homes to deliver the Growing Buddy project, which is a peer mentoring project to help inspire and engage others about the benefits of gardening to improve health and wellbeing.

Nikki said “We wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we have without help from local organisations. It really does make a difference to the garden and what we can achieve.”

The group, who welcome volunteers of all ages and ability, are currently creating some raised flower beds aimed at wheelchair users or those on mobility scooters. Nikki said: “We want our garden to be accessible to all, so anyone can come along and enjoy it, whether they want to get involved or just pop over for a cup of tea. We even run a regular Saturday morning gardening club for children, called The Shepway Shallots. This garden really is for everyone.”

The group’s ambition next year is to grow their own fruit and vegetables, which they will donate to local food banks. Golding Homes’ resident Tony Davies, who volunteers for Shepway Chariots, said: “Many people don’t have access to fresh fruit and vegetables so we want to encourage them to come along and grow their own. We want to show them just how easy it is, and also make a difference to people’s lives by being able to donate what we grow.”

Keep up to date with Shepway Chariots on their Facebook page.

Would your organisation or group benefit from a grant of up to £1000? Visit our Community Chest Fund page for more details. 

We featured Shepway Chariots in our latest newsletter, Home Matters. You can read this by visiting our Newsletters page.