Up The Allotments! is a collaboration between three Newham-based organisations. Loop Labs co-developed the programme with community partners Eastside Community Heritage and Eleanor Pearce Art which was generously funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

 

Working with Reynolds Avenue Allotment holders a comprehensive programme of growing, arts and community heritage workshops were developed. 

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25 growing workshops were delivered, upskilling community members, building confidence in their gardening abilities and their ability to grow a wider range of foodstuffs, a mix of heritage and recent varieties, based on their personal and cultural preferences.

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Eleanor Pearce ran a 6-week drawing and painting course onsite at the allotment, and a 4-week course at Manor Park Community Garden. Students learned botanical art, landscape, and portraiture, creating a series inspired by the plot holders and their stories. 17 sessions were also delivered at East Ham Library where participants explored an imaginative response to the heritage reminiscence sessions. The programme concluded with a celebratory exhibition at East Ham Library, featuring a large-scale collaborative piece of collage art ‘The King and Queen of the Allotments’.

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Oral histories of the allotment holders were recorded and preserved by ECH's team. These are engaging stories and wonderful memories that are inspiring. Recording these stories has helped to awaken interest in the hidden allotments. An exhibition and community cookbook were designed based on these interviews.