Edingley Open Allotments: Scarecrow Competition - 2013

The allotments in the small Nottinghamshire village of Edingley are reported to be amongst the oldest in the country, their history being traced back to the Enclosures Act of 1781 when the Dioceses of Southwell handed the land to the poor in the parish.

Towards the closing years of the 19th century, parish records show that there were around 16 allotment holders paying rent to the parish council for use of the land. A tradition that holds strong to this day, with around 30 allotment holders to date.

Every year, the community holds an open allotment weekend, a chance for local residents and passersby to have a good look around all the plots, meet the allotment holders and learn about growing their own produce.

I was lucky enough to be visiting my parents over the open allotment weekend (13-14th July) and was pleased to see a good turn-out for the event. Even though my father managed to rope me in to some hard labour on his plot, No. 6, it was a good weekend, and a good opportunity to photograph some of the scarecrow competition entries and meet the other plot holders.

In addition, the open allotment weekend also sees the judging of the Best Kept Allotment, Scarecrow and Interpretation Board competitions. Later on Saturday afternoon, Revd. David McCoulough held an open-air allotment service with 28 villagers attending, after which a delightfully refreshing elderflower champagne was enjoyed by all! (In compostable glasses none the less.)

Please keep an eye on the Blog as I hope to post an announcement of the winning scarecrow in the coming days, as well as a few other images from around the allotment in the evening.