An allotment group in Leicestershire have received a grant for £3,360 from the Severn Trent Community Fund.

Ashby Allotments Association which has been operating for around 50 years, has received £3,360 for the installation of a rainwater harvesting system.

The site has 86 plots of various sizes, from 50 – 400 sq meters which currently use water from the main supply for irrigation. The Association intends to use the money from the Community Fund to install a series of large rainwater collection structures to reduce their reliance on water from the mains supply and provide the plots with a source of untreated water, which is more beneficial to growing vegetables.

Sue Richardson chair at Ashby Allotments Association, said: “During the very hot summer of 2022, several plot holders became concerned about our reliance on treated water for growing vegetables, both because of the cost to us and in the energy embedded in the water supply.

“There was also a widespread realisation that at a time of challenging climate change we should try to reduce our water consumption in cultivation and look to be more efficient in harvesting, saving and distributing rainwater across the site.

“This grant from the Severn Trent Community Fund will be instrumental in helping us to realise our ambition to reduce our use of water from the mains supply, which will be a huge benefit for the vegetables that we grow.”

The Association hopes that the introduction of the rainwater harvesting systems will help to develop greater skills and understanding of plot holders around water conservation practices and have been holding workshops with their members.

Sue Heyes, Severn Trent Community Fund Officer said: “It's fantastic to see that allotment groups like these are putting in place project to help offset the impacts of the unfortunate reality of climate change that we’re all experiencing.

“The benefits to peoples’ mental and physical health of having access to community allotments can't be overstated and we’re really pleased that our panel have chosen to support the Ashby Allotments Association.”

To find out more about the Severn Trent Community Fund, visit stwater.co.uk and search for Community Fund.