On Saturday 19 August, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (DGT), in collaboration with Healthy Living Centre Dartford, opened a community allotment space at Darent Valley Hospital.

The project will encourage green-fingered, volunteer members of staff, patients and local residents to nurture allotments that will eventually supply produce for a range of healthy eating and health promotion schemes within the hospital and beyond.

The event saw the Trust’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alexandra Bode-Tunji, welcome approximately 20 volunteers from the hospital and Healthy Living Centre Dartford, and cut the ribbon to officially launch the project.

The Mayor of Dartford, Cllr Rosanna Currans and Deputy Mayor, Cllr Andy Lloyd, Mrs Lloyd, and the Chief Officer of Healthy Living Centre Dartford, Sharon Phillips were also in attendance to celebrate the launch and witness the ground being broken.

The Deputy Mayor of Dartford, Cllr Andy Lloyd took this opportunity to share that he was only the second patient to be admitted and the first to have surgery at Darent Valley Hospital. Despite being an adult inpatient, Cllr Lloyd was given a children’s certificate for being a brave boy – something he has kept to this very day to remind him of his time at the hospital. The anecdote demonstrated the strong ties between the hospital and the local community, and how this project is a wonderful initiative to nurture this.

Following the grand opening, volunteers got to work to prepare the allotment space behind the Children’s Resource Centre (CRC). Three beds were dug out ready to plant fruit and vegetables in the autumn in the hope that the first crops will be ready to harvest by spring/summer 2024. The Trust also hopes to expand the amount of beds as interest from hospital staff and the local community grows.

With the weather on side, volunteers brought along their family members and children to help, which certainly helped to enhance a sense of community and inclusivity.

Speaking at the event, Sharon Phillips, Chief Officer at Healthy Living Centre Dartford, said: “I am absolutely delighted to add Darent Valley Hospital to our ‘Growing Community’ network. This is the culmination of around 5 years’ work in trying to develop a food network. The Healthy Living Centre is all about food and health - that’s cooking, growing, eating and enjoying. Our partnership now consists of representatives from Dartford Borough Council, Bluewater and our core partners that we have been working with for the past few years are local schools. I am really excited that years of hard work are now paying off and here’s to the future.”

DGT’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alexandra Bode-Tunji said: “We are delighted by the remarkable launch of our collaborative community allotment project. It was so inspiring to see our volunteers and their families take the time to come together and create this space. I am confident that this endeavour will sow the seeds of a strong bond between our hospital and the local community we serve, and foster a healthier and happier future for all.”

All the equipment used has been supplied by charity partners and sponsors. The Trust would like to thank Medirest who provided refreshments for the volunteers at the launch event, AP Construction who have generously funded the wooden tool store, and Bluewater Shopping Centre who will be donating a variety of second hand tools and gardening supplies.

Now that the space is ready, hospital staff and the local community will be regularly invited to tend to the allotments. Staff are being encouraged to become ‘Green Champions’ to help with the planting, upkeep and harvesting of the plots.

The Trust would like to thank everyone involved in the creation and launch of this project and looks forward to seeing the fruits of the initiative’s labour.

Should any members of the community be interested in volunteering or if any local businesses are interested in sponsoring any elements of the project, please contact Moira Mitchell, Head of Engagement, Experience and Inclusion at moira.mitchell4@nhs.net