Other Projects

The RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY ALLOTMENT PROJECT is an integral part of RCMA’s activities - successfully complementing our farmers' markets and extending the reach of our local food message. It's a wonderful place where everyone can have fun and learn to 'grow their own'!

The RCMA Community Allotment project provides a place where people can learn how to grow food in a sociable and supportive atmosphere. The Allotment has two working poly-tunnels where peppers, tomatoes, grapes and aubergines are grown, as well as raised beds and an accessible pond and wildlife area. There are a wide variety of different vegetables, fruit and flowers grown at the Allotment - many reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of members. We have all been surprised at the scope of plants that are happy to grow in the Welsh climate!

Recent additions to the Allotment included a solar cooker and a compost toilet. Some of these have been built with help from young offenders from a nearby probation hostel, and local school children regularly visit the project. Some of our most exciting work over the past year has included:

Let us know if you want to come over for a visit - we're just up in Pontcanna Fields and everyone is welcome!

Our COMMUNITY FOOD programme of activities is also very successful in achieving its aims and objectives in engaging with local people and helping them learn how to have all the fun of preparing and eating a healthier diet..

Locacal primary schools consulted with us about delivering food growing and healthy eating projects. Some already have raised beds or growing spaces and have visited the Community Allotment to get a feel for what they want to do and to introduce children to the idea of growing food – having a lot of fun at the same time! Other schools are in the early stages of growing and have also used the Community Allotment as a resource and a demonstration project.

Cooking and tasting activities are organised in collaboration with the Riverside Food Co-op, which has turned out to be an excellent point of contact with the many (more than one hundred) low income families which attend each week.

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27075907877

RCMA MARKET GARDEN

RCMA’s latest enterprise activity is the RCMA Market Garden project - a small-scale intensive horticultural operation that will supply both institutional customers and farmers’ markets in South East Wales. At the same time the project will deliver training and employment in small scale sustainable food production, and a range of outreach and educational opportunities in healthy living and sustainability for school children and young people. The project is located on five acres of land located about eight miles outside of Cardiff. A feasibility study was previously completed with funding from the Welsh Assembly which concluded that the Market Garden will be sustainable as a social enterprise, provided produce is sold directly to customers via, for example, local farmers markets, box schemes or a Mobile Farm Shop. Some produce may also supply the local food co-op to make fresh food available to low-income families living in Riverside.

www.riversidemarketgarden.co.uk

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RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY ALLOTMENT

The RCMA Community Allotment project engages with a very wide range of people. The Project manager provides support for volunteers at the site for two days per week, and more than 1100 people participated in our projects and activities during the last year!

The numbers of participants varies depending on the weather and time of year, but have averaged 8 – 10 people per session. We have a wide range of volunteers from all sorts of backgrounds and ages. Many of our volunteers are from hard-to-reach groups including asylum seekers, people who are unemployed, have learning difficulties or physical disabilities. Others are motivated by our environmental aims, transition issues or a general desire to learn to grow their own food.

If you are interested in helping to run any of RCMA's activities, to get involved with our Community Allotment, or would like to buy a share in our Market Garden (www.riversidemarketgarden.co.uk), please contact us on:

t: 029 2019 0036
e: gareth@riversidemarket.org.uk