Westbank Community Health and Care is often supported by local businesses who donate equipment or skills, and sometimes both! This kind of help is invaluable to our charity, and we’re absolutely delighted that the latest business we’re developing a partnership with is Jack’s Patch in Bishopsteignton, part of Otter Garden Centres.

Jack’s Patch has kindly offered to support Westbank with the development of our Community Allotment at Exminster, a strip of land behind our Healthy Living Centre for which we have big ambitions. Kier Construction stepped in to support us with Phase One of the project, preparing and levelling the ground and creating a pathway to make the allotment accessible to wheelchair users. The involvement of Jack’s Patch marks Phase Two of the project. They will be working with us to establish the allotment and cultivate fresh produce to help supply our Community Cookery School and our two Community Larders. We will also be working together to create a community space that’s accessible to all, supporting people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Two members of the Jack’s Patch ‘Plants Team’, Dave and James, carried out an initial recce in mid September and they returned to start work at the end of September and again in early October. Before embarking on the Community Allotment, they spent a full day pruning and weeding to make our Sensory Garden winter-ready.

Jack’s Patch will be giving us the benefit of their horticultural expertise over the coming weeks and months, in what we hope will become a long-term partnership. They’ll be helping us to understand what we already have growing and how best to look after it, as well as advising us on how to make best use of the space we have. As well as their time and skills, they are also supplying us with materials to ensure our growing project gets off to a healthy start, including plants, seeds, planters, plant food, fencing, sleepers to make raised beds, and even an arbour to shelter and relax in. 

They have also generously offered to help manage the rest of Westbank’s outside space on an ongoing basis to ensure our Sensory Garden, borders and raised beds look as attractive and welcoming as possible.

We’re lucky to have a group of volunteers who work in the allotment on Fridays, who will be helping us keep on top of things between visits from Jack’s Patch. We can assure you there will be plenty to do if you fancy joining our volunteers, regardless of whether you’re green-fingered or not!

We’ll be sharing regular updates about all our outside spaces on our social media, as well as putting up a branded plaque to thank Jack’s Patch for its generous support.

You can find out more about opportunities to volunteer in the Community Allotment by following the Volunteer Opportunities link on our website: westbank.org.uk

This article was first published in The Moorlander.