We are Colin and Claire and moved into the village in 2015. Claire is from Birmingham and I am from the area, formerly living in Pinley Green then Claverdon. My family have always grown their own vegetables and as soon as we arrived I put our names down for an allotment. Claire is a new comer to the growing game, but when we lived with my parents to help my Dad care for mum as she had Dementia, we both tended dad’s plot at home and Claire caught the bug.
We are shift workers and work for an airline as cabin crew. This frees up lots of time to tend 36B on a regular basis. We can often be found by our shed having a BBQ, during a long day at the plot. We acquired our plot on the 22nd May 2018 and have worked hard to get it up to scratch. We are both very competitive and winning best kept will always be high on our agenda along with growing fantastic organic produce. We are keen to start looking at keeping bees however this will probably have to be done at my Dads, as bee keeping is not allowed at the allotments. This seems completely alien to me, but we do live in a nanny state these days! We will continue to experiment with different vegetables as our tastes are ever changing.
Colin & Clare’s Plot 36B Before and After
Surprisingly, my next door neighbour from when I lived in Claverdon, became my next door neighbour at the allotments, albeit, daughter and son-in-law, Nick and Wendy, whom I’ve known for over 25 years. Gerry was the first plot holder that introduced himself to me on my first day at the plots and has remained our good friend to this day, enjoying cheeky banter across the potatoes!
We enjoy spending our time off at the allotment as it provides peace and tranquility in a busy world, a place where time can actually slow down.
Colin & Clare on Plot 36B - © Rob Lavers