It’s National Allotments Week from 7^th to 13^th August 2023.

The National Allotments Society (NAS), which organises the week, is a charity which works to support the needs of all allotment holders in the UK.   The membership scheme it runs is vital because it raises funds to make sure that allotment gardening has a future.

The NAS has used this period over the last 20 years to get people involved in the world of allotments! 

The week is also a great opportunity to grow the seeds and spread the words about the benefits of allotment gardening for everyone – individual people, communities and the planet!

Some benefits of allotment gardening for people include:

• Mental health – there’s a report on the website about how allotment gardening can help mental health
• The chance to connect with nature
• The opportunity to meet people with a like-minded interest
• The benefits of sharing – your knowledge, left over produce and more!
• The ability to grow your own produce
• It’s a good healthy activity outside in the fresh air!
• A sense of achievement

There's a short film on the joys of allotment gardening called Plotting for the Future, and you can watch it here.

In 2023, the theme of National Allotments Week is Soil Health.   Good soil health improves the yield when you’re growing your goodies, but actually is also contributes to the environment and biodiversity.   So this coming week, the NAS wants to educate us all about the benefits of caring for our soil – and the animals living in it.

What does the NAS do?

Well, it does a number of things:

• it campaigns against government legislation which threatens allotments
• it works with local authorities to make sure that they reach their statutory obligations
• it educates plot holders with growing advice
• it supports schools into growing allotments
• it’s the voice of allotmenteers, as they are called, around the UK

Needless to say, to do all this they need support – and this is where their membership programme comes in.

Give a National Allotment Society Gift Card here.
Image © National Allotment Society

Why not give a NAS Gift Membership Card?

Membership fees are listed here and there is also an NAS Gift Membership Card which gives lucky recipients a number of benefits you can find here – click on these links to gift a membership.  You’ll see when you go through to these links that you can also gift a magazine subscription, if you prefer.

More information about allotments

The  NAS website has lots of helpful information on allotments including hens on allotments, wildlife on allotments and bee-keeping and there’s also information on how to get an allotment in the first place.

There’s also tips and advice on growing including monthly jobs, water used on allotments, designing an allotment for children, and how to plan an allotment.

Visit the National Allotment Society’s website here.

If you want a day out in London with somewhere to go that gives you a bit of a thrill (or more, depending on how you are with heights) and a different sort of way of seeing London, how about Climbing the O2?

Well, here’s your opportunity and you can enjoy a special offer from experience company Into the Blue to for this Climb the O2 experience!  Take a 90 minute expedition over The 02 roof!  You’ll meet your climb guide and get kitted out in the gear – a climb suit, shoes and safety harness.

There are 360 degree views from viewing platform of The 02, and the voucher is valid for three climbs:

1. There’s the Orignal Expedition – climb the roof during the day.  When it’s clear, you can see landmarks up to 15 miles away!
2. Or how about The Sunset Expedition, when you climb as the sun goes down and see London against the background of an auburn sky?
3. The Twilight Expedition takes place in the dark – with all the bright lights twinkling away in the night sky!

The climbing challenge will pit your determination and strength against 380 metres of fabric walkway and your path takes you up and over The O2.  Climb all the way across the webbed roof, suspended 52m above the ground, with up to 30 degrees angles of ascent!   What will you spot from the top?  The Shard?  The City?  The Tower of London and the Observatory?

Not only that, there’s the thrill of a special offer on this experience – not normally available!

This could be a great gift for anyone wanting to experience views of London in a different way!  

Climb over to the Climb the O2 experience special offer with Into the Blue

Please note the “Suitable for” section on Into the Blue’s website before buying this gift.  It’s under the More Info section.

 
Activity Superstore have a number of subscription gifts for all the family (including dogs - they have a couple of dog subscriptions for adult dogs and puppies!) and they've also got some subscription gifts for people who like hot stuff!  

They can make the most of your gift over anywhere from 3 to 6 months, depending on how long the subscription is for. 

 

How about a 3 Month Hot Sauce Bottle Subscription?
£44.00

The world of chilli sauce is yours to discover with this three month subsciprion from the Wiltsure Chilli Farm!  You can use it for dipping, or livening up sandwiches, burgers and wraps.  Use it to add something extra to stews, casseroles and curries.  Each month, you'll be sent a Chilli Saunce Gift Set - made from some of the hottest chillies in the world!  Find out more here

There's also the The Avid Adventurer - 3 Month Spice Subscription
£39.00

The Spice Kitchen is a mother and son team, Sanya and Shashi Aggarwal.  They produce award winning spices, spice blends and gin botanicals!  This family business donates to The Akshaya Patra Foundation to support children in India to receive nutritious mid-day meals.  The Avid Adventurer is a three month subsciption and every month, you receive the spices you need to make meals for everyone to enjoy!  There's a free recipe guide with 12 recipes each month from around the world. The 3 months subscription will make over 100 meals to go with your fish, meat or vegetables!  Find out more here.

This is the Six Month Recipe Kit Subscription with The Spicery
for £49.00

You'll be sent a spicebox each month, with recipe cards and freshly ground spices.  They're all measured to make two delicious meals with side dishes for two!  And the first box has a gift card with your personal message and a voucher - and the recipient just activates the subscription to receive the rest of the boxes.  Find out more here.

It’s back!  The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival is happening from the 4th July to the 9th July 2023.  

Amongst other things at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival this year, some of the "must sees" are Get Started Gardens, perfect for those wanting to get stuck into gardening for the first time;  the Floral Marquee is full of beautiful plants and flowers grown by over 90 nurseries. 

Celebrate stunning British blooms and sustainable floristry in the RHS Flower School with Flowers from the Farm, and take in the fragrance and wonderful colour in the Festival of Roses.

And there are of course talks, creative demonstrations and practical workshops on gardening, floristry and health and wellbeing!  

Find out about the Threatened Plant of the Year 2023
 

Meet RHS Hampton Courts Master Grower Calamazag,
who specialist in dianthus

Of course there's lots of shopping at the RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, plus plenty of chances to grab yourself something to eat and drink and to get refreshed for more strolling through the show!

Visit Jo Thompson's Wildlife Garden

All in all, lots to see and do!

Find out more about the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.    You can buy tickets here.

RHS Tatton Park Flower Show follows on 20 to 24 July 2022. 

Don’t forget there’s lots to discover on the RHS website – it is a mine of information, and you could also take out a gift membership!  Memberships help grow a greener Britain!

Visit the RHS website and have a good dig about!