Residents and local businesses support Status 4 All Youth Allotment

A group of residents and young people who volunteer at Status 4 All’s Youth Allotment have been overwhelmed with donations of materials and money for their Youth Allotment.

The youth allotment was set up two years ago with a small grant from Riverside Housing, but the pandemic meant its young volunteers couldn’t work on it as they used to, requiring some investment to get it back up and running.

Following generous donations from local businesses and residents, the young people referred to Status 4 All by local schools can now buy much-needed materials to help them grow their own produce.

Additional items to assist have also been donated, including garden tools, a shed, seeds, tyres, plant pots, paints, soil, watering cans, and more.

Youth mentor Terry Smith said: “Thank you to everyone who donated especially Mark Hyde from Middleton New Inn and his wife Julie from Townley Lodge garden and DIY shop.

“Thank you to all our volunteers who lend a helping hand to the community of Langley and Middleton, pulling together to support our young people.

“Although the Youth Allotment is a new project, it’s down to the young people who have volunteered to keep the space looking amazing, as well as volunteers like Eddy Carr who also lend a helping hand.”

 

 

Set up by Councillor Sue Smith and her husband, Terry Smith, Status 4 All was recognised as a charity in 2011.

It is made up of volunteers from the community who give up their time, space and energy to help deliver projects that in turn benefit many others across Langley. It has a 25-year lease from Rochdale Borough Council for the leisure garden and allotments.

Though the allotment has a history spanning over three decades, it had fallen on hard times until Councillor Smith acquired the land back in 2008.  Both Councillor Smith and Terry describe the land back then as being ‘massively overgrown’, ‘full of rubbish’, and ‘known for being a drug dealing spot’.

 

 

Once acquired, the first job was to get the professionals in to create a space that could be developed, and then together, with the help of many young people from Langley and Middleton, they put in thousands of hours of voluntary work to create something unique for the local residents.

This year, Status 4 All's Leisure Garden and allotments has been entered into the It’s Your Neighbourhood’ community group aspect of the North West In Bloom competition once again. In the last contest, it was awarded a level four ‘Thriving’.

Terry added: “Donations of some paint, plants and flowers would be much appreciated.”