Rochdale Allotment Society receive National Lottery funding to help improve access for all

Moss Row Community Allotments in Norden

Local community group Moss Row Community Allotment Society (MRCAS) is celebrating after being awarded substantial National Lottery funding to support its work to help improve and provide ‘access for all’.

The group, based in Norden, will use the cash to provide an accessible toilet and to repair and widen a section of pathway for full wheelchair use. This means if the group were contacted by a person with a disability, they would be able to welcome them to their allotments safely and the visitor would be able to access the same range of facilities as everyone else.

If there are funds left over, the group will also look at building raised and accessible beds for vegetable or flower growing.

MRCAS has been running since 2006 and is managed by a committee of seven volunteers. It was founded by a group of concerned Norden residents after they realised that the 1.6 acre plot at Moss Row was becoming rundown, dilapidated and subject to fly tipping.

MRCAS have improved the site over the years with fencing, laid hedges, flagged pathways, and created a wildlife area, car park and a piped water supply. What was once a run-down site is now a fully functioning community allotment with 27 tenants and a 40+ waiting list. It has achieved Outstanding status in the North West In Bloom competition for several years.

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest funder of community activity in the UK, will allow the allotments to continue to flourish.

A representative for MRCAS said: “We are delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to press on with our plans to improve the site to make it more accessible and inclusive. This is important because it helps us build relationships with members of the community who otherwise might not be able to access our allotment.”