Lovell Funds New Polytunnel for The Alnwick Garden's Young Gardeners

The young people who grow fruit and vegetables at The Alnwick Garden now have somewhere warm and dry to work through the colder months. Housebuilder Lovell has funded a new polytunnel for the Garden's Young Gardeners and Roots and Shoots programmes.

Where the money came from

The polytunnel was paid for through Lovell's sponsorship of the Garden's Winter Lights trail last year, when the company backed the Water Tower light installation. Rather than a one-off logo on a sign, part of that sponsorship has now been turned into something the groups use every week.

What the polytunnel changes

Until now, the growing season for the groups was largely set by the weather. The new tunnel gives them a sheltered space where they can grow produce all year round and carry on well into the winter. Crops already planned include tomatoes, chillies, peppers and cucumbers.

Young Gardeners supports young people with additional needs and has been running at The Alnwick Garden for more than 15 years. Alongside the Roots and Shoots group, it is part of the Garden's wider wellbeing work, using hands-on gardening to build skills and confidence.

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Lisa Winter, the Garden's wellbeing programme officer, said the tunnel gives the group "a safe, sheltered and accessible space where our Young Gardeners can learn, grow and thrive all year round".

A growing partnership

It is not the first time the two have worked together. The Young Gardeners also designed the show home garden at Lovell's Edward's Birch development in Morpeth, as part of the same partnership.

As reported by the Northumberland Gazette and Bdaily.

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