10 Benefits of having an allotment....

1) Taste and freshness of your food – nothing tastes better than freshly picked fruit and veg

2) Knowing where your food comes from and what you are eating – you know what pesticides have been used on your food

3) Exercise and stress relief – ditch the gym membership for fresh air exercise at your own “green gym”

4) A sense of community – socialise with a diversity of people from all ages and backgrounds

5) Eating by the seasons – or storing surpluses for out of season

6) Growing what you like – you can grow foods and varieties not available in supermarkets

7) Save money – a 2010 survey by the National Society for Allotment and Leisure Gardeners reckoned an allotment could produce enough food to save a whopping £1,362 a year

8) Grown and eaten locally – reduce the distance you food travels round the planet

9) Educating future generations where their food comes from – potatoes come out of the ground not in a bag from Tescos

10) Rewarding – pride from growing the food you eat