 | Kenilworth Allotment Tenants' Association |
| This page is part of the archive of community profiles and was written in June2003. | |
|  Allotments are shedding their long-standing image as a shady retreat for old men wearing cloth caps to read newspapers among the rhubarb patch. Although this much-loved breed still exists, of course.
Kenilworth Allotment Tenants' Association (KATA) is one testimony to the increasing appeal of having your own little green kingdom. First established around 80 years ago, it has been self-run for the last two decades and now boasts 120 plot-holders of all ages.
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|  The green-fingered range from a GP to a traffic engineer; whilst some are content to use their patch as a leisure garden, others are grittily ambitious in their cultivation production. One lady grows over 50 varieties of willows on her plot which she harvests to make baskets, willow sculptures and garden structures.
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|  A series of fun competitions have inspired greater interest from children. Bids to grow the largest pumpkin, the tallest sunflower or the best scarecrow have encouraged small gardeners to muck in.
The Kenilworth allotments are split into two sites – Spring Lane and the Odibourne site, just off Manor Road. |
|  Some have had plots on the Odibourne site for over 50 years, others for just 12 months. But they all share a common love of gardening.
Last year, allotment holders from Kenilworth photographed the growing season on their plots. The result is a new exhibition called 'The Allotment' produced by joining forces with the Warwickshire Museum.
Visitors to ‘The Allotment’ at St John’s House Museum, Warwick, can enjoy listening to extracts from interviews with the gardeners, discover information about composting and recycling and look at a reconstructed shed interior!
You can now also see a smaller travelling display at the district council office - 'The Kenilworth Connection' (top of Warwick Road) until mid-June.
Many of the allotment holders involved in this project have also donated gardening objects to Warwickshire Museum's permanent collection of social history. The museum has enjoyed maintaining its links with the plot-holders and hosting events and activities for children and adults promoting gardening and recycling. |
| Anyone interested in an allotment in Kenilworth can contact KATA secretary Lily Brownjohn on 01926 855291
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