There are few more competitive environments than an agricultural show. We have read dark tales in August of sabotaged dahlias as village shows occupied the local social calendar.

We have a perverse situation these days where despite greater interest in food – be it the late Keith Floyd or the great Delia Smith – we spend less and less of our time actually growing, preparing and cooking it. The pre-packaged ‘ready meal’ is the order of the day in too many households.

Is this supply and demand at work though? We already have 100,000 across the country – and 800 in Blackpool alone – on a waiting list for an allotment. If we had more allotments, might there not be more demand? An allotment is more than just a shed Arthur Fowler used to get away from Pauline.

And having allotment provides more than an opportunity to potter about. It promotes healthier living – a better diet and exercise. One of my favourite charities, Thrive (www.thrive.org.uk) has demonstrated how gardening can help those with learning difficulties and mental health problems. According to Thrive, gardening can reduice the riskl of dementia by 36%! Even for the young, it has educational benefits, as Beacon Hill students are finding out with their burgeoning horticultural projects. For adults, allotment societies are a great forum for ‘informal learning’, and so help build up that all important ‘social capital’ in the community. Government is rightly ‘horizon-scanning’ out of concern for food security of supply as raw material prices creep ever upwards. The day when we are reliant once again on what we can grow in these islands may not be far away.

Allotments are also great places to try to turn the ecological tide. Done properly, they are ideal for beekeeping. I’m also keen to see people using their plots to help preserve our older breeds of fruits and vegetables which are threatened with extinction due to under-use. We have lost 97% of our native varieties since 1900 – I grew up ‘neath a spreading damson tree, and think they one of our unsung national glories.

And we have the law on our side. Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural
Communities Act imposes a duty on local authorities to have regard for the conservation of biodiversity. Allotments tick that box. The Sustainable Communities Act has led a number of councils to request the updating of the confusing, messy legislative framework for allotment provision. Something I will enthuse about if fortunate enough to be elected! One of these Acts is the Small Holdings & Allotments Act of 1908 which states a local council must take into consideration ‘a representation in writing by any six registered parliamentary electors or rate payers’ when assessing demand for allotments.

So I am sure there are six of you out there … let me know who you are at [email protected].