Students to grow food for community

STUDENTS could soon be growing food for the community in a project being launched in September.

Last year Sheridan Chilvers, of St Ann's, was chosen to join the British Council's European change programme – Challenge Europe – to help combat carbon emissions.

And in January he kitted ten students out with tubs, seeds and advice to grow their own produce.

Now the former Bluecoat School pupil says the pilot has been such a success he plans to extend the project throughout Lenton.

"Students will be given full training on how to grow food and any foods not consumed by the students, for example over summer when they are not here, will be given to low-income families.

"Students may also get the option to sell the food they grow to generate a source of income," said Sheridan, who is studying for a masters degree in environmental management at the University of Nottingham.

He will work with community organisations including Transition Nottingham and Ecoworks at the Hungerhill Gardens Allotment Site in St Ann's.

Claire Peeters, at Ecoworks, said: "It's fantastic. It's really nice to see students being proactive and contributing to the city in which they are students and may not have any other links to.

"They've got an allotment site on the university ground so we could go along and teach people about how to grow fruit and vegetables."

She said they could also pay the students for their produce and distribute them to the wider community at a fair price.

University of Nottingham student Alison Sharkey, 24, has taken part in Sheridan's pilot programme.

Alison had never grown anything before but now has basil, sweet pea, courgette and tomato plants sprouting on her windowsills and in her garden in Harlaxton Drive, Lenton.

She said: "I'd definitely do it again. It's not time-consuming – I've barely watered them and they still seem to grow.

"It's quite exciting, all my flatmates are intrigued by it."

Sheridan, 25, hopes that students will be able to pass on their new-found skills and expertise within the community.

"Most of our food comes from out of the UK, it's quite worrying, we're not producing our own food as we could be," he said.

delia.monk@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk