Allotments created at Berkeley’s Highcroft development are helping residents form new friendships and connect with the wider Wallingford community.
The initiative is being highlighted during National Allotments Week, which runs from 10 to 16 August.
A 2025 National Allotment Society survey of almost 2,000 people found that 80.3% had developed social connections through their allotment.
That experience is reflected at Highcroft, where approximately half of the allotment holders live within the development and the remainder come from elsewhere in Wallingford.
GROWERS SHARE ADVICE AND SUPPORT
Retired couple Nick and Sue Jones (main picture) secured two adjoining 50 sq metre plots after moving from Reading to Highcroft in September 2023.
At Wallingford Town Council’s request, they established a WhatsApp group through which plot holders exchange growing advice, discuss wildlife and pests, and arrange to water each other’s crops during holidays.
They say: “The allotments have created a really friendly community. People look out for one another and are always willing to share advice or lend a hand, whether that means discussing what to grow, identifying something found on a plot or keeping somebody’s crops watered while they are away.
“Some people have years of gardening experience and others are learning as they go, so there is always knowledge being passed around. We all tend our own plots, but nobody feels as though they are doing it alone.”
CONNECTING DIFFERENT GENERATIONS
The couple’s granddaughter regularly helps to water plants and has grown sunflower seeds and a broad bean for the plots.
Sue says: “You are always learning, however long you have been gardening, and it is lovely to be able to pass that knowledge on. The allotments are used by families with children as well as more experienced gardeners, so people of different ages can learn from one another.”
PART OF LANDSCAPE-LED MASTERPLAN
Berkeley delivered the allotments before transferring them to Wallingford Town Council.
They form part of more than 18 acres of open space planned at Highcroft, including meadows, wetlands, ponds, nature trails, sports pitches and play areas. More than 1,000 trees are also being planted.
Stephen Kirwan, managing director at Berkeley, says: “It is particularly rewarding to see Highcroft residents growing alongside people from across Wallingford.
“Highcroft has been designed to become part of the wider town, and the allotments are creating valuable connections between new and established residents.”
Highcroft will provide 555 new homes alongside a primary school, footpath connections and a new bus route.
Main picture: Nick and Sue Jones on their allotment in Wallingford.
