A new community allotment project aimed at bringing people together, encouraging sustainable food growing and supporting local wildlife has officially opened in Tramore.

The Tramore Allotments Association has developed the new site at Riverstown will provide local residents and community groups with a dedicated space to grow fruit, vegetables and plants while fostering stronger community connections.

Chairperson Caroline Burke described the initiative as a community effort, made possible through the support and involvement of local volunteers, organisations and residents. She says the project combines food growing with creating habitats for nature and explains what they grow:

“It’s generally vegetables with a mixture of herbs. And I personally like to do a little bit of combined planting. So you’re planting beneficial flowers to help with the biodiversity and this in turn then helps you with a good crop. It keeps your slugs and snails and your insects that are not so helpful, it keeps everything at bay. It kind of creates a really good system.”

“We have 48 allotments, quite a lot. And we have one wheelchair accessible, raised bench. We have several community allotments. So we have Revive, we have Tramore GIY, we have Tramore Men’s Shed and Marine Drive Residents Association and there’s a lot of members who are from the locale of the allotments, so, like, they’re taking in a good catchment from the Riverstown area.”