Gardening expert working to transform Haigh Hall visits allotments in Wigan

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A renowned horticulturalist took a break from her work at Haigh Woodland Park to pay a visit to Wigan allotments.

Dr Sylvia Travers is head of horticulture at Haigh Hall and is known for her transformative work at RHS Garden Bridgewater in Worsley and Moor Hall in Aughton.

She was invited to New Springs Allotments by Coun Chris Ready, Wigan Council’s cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, and was given a full escorted tour with chairman Ken Roper.

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Dr Sylvia Travers, second from left, at New Springs Allotments with Neil West, from Growing for  Good, Coun Chris Ready, Coun Ron Conway, Ken Roper, allotments chairman, and secretary Sue DermottDr Sylvia Travers, second from left, at New Springs Allotments with Neil West, from Growing for  Good, Coun Chris Ready, Coun Ron Conway, Ken Roper, allotments chairman, and secretary Sue Dermott
Dr Sylvia Travers, second from left, at New Springs Allotments with Neil West, from Growing for Good, Coun Chris Ready, Coun Ron Conway, Ken Roper, allotments chairman, and secretary Sue Dermott

Coun Ready said: “We have worked with the allotments group for over two decades and they are a great bunch.”

He added that Dr Travers was “blown away” by how well the allotments were kept.

Mr Roper said it was “wonderful” that she had visited the site, adding: “We are very proud of our allotments and to get an endorsement from a professional is a great honour.”

Dr Travers, who is a specialist in edible and productive horticulture, was delighted by all she saw on her visit.

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Her work at Haigh Hall includes transforming the kitchen garden into a place that feeds and sustains the estate once again.

She said: “Allotments are always a hive of ingenuity and invention...and I always learn something new from chatting to people who grow on them.

“The connection we have to land, be it a large or small plot, is so important to our well-being and mental health, just as much as the delicious food grown on it.“I hope the walled former kitchen garden at Haigh Hall, once restored, will provide similar sustenance for the people of Wigan.”

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