YETHOLM allotment holders officially open their £18,000 environmental regeneration scheme in the village tomorrow.
Annual £500 water bills prompted the 27 gardeners to start seeking eco-friendly solutions two years ago. Now, thanks to grants and an anonymous donor, they have a chipper, a rainwater catchment system and better storage.
Project leader Stan Brown, a plot holder for 10 years, said: “The new chipper/shredder allows us to recycle garden waste into useable compost within a year, eliminating the need for fires which were potentially a public nuisance, both from the smoke to surrounding neighbours and a fire hazard to nearby thatched houses.
“A new equipment shed has been built for the storage and repair of machinery and tools. The old dilapidated potting shed has been rebuilt and restored. And the site of the old ruined cottage has been cleared and houses a purpose-built rainwater catchment facility to augment the water supply collected from the new sheds.”
He told TheSouthern: “The improvements are of benefit to all the plot holders.
“The shed means we don’t have to carry our things backwards and forwards now and we are very pleased we can now collect and store our own water.”