Let them eat cress, council tells nursery

Children banned from a Shropshire town's allotment should grow cress in a jar instead, it has been claimed.

Wem councillors are sticking to their guns over keeping Stables Day Care Nursery youngsters out of the allotments in Love Lane. Nursery leaders rent a plot there and wanted to teach the children about where their food came from.

Beccy Ahmad owner of the nursery called the decision 'disgraceful'.

Parents, residents, and allotment users wrote to the council to complain about the ban.

But councillors said the children were breaking health and safety rules and banned them from the site.

They also said there had been complaints from other allotment users after a fence was put up to keep the children safe.

At a meeting on Thursday, Wem Town Council agreed to new allotment rules that ban businesses from the allotments.

Councillor Thelma Broom told members: "They just don't see that it is for their own safety.

"We need to be very strong about what is right and wrong, not what they want. If they don't like it, it is up to them to give the tenancy up."

And Councillor Mandy Meakin said: "I know it is a very good policy to teach children horticulture – grow cress in a jar."

From now on allotment holders will have to sign new terms when they renew their tenancy agreements.

These will insist the allotment is used 'as a domestic allotment garden and for no other purpose without prior consent' and that no fencing should be put up. Councillors feared it could open the floodgates if the nursery request was allowed.

Councillor Edward Towers said: "We want allotments for families for food. If businesses want land for teaching children then we can be approached about that."