'I was quite surprised to win' - Growing success wins Top of the Plots for Don

And Councillor Eileen Callear, the Mayor of Telford & Wrekin Council, was on hand to present the prizes to some of those setting the standard at a Top of the Plots ceremony held by Leegomery Allotment Gardens.

Cream of the crop was 67-year-old Don Craik, of Priorslee - whose first prize was his plot rent-free for a year, a bag of compost, and a £10 voucher.

"It was unexpected really," said Don.

"There are some good plot people here, so I was quite surprised to win."

Allotments chairman John Tanner said it was the first time the group had held such a competition for many years.

"It's my first year as chairman and I said to Kate Barker, who is secretary, also in her first year, that I needed a vision going forward, and Kate said she wanted to raise standards, and the way we have done that is organising a competition so we can bring them on to the next level."

The Leegomery allotments, off Millstream Way, comprise just under 100 plots on land owned by Telford & Wrekin Council.

But what sort of people have allotments these days?

"There's no answer to that," said John.

"They're multi-cultural, people from all over the world. There's young, old, and everything in between."

The Covid pandemic led to a boost in popularity.

"All of a sudden all the allotments had waiting lists." 

You could, of course, buy from the supermarket, but John said: "You can taste the difference if you grow it yourself."

Don said: "When we lived in a terraced house in St Georges we had a back garden, but when we moved to Priorslee the garden was not that good, it was more a sitting garden than a vegetable garden. I had some raised beds.

"My wife Jane got me the allotment spot for my 60th birthday."

He had a beginner's plot at first, and has had his present plot for three years.

Explaining the attraction, he added: "You know, you buy a bag of seeds and they're as big as a grain of sand, and from that small grain you will have a cauliflower which will last you a week. It's like growing stuff from nothing."

Naturally he eats some of his produce, and also gives it away. 

Competition judges were Ella Charles and Steve Lawton.

Eileen, who also chairs Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council, presented eight awards - Best Plot For 2025 from first to fourth, and four highly commended.