National Allotment Week: Local Wickes Stores Transform Community Allotments
In honour of National Allotment Week, which runs from 11 to 17 August 2025, Wickes is reflecting on its ongoing commitment to supporting community allotments across the UK. Over the past year, the home improvement retailer has played a key role in helping gardening projects to thrive, from revitalising neglected plots to donating products that empower local residents to grow their own produce.
Since its launch in 2022, the programme has supported over 400 allotment groups across the UK, highlighting the demand for investment in these community spaces. Projects range from traditional community allotments that support a variety of local groups and charities to smaller school-based plots that help children learn how to grow vegetables and other produce.
Langold School Allotment in Worksop has continued to grow and thrive thanks to ongoing support from the Wickes Community Programme. Over the past two years, donations have helped transform the space, from refurbishing an old shed into a dedicated learning lodge to, most recently, building a raised bed inside a donated polytunnel. The latest addition will allow pupils to expand their growing projects, providing a hands-on learning environment that inspires an interest in gardening and the natural world.
At The Hideout Allotment Club in Colchester, a youth-led project, Wickes' donations of a storage container and table have enabled members to expand their activities, from growing fruit and vegetables to creating a “slow worm retreat” and a “hotel for snails.”
The 1st Great Parndon Cub Pack in Harlow launched a vegetable-growing project using planters built from recycled pallets and compost donated by Wickes, helping members earn their Gardening badge and cook with their own produce.
The Advocacy for All Allotment group in Bexleyheath has created an inclusive gardening and wellbeing space for members with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions. With planters built from recycled wood donated by Wickes, filled with herbs and strawberries, the site offers accessible opportunities for all members, including those with physical limitations, to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of gardening.
"National Allotment Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the power of outdoor spaces and the communities that care for them. Through our Community Programme, we’re proud to support allotments of all shapes and sizes, from school gardens to volunteer-led plots, providing the tools, materials and encouragement they need to flourish. These case studies show how even a small contribution can have a big impact, helping people of all ages grow their own produce, learn new skills and enjoy the many benefits of gardening."
Hannah Randle Hockin Community Engagement Manager at Wickes
ENDS
For more information, visit www.wickes.co.uk/communityprogramme
Notes to editor
The Wickes Community Programme has supported over 4500 charities and projects since it launched and is looking for more to support. They have a product donation fund of £300,000 to support charities and community organisations.
For more information contact the Wickes Community Programme press office:
E-mail: communityprogramme@wickes.co.uk
Tel: 07771 897751 or visit: wickes.co.uk
Social Links
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
About Wickes
Wickes is a digitally-led, service-enabled home improvement retailer. With an extensive range of products and DIY brands, a Kitchen and bathroom design and installation service and a loyalty scheme for local trade, Wickes is the perfect partner to help with both small and large-scale projects. With 230 sites across the UK and an extended range online, it has everything customers need, whether an amateur DIY-er or trade professional.
Our Responsible Business Strategy, ‘Built to Last’, is focused on three pillars - People, Environment and Homes. We are building a business we are proud of, where all our colleagues can feel at home and are empowered to support their communities and customers; we’re supporting the fight against climate change and taking action to protect the natural environment; and we’re helping the nation make their homes more sustainable.
Our Wickes Community Programme comes under our People pillar and aims to support local community groups and charity organisations by providing relevant products to help them with essential maintenance, renovation or to complete new projects. Wickes prides itself on being a part of its local communities and is always looking at ways to make a material difference in the community.