Cultivating Change: The Impact of Our Roots Allotment Journey
- Admin
- Nov 11, 2025
- 5 min read
Sowing Seeds of Change
Back in May 2024, our partnership with Roots Allotment began with a simple yet powerful vision to inspire home-educating children to connect with nature, learn where their food comes from, and take pride in growing it themselves. What started as a small dream to get our hands in the soil has blossomed into something truly special a journey of growth, learning, and community. Fast forward to today, and we are thrilled to see our weekly gardening sessions come to life. From resetting our growing patch to planting the first seeds, the transformation has been incredible. It hasn’t been long since we began, but the foundation we’ve built together is already bearing fruit — not just in the soil, but in the hearts of our children.
Our Sustainability Goal
As part of our sustainability goal, we’re committed to helping families understand the importance of caring for the planet starting right where they are. Through our partnership with Roots, we’re teaching children how small, consistent actions like planting, composting, and reusing natural resources can make a lasting impact. It’s about nurturing the next generation of eco-conscious thinkers who understand that sustainability begins with awareness, action, and community.
Each week, our families show up with enthusiasm, teamwork, and a shared passion for learning. Though we are small in number, our spirit is mighty. Together, we are nurturing a love for sustainability, patience, and responsibility values that go far beyond the garden gate.
Celebrating Community: Spotlight on Fatima
This blog shines a light on one of our amazing parents, Fatima, whose commitment, care, and dedication have deeply inspired us all. Fatima travels over an hour each week to ensure her children never miss a session — a true reflection of what community and growth look like in action. Thanks to parents like her, and the joyful curiosity of our young growers, our allotment has become a place of connection, discovery, and pride.
“We have benefited so much from this project. This is the vision I had for the kids when it came to nature studies and here we are achieving it one spade at a time.” – Fatima
From Our Families
Our parents are the heartbeat of this project — their words reflect the collective joy and pride that keeps us all motivated.
“Good morning Lydia, what a lovely message. Thank you so much for organising this and bringing us all together, I couldn’t agree more. We’ve all done so well.” -Parent participant
“Wow, this message is so beautiful I could honestly cry with happy tears. We are so blessed to be a part of this project — thank you for setting this up. I will check up on the patch next Saturday as we are generally in the area during term time.” – Parent participant
“We have been on our home education journey since July 2024 and we have attended many great gardening sessions, but living in the city I could never get the boys to fully engage with the sessions. This has always been a core activity I wanted as part of our learning. So when I discovered the sessions, a 2 hour commute seemed like a small price to pay. From the very first session I was sold.The site is secure and enclosed, the staff are friendly, and there are many opportunities for spontaneous sensory play — so super SEND friendly. My son, who is autistic, can explore safely. He can enjoy water play, wander freely, and discover all the various things other people are growing. Last session he saw a flower and said, ‘Mum, it’s so beautiful.’ Moments like this are priceless as they plant the seeds for connection, nurturing, teamwork, responsibility, mental well-being, environmental impact, and healthy living. The list is endless.The children are always so eager to get involved with all tasks and refer back to them later. For example, my son was able to plant some garlic this week and explain not only what he was doing but why. In a world full of distractions and technology, now more than ever, it’s become important to get back to basics and see nature in action. At Roots, the boys can feel the soil between their toes, catch slugs and worms, and pick and taste a fresh cucumber. The environment gives them no choice but to be amazed, be curious, and to do the most important job that kids were meant to do play!We are so grateful to be a part of this project, and it’s been transformational. Thank you to the other parents who work in unison to facilitate the sessions for the kids and transfer their skills to nurture young minds. Thank you to Young Minders for organising the sessions, for your openness to feedback, and for striving to nourish the environmental footprint for our future minds.Lastly, thank you to the wonderful team at Roots for answering the many questions of our curious children and showing them how different things work, like the tractor. We look forward to what’s to come and a fruitful harvest.”
These heartfelt reflections remind us that what we are building goes far beyond a gardening project it’s a movement of connection, learning, and love for the earth.
Looking Ahead
As we move into winter, we’ll begin sowing our seasonal crop, a time to nurture what’s been planted and prepare for what’s to come. Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to deepen our partnership with Roots Allotment and continue building on this momentum.
With the return of the tipi and the warmer weather, we plan to host community events, sustainability workshops, and family growing days to raise awareness and funds that will support more children and families in accessing hands-on outdoor learning experiences.
Together, we’re not just growing food, we’re growing futures. Every seed we plant is a promise to our children, our community, and our planet.
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