Northampton Uni expert's study into the importance of allotments
Psychologist Rhys Furlong looked at the impact of access to nature on wellbeing in lower income areas
A University of Northampton expert's been talking to us the role of tending an allotment in family life.
It follows a study which looked at nature and the role it played in the lives of people from lower income areas.
Psychologist Rhys Furlong says it helps paint a picture of community life:
"Looking at the part they play in life is just one aspect of what I've studied.
"I also want to see if there are any other green spaces which provide a similar sense of wellbeing. Not everyone gets on with gardening, but we can learn a lot from this.
"It can provide a blueprint for what people want, and I think that's what is important here.
"Looking at the background of the land used, I discovered a lot about local history and family history.
"In lots of cases an allotment stayed within the family through generations and generations.
"I found lots of situations where a grandparent had tended an allotment perhaps in the 1930s and 1940s and it just got passed down through the family.
"Allotments typically provides a space of nature, maybe where people don't get access to their own garden.
"Perhaps even just looking out of a window at a natural backdrop can give that much needed mental health and wellbeing boost as well though. There was a lot to take away from what I learnt."
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