Neighbours working together win £2,000 to spend!

With the help of her family and neighbours, keen gardener Linda Dungate, 44, a PA from Hampstead, north London, has taken two neglected gardens at the back of her small estate and turned them into a thriving allotment for all the residents.

The gardens had been overgrown for years and the owners were only too happy for Linda and her team of volunteers, including husband Anthony, sons Terry and Ray, and their neighbours, to make something of them.

There was 10 years of debris to clear, but thanks to their hard work, help from local volunteer group Transition Belsize, and a small grant, they were able to fertilise the soil, bring in a polytunnel and start growing fruit and vegetables. That was two years ago and the allotment is still going strong, with the produce shared between the residents.

'Although we're only a small team, many other residents have helped out where they can. Many donated tools and seeds,' says Linda. ‘We've rescued totally wasted land and although I'd never grown vegetables before, two years on we've had communal barbecues, a sweetcorn harvest and plenty of produce to share around.'

Linda and the other residents have plans for their prize. ‘We've got an idea to turf a small area of the allotment and create a communal seating area so more of the elderly residents can come down and enjoy the green space,' she says.

RUNNER UP

SARAH AND GLYN PRESS, AND FRIEND PETE SHINGLETON, OAKHAM, RUTLAND WIN £500 B&Q vouchers

Good neighbours reclaimed a patch of muddy wasteland in the pretty town of Oakham, transforming it into a fabulous raised bed, bursting with flowers. Glyn, 47, and Pete, 53, designed and constructed the boat-shaped raised bed, used peat-free compost and fi xed a water butt to a nearby garage, while Sarah, 54, grew most of the plants from seed at home.

The bed is in bloom all year and has not only given a facelift to wasteland but has brightened many a journey to work and attracted birds and bees. ‘It's been a wonderful experience,' says Sarah. ‘Friends, neighbours and even total strangers donated plants without being asked and the whole neighbourhood has taken a sense of ownership over the plot. The feedback has been wonderful and the elderly residents who overlook the bed always comment on how cheerful it is.

TWO SPECIAL AWARDS...

QUEEN ALEXANDRA COLLEGE, HARBOURNE, NEAR BIRMINGHAM WINS £350 B&Q vouchers

Staff and volunteers, with the help of the students at this specialist college for more than 150 blind, visually impaired and disabled 16 to 25 year olds, have created a community allotment, where they not only grow low-cost organic produce but also learn about the benefits of caring for plants, looking after the environment and improving social interaction.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS REGENERATED WOODLAND SCHEME, HOWE BRIDGE, GREATER MANCHESTER WINS £350 B&Q vouchers

Scouts, volunteers and workers from the Wigan and Leigh Young Offender Unpaid Work team created a fabulous wildlife and leisure area, newly christened Briar Wood, for the benefi t of the whole community in Howe Bridge, near Atherton, Greater Manchester.