HAVE you heard about Incredible Edible, the movement which started in Yorkshire to grow food for people to help themselves to?

It’s a simple idea: take over unused or unattractive bits of public land to plant food to feed the community.

“We do say that if you can grow it in (gloomy) Todmorden, you can grow it anywhere,” says Estelle Brown, one of the founding members of Incredible Edible Todmorden.

This thought has turned out to be true beyond just growing food.

Since a group of a dozen residents began gardening there in March 2008, hundreds of people from around the UK and abroad have travelled there to see how the 'Toddies' do it.

The word spread: there are now 100 similar groups in the UK and as many as 1,000 community-food growing groups across the world using the Incredible Edible name, of which 300 are in France.

There are sister groups in Israel, Palestine, Colombia and Brazil – all growing food to share with others.

Nearer here, you may have seen the plots outside the Cornerstone in Didcot, in Abbey Gardens in Abingdon or in Florence Park in Oxford, with herbs, vegetables, and signs saying 'Pick me when I'm ready'.

We think it's time to get growing here in Wallingford too, and are getting good advice and help from our neighbouring groups.

With Wallingford Scouts and anyone else who wants to join in, Sustainable Wallingford will be busy making raised bed planters, letting in some light, and clearing one patch in Wallingford soon.

Give us a hand, good advice, learn how to grow, or just watch out for progress at our currently rather gloomy and neglected corner.

With a list of crops which don't mind shade, there should be fresh produce for you to help yourselves in a few months' time.

We hope this will encourage people doing stuff for and with each other, for our town, bringing a tiny bit of joy and enjoying local food free for anyone.

Do you know any sad and neglected patches in Wallingford?

Please let us know so that we can find more Incredible Edible locations and replace dog poo with herb gardens for everyone's enjoyment.

If you would like to be involved with digging, planting, making beds, or have some spare planks to collect, do get in touch via sw@sustainablewallingford.org