Yes it’s Budget day, but we all know that the government has no options other than to raise taxes and cut spending and try to obfuscate their way out of admitting that it’s overspent and will have to clobber all of us.
Instead, for now, I want to talk about Manchester City Council. They have launched a fantastic scheme to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs in its parks. Residents will be able to help themselves to the produce when it’s ready.
Brilliant brilliant brilliant scheme. It’s improving the urban environment. It’s encouraging people to eat healthily. It’s helping people understand the food chain and the concept of seasonal food, locally grown. Hopefully it will encourage people to have a sense of responsibilty so that the plants are left alone to grow properly, and to only take what they need.
My local council will not, I suspect, be following suit. But lots of other organisations could – like the Royal Parks, or offices with gardens (I seem to remember that the Labour party’s old HQ in Queen St looked like it had rather a nice garden), or stately homes that are open to the public, or museums, or hotels or – the list is long.
It does sound a little bit ‘Dig for Victory’, I suppose, but given the popularity of the ‘Keep calm and carry on’ poster, why not?
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