Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Around 14 years ago Ernie was introduced to some organic produce which was given to him by an enthusiastic vegetable gardener who had some spare tomatoes. Ernie was hooked on both the taste and the idea that for a little outlay you could provide the family with cheap high quality food.

When he took up his allotment plot on Beacon Hill, Cleethorpes, the site was unloved and not particularly well subscribed. Barely half of the available plots were in use. Much of the land had become a dumping ground for old fridges and household rubbish. But Ernie and his young family toiled away producing food for the family table at theΜύ spot where he and his fellow plot holders went quietly about their own business.

T'was the night before Christmas when the local council dropped an unexpected Christmas gift into the lap of the allotment holders. A letter advised them that rents for their plots were to rise by 700%. It seemedΜύ some of the holders would likely give up their plots as a result of the increase.

Not content with his lot Ernie fought a campaign to try to have the rents re-assessed. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Politics' Show reported from the allotments and highlighted the plight of the plot holders and Ernie became a spokesperson. Although the rent increases went through his actions led to other things starting to happen at the allotments.

The publicity generated by Ernie's activities brought about a renewed interest in the allotments and for the last few years Ernie's been engaged in raising the profile of the allotments and now, all the plots are taken and there's even a waiting list of people wishing to have their own plot of land.

Ernie says some of the interest in allotments has been spurred on by the organic movement and he says people seem to take more interest these days in how their food is produced.

All this activity has led Ernie to the local 'in Bloom' competitions and he joined the award winning Cleethorpes in Bloom committee three years ago with the 'incredible, edible roundabout', a municipal traffic island in central Cleethorpes on which he's grown vegetables for the last three years. Drivers toot their horns as they go round the traffic island, slowing down for a longer look at this horticultural marvel.

For the last two years he's also grown vegetables on a flower bed on Cleethorpes seafront, just yards from the beach and opposite the pier. Last year Cleethorpes won the prestigious title RHS Britain in Bloom Best Coastal Resort in the UK.

About a year ago he joined the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society and has become Chairman of the Heritage Committee, a post which has enabled him to write a series of 'Heritage trails' for the area. In March, news came that the committee was awarded Β£4000 to develop the Cleethorpes Trail and Ernie is hopeful that Grimsby Trails will surely follow which he's already started to work on.

Ernie has also now taken to writing magazine articles on a regular basis which are syndicated to some of Lincolnshire's finest publications. The articles have a 'gardening theme' although he'd be the first to admit sometimes they seem to be a little light on substantial gardening advice.

Ernie says that becoming a vegetable gardener has certainly changed him from the mild mannered man with no particular axe to grind to someone who's keen to make a stand for keeping this land 'green and pleasant'.