Over the last 25 years Simon and Isabel Coulton have been custodians of the green land under dispute, undertaking the upkeep of the site and delegation of plots.  Since they were given the role by the previous occupier over 35 individuals and their families have benefited. 

After 60 continuous years of cultivation and maintenance of the land, handed down from one gardener to another, the Catholic Church erect eviction notice of 28 days with no prior warning, consultation, or notice of intention. 

 

St Dunstan's Roman Catholic church is adjacent to the fenced off land.  There has been no declaration of interest in the land either in upkeep or husbandry and no agreement tendered, until now.

The Church is trying to exert ownership of the land whilst we believe we have the right to stay.  We would like to protect it as green space where biodiversity flourishes by establishing it as a registered village trust, similar to Brent Island Trust. We have been summoned to court to have the chance to grow taken from us, therefore we feel forced to exert our right of adverse possession.

However, we have extended an olive branch to encourage a friendly outcome and we are hoping to raise £3000 to be able to attend mediation in the hope of coming to a friendly compromise, and avoid court.

so far we have been able to meet legal costs with support from concerned gardeners and villagers, but now we have to seek wider support.  We have a strong case and hope for an early settlement.

Call to action  We need your support to realise our ultimate aim. Please contribute, however small, and share this page now!

Our ultimate goal is to conserve this precious green space in the heart of the village for our children, the wider community and many others to come. It is a place -

• to learn the value of good food, where and how it grows, 
• to develop a respect for nature.  
• to reflect and restore mental health. 
• A small haven for biodiversity
• For a sustainable lifestyle 

The land's legacy will be that these attributes will continue through generations.  

It is our aim to set up a registered trust to run the garden in the same way we have been running it for years, and to protect it for the future. The garden is there for villagers with little or no garden to have somewhere to grow veg, feel the peace and glory of nature, and share with old and young for the solace of the heart.

We are defending our right to stay on the land by employing a barrister and a solicitor to defend our cause.  We have spent a lot of our own meagre supply of money in what is really an altruistic act, as we do not want to gain financially from this dispute. We were hurt by the lack of human courtesy shown by the church, and therefore decided to stand up to them.

We hope to raise £3000 to help us pay for mediation and solicitors bills remaining to date. 

If you think you are able to help us we would be hugely grateful for any help you can give.

The next step in the case if mediation fails to agree on a settlement, would be to attend court on the 3rd of March.  Hopefully we will not have to go.  Court costs would be in the region of £10,000.  We would return to crowd justice funding to raise this amount.  We have a very strong case we are told.  

For now we are raising a total of £3000. £800 plus Vat (£960) for the mediator, plus £2040 solicitor's fees to attend the mediation and for having prepared the paperwork.

Thank you so much for reading our plea and we hope you are able to help us.  Our children have grown up on this allotment as have many others and there are little ones on it now enjoying the simple, healthy pleasures of life.  Please help us to keep this going. Heartfelt thanks, Simon and Isabel