Back to earth for the vulnerable
COSTA Blanca resident Mark Bicknell recently moved back to the Vega Baja area after being away in the mountains for the last five years.
During that time, he had an allotment and learned how to grow fruit and vegetables.
Mark recently became aware of the work of Ines Perkins, who has been helping vulnerable people, families with children who simply cannot afford to feed themselves. Mark began to donate food each week to help out.
However, what he noticed was that people were buying non-perishable items ‘because in situations like this, that kind of food is survival food’.
Mark’s describes how his weekly donations developed into what has become the Community Garden Project.
“I got thinking that I could do more,” he said. “I decided to ask a friend who lives near Los Montesinos if I could use her land as it is far too big for her to maintain.
“She agreed immediately and the planning went into full speed. With my knowledge of gardening, I knew that I could provide a huge amount of fresh, healthy food to complement what people were already donating.”
Not one to let the weeds start growing under his feet, Mark recently began pegging out four 15mx15m plots, in order to grow a huge variety of seasonal vegetables and fruit. “My aim is to donate 80% of this produce to Ines to distribute accordingly,” he said.
“The other 20% is for the landowner to sell locally and for her own consumption to offset the cost of additional water.”
In order to ensure the continuity of Ines and her band of volunteers’ work, Mark hasn’t started any fundraising activities for the project.
“I don’t want people to stop donating food now,” he said.
“This project will not be producing for a couple of months and I need people to keep focusing on what they are currently doing in providing immediate food relief.
“The project is currently being financed by myself, but it will be worth the sacrifice.”
He feels that some form of fundraising will be required in autumn, because by then, people would have seen the Community Garden Project working and may wish to help him get ready for the winter crop planting.
“I want this to be a year-round operation because people are going to need this for some time in the future,” lamented Mark.
Realising the size of the task at hand, Mark added: “I won’t lie, if anyone does want to help out, but continue helping Ines, that would be extremely helpful.
“The biggest cost that I face right now is the 500m of drip feed irrigation and 300m of chicken wire fencing and posts because we have discovered rabbits.
“Rabbits have plagued me, and cost me much more in new plants over the years, so they need to be kept out.
“If a company wants some advertising through sponsorship, that would be a great idea but if not, then it’s not a huge concern.”
With the land now ploughed it was ready for preparing, so over the Easter period ‘sensibly socially distanced teams of six volunteers’ descended on the community garden to put in ridges and furrows, lay the drip irrigation tubes, and spread a layer of mulch on top.
The plan is for a staggered planting approach that, all things being equal, should, at the end of May, bear its first faster growing crop, such as lettuce.
“But June is when we will really see things happening and we can really start helping a lot of people,” says an expectant Mark.
“I have people growing trays of seeds in their porches and of course, the landowner too. “People have really got behind this and are making it happen.
“Ines is the real inspiration behind everything though as she works tirelessly and yet still works fulltime as a nurse.
“She receives messages every day from people who are desperate, and this is just a way to ease her burden a little and put something back into society.
“I have been so blessed in being able to continue working through these difficult times, but I know many people have been far less fortunate.”
For further information and sponsorship or volunteer enquiries visit the www.facebook.com/ groups/491071045604919 or email Mark at markwbicknell@hotmail.com