About us
A welcoming society of gardeners at Roscoe Plantation Allotments, growing plants, friendships and a community in the Rivelin Valley.
Who we are
We are a friendly group of gardeners at Roscoe Plantation Allotments on Rivelin Valley Road, in the heart of Sheffield’s Rivelin Valley. Most of us have our own plots, but we also keep a shared community plot and continuity beds for people who can’t manage a full plot, want to learn more about growing, or simply fancy practising their gardening skills.
RVAS is a place where people share knowledge, support one another and enjoy the good things gardening brings. Whether you’re an experienced grower or just starting out, there’s room here to cultivate fruit and vegetables, friendships, and a closer connection with nature.
What we do
The practical things first. Each autumn we arrange a bulk delivery of manure, shared among members on a first come, first served basis, and members can help themselves to free woodchip and manure. Membership brings public liability insurance covering your plot (handy if anyone hurts themselves there — even, as our joining guide cheerfully points out, somebody who had no business being on it in the first place), along with membership of the National Allotment Society. And because the plots belong to Sheffield City Council, we petition the council on members’ behalf for site improvements and the things tenants need.
Then there’s the helping-each-other side. If you take on an overgrown plot, you can ask for an “hour of power”, where members rally round to help you make a start on it. Working parties keep the shared parts of the site in good order — in autumn 2023 that meant laying a hedge.
And then there’s the fun. We meet monthly through spring and summer, hold plant sales and exchanges where spare seedlings find good homes, and get together for social events including a summer barbecue. Once a year we hold our Fuddle — the South Yorkshire word for a shared feast — complete with a suitably silly competition.
The community plot
Plot 30 is our shared base. All members have anytime access to it, along with the community tools and the polytunnel, and the hut on the plot can be hired by members. We also keep continuity beds: small growing spaces for people who aren’t able to take on a full plot of their own, or who want somewhere to learn and practise before they do.
How we’re run
RVAS is run by its members. A committee (including a Chairperson, a Treasurer and a Secretary) keeps things ticking over, and the society meets monthly through spring and summer.
Membership costs £5 a year per plot — see how to join. One thing worth knowing: the plots themselves are rented from Sheffield City Council, so RVAS membership is separate from, and in addition to, your council tenancy. For plot rental itself, see the council’s allotments pages.
Curious how the site came to be here — the mills, the chrysanthemums, the very cold swimming pool? Read our history. And if you have a question, do get in touch.