IT IS coincidental that, at a time when I am reluctantly thinking of giving up my allotment and my eldest is, excitingly, considering taking one on, I should be contacted by the leader of a project dedicated to preserving memories.

All too often when people die, so much is lost. But at Carisbrooke Castle, Island memories of all sorts of things live on through the oral history project — and now allotment holders are being added to the list.

“We are about to embark on a new community history project, looking for older-generation allotment holders who would be happy to share and record their memories of allotments over time for inclusion in the museum’s Island Voices oral history collection,” said project coordinator Lisa Kerley.

“The history of Island allotments is not very well documented so we would like to talk to people who have first hand experience of tending their own allotment.

“We are particularly interested in the East Wight area and would like to explore the topics of growing, harvesting and cooking produce, awards and competitions, allotment communities, local stories and anecdotes.

“I am intending on contacting the allotment associations as well and hopefully already have an interview lined up with a gentleman in his 80s in Ryde.”

When I had an allotment in my teens at Ryde’s Quarry Road, and for the past 20 years at Sandlands at Seaview, I quickly became very aware of the wealth of knowledge out there — and I know there will be similar wise voices at my Roseanna’s allotment in Southampton.

Allotments are a supremely valuable social resource and as long as you use them you won’t lose them — and now some of the memories people have of them will be preserved too.

Lisa can be contacted at the museum on 523112 or at lisa.kerley@hotmail.co.uk