The Dorothy Parkes Centre (DPC) is a Community Centre based in Smethwick, a diverse, deprived area in Sandwell. We provide a warm, safe place of welcome and opportunity, seven days a week and accessible to all. We provide a range of projects/services to support members of our community and one of our bigger projects is our Community Allotment Plot.
Launched in 2018, the plot has progressed from a dangerous, dilapidated, dumping ground, into a safe, accessible community space providing opportunities for all members of our community to enjoy the great outdoors. We have volunteering opportunities, school visits, nature buddies family sessions, Asian mental health support group, live performances, care home visits, and we grow a wide variety of produce which is distributed back out into the local community.
Our plans for the future include providing formal horticulture courses and the delivery of cooking classes at our community centre using produce from the plot. We are also making our plot more biodiverse by installing a pond, a wildflower area and erecting a vertical green wall.