North-East Bedfordshire, UK

Potton, Biggleswade, Sandy & surrounding areas

Where are we?

Potton is a small, friendly town of around 6,000 people situated on the Greensand Ridge (https://www.greensandcountry.com) in rural north-east Bedfordshire, and the site of the first Veg Box Donation Scheme deliveries.

‘Potone’ was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 and was one of the most important market towns in Bedfordshire, as well as the site of a Horse Fair in Victorian times which attracted national and international buyers. Today Potton attracts young professionals with its position within easy commuting distance to London, Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes and other large towns, excellent road and rail networks and good local schools. The town is surrounded by countryside, farms and horse paddocks, and the clop of horse hooves in the streets is a common sound – a legacy of the past? Vegetable and cereal farming is the primary agriculture in the area, including the growing of brassicas.  

Biggleswade is a growing commuter town due to convenient road and rail links to London and the surrounding towns and cities and has a population of around 19,500 people. It is situated on the River Ivel in Central Bedfordshire. One of its famous previous residents was Daniel Albone (1860-1906), a champion cyclist and inventor who created early bicycles and motorcycles at the Ivel Cycle Works. He also built the first lightweight tractor, the Ivel Agriculture Motor, in 1902, the forerunner to the modern tractor of today.
 
The main agriculture in the area is arable farming, including onions, potatoes, marrows, brassicas, and cereals. The well-known Jordans company has been producing world famous cereal products in the town for more than 150 years. Another local company, Bedfordshire Growers, first introduced red onions to the UK. In 1764 Samuel Wells established his Biggleswade brewery, which became the Greene King brewery in 1961, unfortunately closing in 1997. The conversion of local barley to malt provided a vital ingredient in Bedfordshire’s brewing industry.

Sandy is a small, rural town with a market heritage due to its position in an arable farming area. It takes its name from the nearby Sand Hills. Located on the Great North Road (A1) Sandy has the benefit of easy access to the main commercial centres of London (only 45 minutes by train), Stevenage, Bedford and Cambridge. The population of the town is currently around 12,000, and includes the parish of Beeston. 

Sandy was a Roman settlement and was probably an important trading centre and staging post in the Roman era. The site of an ancient Roman hill fort on the heavily wooded sand hills, traditionally known as Caesar's Camp, still overlooks the town. There are a number of manor houses in the town. Sandy Manor is now a middle school. The nearby Lodge, built in the late 1800s by Arthur Wellesley Peel, a son of former Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, is now the headquarters of the RSPB. Hasells Hall, north east of the town, is the residence of Lord and Lady Pym. 

What do we do?

The Veg Box Donation Scheme started with collections of excess produce at the popular Potton Town Council Allotments to benefit those in need in the town, and donations of fresh fruit and vegetables are still dropped off in the carpark on Thursdays in the summer months, both locally grown and bought produce. Donations also come from the Potton Food Garden and other growers, local schools, distributors, shops, supermarkets (in collaboration with FareShare Go and Neighbourly) and veg box businesses.

Biggleswade deliveries started in the late summer of 2020, with donations of veg and fruit from local residents and allotment growers, and Sandy in 2022. We also deliver in the surrounding small towns and villages. 
 
The volunteer team members meet at a local town hall in Potton on Friday mornings to pack the donated produce into cardboard boxes, and deliver the free of charge ‘veg boxes’  to the households referred to VBDS as being in financial need, in Potton, Biggleswade, Sandy and surrounding areas. Referrals come from the Biggleswade Food Bank, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity, local schools and other agencies.

Our commitment to provide fresh, healthy food to those in food poverty and financial need is always at the centre of everything we do. We would like to become a 'community treasure', proven and known as a caring, safe organisation, focused on the needs of those whom we serve, whilst preserving their dignity.

Would you like to get involved?

• In the summer (June - October), donate fresh fruit and vegetables on Thursdays at the Potton Allotments, or contact us to collect or arrange an alternative drop off
• Volunteer to help with the packing and/or delivery of the veg boxes
• Volunteer to help with the collection of the 'corporate' donations of veg and fruit
• Get in touch if you would like to set up a Veg Box Donation Scheme in your town or neighbourhood
• Donate £ to enable VBDS to expand to provide a healthy diet for those in need in other areas