Some growers are about sharing their experiences, and some are there to grow, provide food for the family and keep it to themselves. This unique allotment is located 284 metres above sea level, right above the hamlet of Horsehold, overlooking a stunning valley and the Stoodley Pike monument on a nearby hill. Locally, John is known for his passion for chess and has been running a local chess club for decades, training several Grand Masters to represent England in world championships. He is beautifully humble and warm in all aspects of conversation, sharing his experience of growing over decades. His allotment is full of perennial fruit, flowers for bees (and the poor insects don’t have much to pick from in mostly grassy farmland patches), onions drying in the shed and wallflower cuttings propagating for next season. Sharing his experience of crop rotation, testing out new green manures, and what apple varieties do well on such high altitudes, I sense the peaceful contentment that various plots of land have been bringing to people over the years. Of course, it’s lovely to see colourful pictures on social media and take inspiration from them, but there is something special in gaining knowledge from those who gardened long before we were born. We all have gems in our communities; find them and learn something you’ll never find on Instagram.