Epsom and Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) are helping promote National Allotments Week, which runs August 12-18.

The council took to Twitter to guide residents towards their allotments advice page, pointing out the availability of allotments to rent directly from the council.

EEBC also stressed the benefits of getting involved during the week, highlighting how the National Allotment Society (NSALG) will this year donate much of the produce grown on members' patches to worthy causes like food banks.

For #nationalallotmentweek 12-18 August NSALG are celebrating a shared harvest for the week's 2019 edition with advice on how to contribute produce with worthy causes and best practice of donating crops to food banks.

"For allotments in your Epsom and Ewell, see (council website)," a spokesperson for EEBC said.

The national campaign aims to encourage Brits to "protect, promote and preserve allotments" across the UK.

It also promotes the clear benefits for individuals and the wider world of growing and consuming food independently rather than relying on buying from large distributors like supermarkets.

For 2019, the Shared Harvest theme sees members contribute surplus crops grown on their plots to charitable causes, with food banks being the particular focus.

"This year we are celebrating the Shared Harvest from our precious plots.

"There comes a time in every growing season when plants produce more crops than any plot-holder can freeze, pickle or jam and generous allotment holders begin to arrive at work with baskets of plums, armfuls of rhubarb and Tupperware full of green beans.

"Many plot-holders also share their produce with worthy causes and this year we have taken a look at the practice of donating crops to food banks," a spokesperson for NSALG said on the group's website.

"By opening up our sites and letting the community know what a valuable contribution allotments make to Public Health and Well-being helps to protect them by enlisting the backing of the wider community," they added.

Specific advice on how to donate your surplus to a food bank in your area was made available on the NSALG website.

It's a message now endorsed by EEBC, who steered residents towards their advice on cultivating an allotment in the borough.

"There are over 800 allotment plots across 11 different sites in Epsom and Ewell.

"Some of these are self-managed (i.e. run by their own associations, with our support) while a majority are available to rent directly from the Council," EEBC point out on their allotments page.

Those interested in applying for an allotment can get more information on doing so with the council on the EEBC website.