WHEN May Bruton lost her husband Terry 18 months ago, she seriously considered giving up her plot.

The couple had taken on an allotment so they could spend their leisure time together.

But when Terry died, May wasn’t sure she could cope with the plot on her own.

“I did think about giving it up but my friends here at the allotment said they would help me maintain the plot and do the heavy work.

“They have been so kind and now I’m glad I decided to keep it, otherwise I would be sitting indoors moping,” she said.

May explained she and her late husband lived in a flat so they enjoyed having their plot as a place to escape the four walls of home.

“Once we took it on we never really looked back.

“We built a shed and a greenhouse and bit by bit we got the plot working for us. We grew fruit and veg – and I used to make jams and pickles,” she said.

The plot became their little hideaway and Terry loved getting the deckchairs out and fetching a fish and chip supper for him and his wife to share.

“We spent some really happy times here,” said May. “We did enjoy sitting in our deckchairs and taking time to reflect.

“In fact, the other day the friend who cuts my grass paths said he had cleared the patch where Terry used to put our deckchairs,” she said.