'Dig for Victory: War on Waste'

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms and The Royal Parks are opening a World War Two-themed allotment in St James's Park from 22 May 2008.

The 'Dig for Victory: War on Waste' organic allotment will promote sustainability and recycling and will be tended by school groups and community volunteers throughout the summer. It will provide a working example of how to grow fruit and vegetables; attract wildlife and recycle waste. Admission is free of charge.

Special features of the allotment include an apiary; a wormery; a bat house; bug hotels; and practical advice on how to recycle ordinary household items. The allotment is open to the public and will also host a primary school education programme. A Dig for Victory blog and Flickr site can be accessed via the Dig for Victory micro site at www.iwm.org.uk/digforvictory.

Free events suitable for adults and children will run throughout the summer: a 'Family Weekend' opens the project on 24 and 25 May; there will be 'Make-do and Mend' half-term activities from 27-30 May; and a range of other activities until 30 September. The activities will use modern materials to make rag rugs, wind chimes, bird scarers, seedling pots and sock puppets.

Phil Reed, Director of the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms said: "In our throw-away society, committing food and materials to the waste bin is of grave consequence. We are only gradually realising that the planet can no longer sustain this. The Dig for Victory project is our small attempt to shift the focus back to sustainable living habits adopted during the Second World War salvage and Dig For Victory campaigns, and demonstrate how we can benefit from, and actually improve our lives by, re-cycling."

Mark Wasilewski, Park Manager of St James's Park said: "We are delighted to host the 'Dig for Victory' allotment in St James's Park. We are keen to promote sustainability and recycling and we hope that people will be inspired to adopt many of our ideas by visiting the allotment."

The allotment is open every day from 22 May to 30 September 2008, between 10am and 5pm. For further details about the project and other events please visit: www.iwm.org.uk/cabinet and www.royalparks.org.uk.

Media enquiries:

For further information or images please contact:

Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: Victoria White on 020 7766 0155 or vwhite@iwm.org.uk

The Royal Parks: Katy Murray on 020 7298 2128 or kmurray@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk

Notes to Editors

• The theme of this year's allotment is 'War on Waste' - it is inspired by the 'Ministry of Food's wartime rationing and salvage campaigns. A temporary display at the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Room accompanies the project. 'Dig for Victory: Make-do and Mend' features clothes rationing and the impact of 'Make-do and Mend' clothes recycling principles on modern fashion.
• Other events to look out for over the summer include Sunday, 'ask the expert' sessions which take place on the 8th, 15th and 22nd of June. Family activity weeks run the week of 21st July our 'Recycling Week' and the 25th of August - 'Gardening and Wildlife Week'. There will be drop-in activities in recycling and gardening on the allotment site from 11.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday. In September our 'Harvest Fair' weekend will also feature family activities including arts and crafts activities, talks from Home Front Friends, specialists in World War II cooking, a petting zoo and the Royal Parks and Fullers shire horses will be available for meet and greet.
• The project is supported by additional funding for the education programme from the History Channel and Sainsbury's.
• Entry into the Dig for Victory allotment in St James's Park is free. The 2007 project delivered 130 school sessions and welcomed over 100,000 visitors.
• The allotment is accompanied by a supporting exhibition at the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms entitled 'Make-do and Mend'. The display is based on the wartime campaign of clothing recycling and draws a parallel to the growing trend in modern-day clothing recycling in response to increasing economic uncertainty.
• The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms are open daily to explore from 9.30am - 6pm, last admission is at 5.00pm. Admission charges to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: Adults: £12.00, children under 16: FREE, seniors/students: £9.50. Free personal sound guides are provided for each visitor.

About The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms:

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms is a branch of the Imperial War Museum.

For information on learning activities or a Teachers pack, please call Howard Benge on 020 7766 0132 or email hbenge@iwm.org.uk

About The Royal Parks:

The Royal Parks Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and St James's Park.

For more information please visit: www.royalparks.org.uk