A long term Art Gene Project, created by Art Gene Artists/Directors Maddi Nicholson and Stuart Bastik with Artist in Residence Hannah Brackston and Ecological Designer Vincent Walsh, developing a community growing space on an acre of scrubland on the Island of Walney. 

Allotment Soup is a long-term Art Gene project, actively working with local people since 2015 to establish the Isle of Walney Community Growing Space. Led by Art Gene Artists/Directors Maddi Nicholson and Stuart Bastik alongside project Artist in Residence Hannah Brackston from the projects inception in 2015-19, and Dr Vincent Walsh as Ecological Designer from 2020-21.

This community resource occupies a field, leased from Barrow Borough Council on Mill Lane, Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. Much more than just an allotment, the design of the site, interventions and actions on it are about growing food, habitats, new ideas and people – all simultaneously.  The field is a site for play and social connection but also for environmental activism and strategic re-wilding of both local habitats and people.

In 2024 Ecological Designer Vincent Walsh created a series of hands on expert-led workshops. These workshops introduced people to a range of ecological interventions to promote sustainability, build resilience and encourage biodiversity, supported by Oakmere Homes. Click for details of what's on.