Hoxton Manor allotments hosted a vine pruning course in February for plot holders and local gardeners. Mike Thurlow from Garden Organic taught them techniques and help them get our historic vines back into shape.

The course was arranged by Clare Joy of local food co-op Organic Lea, who has recently joined the allotments to look after the historic vines on the plot originally gardened by allotment site founder member Tony Kassai.

Mike Thurlow from Garden Organic helped participants get the vine into shape, and taught them techniques from his experience of vine and fruit growing which includes looking after a 200-year-old vine at Audley End kitchen garden in Essex, where he is head gardener.

Tony Kassai brought the vine to the allotment 50 years ago from his father's vineyard in Hungary and looked after it until he passed on three years ago at the age of 84. Cuttings from this vine appear all over the allotment site and Britain.

Anaelle, who came with daughter Véia aged three said: I'm hoping to set up a vine once I get my garden established. I got a lot of confidence from the course, and my little girl enjoyed having a go as well.

Marlene Barrett: I liked coming along and seeing a tangle in the morning and over the day seeing the structure of the vines emerging gradually. I'm pleased to be part of bringing these historic vines back into shape.

Roger Drapper, plot holder, said: It was a good idea to have the course because as well as us all learning something we got Tony's vine looking nice, which is good for the site and for his memory.

Mike Thurlow enjoyed the day: I’m pleased to see a thriving allotment site, and I was glad to come and help them maintain this vine as a memorial to Tony. He clearly looked after it well. It is thriving: it just needed cutting back then shaping and training to how they want it now.

Site chair Imogen Radford and committee members Eric Als and Peter Moore were also there to welcome everyone and to help run the day.

Visit and find out more about Audley End kitchen garden in Essex, which is a restored Victorian garden which would have originally provided food for the house, and now uses organic methods to provide food for the restaurant and sale locally.

See sequence of photos from the day here