After the successful completion of a year-long programme on biodiversity, Head of Programmes & Operations Ella Hashemi reflects on its impact and challenges. Judging from my local park, people are accessing and enjoying their local greenspaces more than ever before. Cold, grey November mornings see the park packed full of schoolchildren, joggers, work-from-homers, dog walkers, […]
“Underneath the brambles lay forgetten stories;” Why London’s Veteran Orchards deserve your Vote in the National Lottery Awards
Our Celebrations of Orchard project has been nominated in the National Lottery Awards for 2019 as one of their top 10 heritage projects for this year. We were shortlisted from 750 other projects to get to this stage. This acknowledgement gave me an opportunity to reflect on what a fantastic project this was to work […]
From the Wort-yard to the Wildwood (part 2)
Part 1 of this blog explored the sensory excitement of foraging for your own food and discovering an array of delicious plants in the same way that our ancestors did, even in the heart of the city. Part 2 ventures deeper into the philosophical wildwood of orchard culture in Scotland looking at Gaelic stories and place names associated […]
From Wort-yards to the Wildwoods of Scotland (part 1)
Foraging with Mark Williams – bringing the wild alive in us by taste and discovery. A taste adventure. At this time of year in the orchard we can see the fruits beginning to form on the trees and the fruit bushes – but we have the whole summer to wait until the main harvest. This is […]
National Tree Week
Earlier this month, I was on a trip to Ealing, West London to give some orchard management advice to an orchard group. On my travels I came across a great Cedar of Lebanon. The sheer size of this tree stopped me in my tracks. The trunk measured around 8m in circumference, and I found myself […]