In February 2015 we planted a new orchard at Mandeville Place, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, to celebrate the achievements of the Paralympics 2012 and reflect the opening ceremony, which featured apples. We chose a tree from the home county of each gold winning Paralympic athlete.
We planted more than 30 tree varieties from four countries in three hours. Well done to all of the Orchard Leaders on the day, and hope everyone reading this gets the chance to visit these trees and have a bite of an apple, pear or plum! There were a variety of rootstocks selected of one and two-year-old trees, including MM106, M25 and M26.
The Orchard Leader training at the Olympic Park covered the fundamental aspects of orchard planting and care: managing pests and diseases, pruning, and above all emphasising the importance of giving extra care to the trees during the first three years before they are fully established.
Twenty five local residents are now trained to be Orchard Leaders and they will be the key people who nurture and care for their orchard, supported with plentiful support and advice from The Orchard Project. They shared wonderful visions of their orchard 30 years into the future and ideas even included a floating apple market!
Here is some information on the trees we planted for the athletes:
1. Hannah Cockcroft
Apple: Ribston Pippin
Ribston Pippin is a Yorkshire Heritage dessert apple developed in the Victorian era.
2. Aled Davis
Apple: Brith Mawr
Brith Mawr is a rare dessert and cooking heritage apple originating in South Wales.
3. Anthony Kappes
Apple: Newton Wonder
Newton Wonder is a heritage cooking apple much like a Bramley, but tastier, raised and grown in the Stockport area.
4. Barney Storey & 12. Heather Fredericksen
Apple: Lord Derby
Lord Derby is an excellent culinary apple that can also be eaten fresh. This is a heritage variety, traditionally grown in Lancashire and Cheshire.
5. Craig MacLean
Apple: Bloody Ploughman
Bloody Ploughman is a red Scottish heritage cooking and eating apple with a colourful history!
6. Danielle Brown & 8. David Stone
Apple: Ribston Pippin
Ribston Pippin is a Yorkshire heritage dessert apple developed during the Victorian era.
7. David Smith
Apple: Scotch Bridget
Scotch Bridget is a heritage Scottish variety that makes a wonderful apple pie.
9. David Weir & 21. Lily van den Broeke
Pear: Merton Pride
Merton Pride is a delicious and unusual pear, developed in London.
10. Deborah Criddle
Apple: Somerset Redstreak
Somerset Redstreak apple is a very pretty heritage variety used for cider and juice.
11. Ellie Simmonds
Apple: Catshead
Catshead apple is a heritage cooking variety which originates in the Midlands and is one of the oldest known apples.
13. Helen Lucas
Pear: Onward
Onward is a yellow orange dessert pear originating in Surrey that does well in orchards in London.
14. James Roe
Apple: Merton Worcester
Merton Worcester is a sweet dessert apple, reflecting the rich orchard heritage of the countryside around Stratford-upon-Avon.
15. Jessica Jane Applegate
Apple: Norfolk Beefing
Norfolk Royal Beefing is a great long-keeping apple that is very popular for baking.
16. Jonathan Fox
Apple: Devonshire Quarrenden
Devonshire Quarrenden is a heritage apple grown in the UK for over 500 years. It ripens early, is eaten fresh, and tastes slightly of strawberries.
17. Jonathan Peacock
Gage: Cambridge
Cambridge Gage (greengage) produces heavy crops of small, sweet, and juicy yellowish-green fruits.
18. Josef Craig
Apple: Mrs Lakeman’s Seedling
Mrs Lakeman’s Seedling is a rare heritage apple from the Northumberland region.
19.Josie Pearson
Apple: Ashmeads Kernel
Ashmeads Kernal is a traditional English russet apple that is eaten fresh. This is a heritage apple originally from Gloucester and now grown in the Bristol and South Wales area.
20. Lee Pearson
Apple: Dabinett
Dabinet is an attractive deep-red heritage apple used for cider and juice, originating in Staffordshire.
22. Mark Colbourne
Apple: Monmouth Beauty
Monmouth Beauty is a red heritage apple from Monmouthshire, best eaten fresh.
23. Michael David Bushell
Damson Plum: Shropshire Prune
Shropshire Prune is a delicious damson plum that can be eaten fresh and makes great jam.
24. Naomi Riches
Apple: Core Blimey
Core Blimey apple is a brand new dessert apple, developed in 2012 by The Orchard Project especially to grow in London (it’s very rare and delicious!)
25. Natasha Baker
Apple: London Pearmain
London Pearmain is a heritage dessert apple, growing well in London.
26. Neil Fachie
Apple: Arbroath Oslin
Arbroath Oslin is a a very rare heritage apple from Aberdeenshire.
27. Oliver Hynd & 29. Richard Whitehead
Merryweather Damson is a delicious culinary plum from Nottinghamshire which can also be eaten fresh.
28. Pamela Lillian Relph
Cherry Morello
The Morello Cherry reflects the recent heritage of the Buckinghamshire area as the main cherry growing area in the UK.
30. Sarah Storey
Apple: Storey’s Seedling
For most athletes we have chosen an apple or other fruit originating in their home counties or counties they now live in. However, we discovered that there is a Storey’s Seedling heritage apple and so chose this instead of a Lord Derby, which originates near Chester.
31. Sophie Wells
Apple: Peasgood’s Nonsuch
The unusually named Peasgood Nonsuch is a lovely cooking apple from Stamford, Lincolnshire.
32. Sophie Christianson
Pear: Williams Bon Chrétien
Williams Bon Chrétien is one of the most popular pears in the world, and originates in Berkshire (also known as Pear William).