We’ve just published our latest Impact Report, highlighting our work over the past year to bring even more community orchards into the heart of urban communities.
Last year we created, improved and supported 111 urban community orchards, planting 225 new fruit trees, which when mature could produce more than 113,000 portions of locally grown fresh fruit every year. We also trained 1,988 people in orchard management to lead their community orchards, including 107 students on our accredited courses.
You can read about how former CICO (Certificate in Community Orcharding) student Ann Marie became an orchard mentor in Wales, and learn more about how Chi’s passion for plants in his native Hong Kong led him to study with us and feel more at home in Scotland.
We look in-depth at how our new orchard support co-ordinator Daniella Levene has got on in her first year with us, which has included facilitating essential aftercare to 41 community orchards and engaging 260 volunteers at 37 different events – suffice to say, she’s been busy!
This focussed aftercare work is part of trialling new approaches to improve our delivery model and ensure we can reach more people in more cities. We are building a network of skilled orchardists (many, like Daniella, graduates of our CICO courses) through peer support and skills sharing.
The forest garden at Crowcroft Park, which was recently officially opened by the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is also featured, and is an amazing example of how much can be achieved in a year when a dedicated group of local residents really get behind a project.
