We are very excited to announce that our work will be featured on BBC Radio 4! We have been given a Charity Appeal slot, airing on Sunday 10th May and (repeated) on Thursday 14th May.
Tune in to listen to acclaimed horticulturalist and author, Alys Fowler (hear why she’s our charity patron in a 2 minute-listen), as she delivers our appeal. We would love to count on the support of our orchard community to spread the word beforehand and tune in to support us.
This is a fantastic opportunity to promote the wonderful benefits of community orchards, particularly at this poignant moment when crisis highlights the weaknesses in our food system. As a society, we have never been more disconnected from our food; when it comes to fruit, we import 70% of what we consume, despite having ideal growing conditions and thousands of native varieties. Since the 1950s, urban development has seen 90% of orchards removed from our landscapes, replacing valuable wildlife with car parks, agribusiness and high-rises.
Help us to continue putting orchards in the heart of urban communities by listening to the appeal, sharing it with your friends, and donating. It’s time to revive our ancestral knoweldge of food-growing and resinstate it into the collective consciousness.
We’ve witnessed time and time again how planting, nurturing, and harvesting from a community orchard connects people to their food, to the seasons, and to their neighbours. You’ll hear just one such story in the appeal. There is much interest and demand right now to create new orchards, but we need funds to help us ensure that everyone in urban areas has access to beautiful orchards and fresh, locally-grown fruit. So please share the appeal and tune in.
How to Listen
Listen live on Sunday 10th May at 7:45am and 9:25pm; or on Thursday 14th May at 3:27pm. Listen afterwards through the BBC Sounds App or BBC Radio 4 Appeals Website.
Why is Alys supporting our work? Listen to her passion for apples and reasons here.