Thirty new community orchards have been established on sites across Leicestershire in the last year – and there are plans to plant another 30 in the coming year.
The new mini-orchards are the fruit of a Leicestershire County Council-run scheme which gives free packs of fruits trees to community groups, parish councils, schools and landowners who allow public access to their land, to allow them to plant new orchards around the county.
The community orchards programme was last year awarded £28,000 from Defra’s Coronation Living Heritage Fund toward a two-year project which would allow it to give away almost 280 trees to be planted on 30 sites.
The plantings included:
- Stoney Stanton Queen Elizabeth II Community Orchard has been planted over the last two years in honour of the late Queen. There are now 47 fruit trees planted on the site in Carey Hill Park. There is also a second community orchard in Stoney Stanton, which was planted on an area of land previously covered in six-foot-high brambles.
- Park rangers, Market Bosworth Rotary Club and volunteers planted 10 fruit trees at Market Bosworth Country Park.
- An orchard of apple and plum trees has been planted at Forest East Park in Leicester Forest East, which will also have a path through the orchard and wildflowers growing between the trees. The Parish Council is hoping that in a few years, visitors will be able to pick the fruit from the trees, as the orchard has been created for the benefit of all residents of Leicester Forest East.
- Heather Primary School raised money to transform their pond and garden area into an outdoor learning space, complete with an orchard. Children will use the space to learn about nature, as well as planting seeds and bulbs to grow their own food.
- Braunstone Town Council applied for free fruit trees to replace some apple trees that had died in the existing community orchard at Franklin Park. Other fruit trees were planted in Thorpe Astley to supplement trees planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. The community orchard is well used by the residents, and each year holds an Apple Day for people to enjoy a fun community event and pick apples.
The Leicestershire County Council-run community orchards programme offers groups the opportunity to apply for the free orchard packs, which contain 10 apple and pear trees, stakes and other equipment needed to establish the orchard.
The trees can be used to create a new orchard for the local community or to help restore and boost an existing orchard. The trees must be planted on sites which are open to the public, groups must have permission from the landowner to plant the trees, and all groups applying to the scheme need to commit to maintaining and nurturing the orchard in the long term.
The community orchards scheme was launched in 2022, when 50 trees were provided to schools and community groups. This was increased to 300 trees in 2023, with 277 new trees being planted during the 2023/24 season across 30 sites.
The council’s Forestry team is now hoping to grow the scheme even further, by supporting the planting of 30-plus new community orchard sites during the 2024/24 season.
Orchards and trees play a vital role in enriching our ecosystem and improving biodiversity. The community orchards scheme gives voluntary and community groups the opportunity to make a real difference to our environment and play their part in making Leicestershire a cleaner and greener place to live and work.
The creation of a number of new orchards throughout the county gives us a unique opportunity to create green spaces that not only provide fresh and healthy produce but also serve as havens for wildlife and a boost to our goal of helping to plant 700,000 trees in Leicestershire.
We are delighted that so many schools, parish councils and landowners with public access have recognised the importance of this scheme, and supported it by planting new orchards which can be enjoyed by the whole, community for generations to come.
Person:Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda
Groups who would like to get involved by planting fruit trees should contact the council’s Forestry team on forestry@leics.gov.uk
The packs will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.