Brighton Permaculture Trust helped communities and school to plant more trees than ever before this winter.
This season we’ve helped to plant around 170 grafted fruit trees and over 2100 mostly native seed grown trees for fruit, nuts, wildlife and shelter.
Here’s an update on the various projects we’ve been involved with this winter.
Brighton and Hove
Racehill Community Orchard, Whitehawk
Working in partnership with the Racehill Community Orchard Group and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, huge amounts of rubbish has been cleared from the site, 58 fruit trees were planted, and 1154 trees are nearly finished being planted in shelter hedges, including many more cherry plums which are a much valued feature of the site. A similar number of trees will be planted over the next two winters.
Craven Vale Estate
Craven Vale Residents Association were helped to plant 112 largely native small trees and shrubs in groups around the estate to provide fruit, nuts and wildlife habitat.
Hollingdean Estate
Working with local residents and the Hollingdean Development Trust, 37 fruit trees, 5 nut trees and 145 seedling trees were planted around the estate this winter. A similar number of trees will be planted there next winter.
Hollingdean Park
Local volunteers helped to plant a further 69 trees around the edges of the park this winter.
St Andrew’s Church, Moulsecoomb
4 Sussex apple trees were planted as part of a fruit tree planting workshop in December.
Stanmer Park
5 rare Sussex apple trees were planted as part of our National Collection of Sussex apples, and a peach tree from Normandy was planted on our site at Stanmer Organics and by the Earthship.
Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, Falmer
4 Normandy apple and 7 Sussex apple varieties were planted on two occasions; 8 as part of an Alumni Orchard partly supported through the Orchards Without Borders, project and 3 as part of a fruit tree planting workshop.
Coldean Primary School
The school grounds will be transformed when the 400 trees get established that we planted along the roadside with the help of Disney volunteers and the kids. We also planted 6 Sussex apple trees and 18 walnuts.
Cedar Centre Special Needs School, Hollingdean
52 shelter trees, 2 pears and a plum were planted with the pupils.
Hertford Junior School, Hollingdean
30 shelter trees, 2 pears and 2 walnuts were planted with the pupils.
St Marks Primary School
3 Normandy apple and 3 Sussex apple varieties were planted with the pupils as part of the Orchards Without Borders project.
Roundabout Nursery, Whitehawk
4 Sussex apple, 1 pear and 1 plum tree were planted with the children.
West Sussex
Herrington’s Field Community Orchard, Arundel
The orchard is managed by Herrington’s Field Community Orchard Group and Arun District Council. We helped plant 20 fruit trees here in early 2013, and this winter we helped to plant 150 native shelter trees, mostly alders, to protect the orchard from the south westerly winds and provide wildlife habitat. The trees were planted at a very well attended ‘Howling’ event; see pictures of the day on our Facebook page.
East Sussex
Ditchling Community Orchard, Ditchling
5 apple, 2 plum and a pear tree were planted at a well attended fruit tree planting workshop organised by the HKD Transition group.
Thanks to our supporters
We would like to thank the following funders for helping to make these various plantings possible:
- Biffa Award
- Big Lottery Local Food Fund
- Big Tree Plant
- Interreg, European Development Fund
- Off the Ground local governance pilot project
- Trees for Cities
- Turner Dumbrell Foundation
- Veolia Environmental Trust
All orchards were planted in partnership with local organisations, but we would particularly like to thank Brighton & Hove Food Partnership and Brighton & Hove City Council.