Community Orchards Boost

Several publications have been launched which could help reverse the national decline in traditional orchards by helping communities who want to start up or save their local orchard.

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens recently created a supplement to its Community Garden Starter Pack which contains advice and information about setting up a community orchard or fruit garden. This free document is available to download from the publications page of this website.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has also produced a useful community orchards guide, to which FCFCG has contributed, which is part of a series of booklets being produced by Government to cut out red tape and make it easier for people to get the information they need to get involved.

The guide, which is available to download from the DCLG website, outlines what new and existing support and powers are available for communities wanting to conserve or create community orchards. It provides links to expert organisations, information on where to go for funding and examples of communities across the country busy preparing to harvest their latest crop. It also includes details of the new powers in the Localism Bill that will enshrine in law a package of powerful new rights for community and voluntary groups wanting to play a bigger role in their community or takeover and preserve local assets.

Jeremy Iles, Chief Executive of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens commented: "Community orchards can create a unique environment, both for wildlife and for the people who spend time in them. FCFCG has been a long term supporter of community orchards - as we are of all types of community green space - and we are heartened to know that support for them is growing across the country. We hope to see many more community orchards being created over the coming years: providing a wealth of new fruit trees, delivering opportunities for people to manage their local green space, helping to preserve heritage fruit varieties, encouraging people to grow their own food and creating opportunities for volunteering and learning new skills."

And Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles said: "Community orchards are a brilliant way for communities to get together and grow their own. The powers we are putting in the hands of communities will make it easier to transform unloved corners of towns, cities and villages into thriving green spaces, help local people protect the orchards already there and access the land needed to establish new ones. Today's guide is about making all of that as simple and straightforward as possible and about giving a major boost to what is already a quiet revolution in promoting and preserving the nation's orchards."

Anyone thinking of starting up or reviving an orchard can also get information by contacting Common Ground, an organisation that champions community orchards and by visiting the Growing Trends section of the FCFCG website, which has comprehensive information resources about community orchards.