Redruth Orchard Project has been given a boost with some welcome support from Cornwall Council’s Community Levelling Up Programme, which is part of the Good Growth Programme.
This funding allows us to take on some freelance community orchardists to run the project, bring more people into the orchard for enjoyment, social connection and positive action in response to worries about food insecurity or climate change. We aim to get more people practically involved, work with other organisations, schools and experts and to provide opportunities for local people to develop orcharding skills within the Redruth community. This will ensure local people can care for these orchards in the longer term and provide green skills that will be helpful to people in other areas of their lives, whether at the allotment, for those seeking employment in horticulture. Our community orchard sessions are also a place for social connection, for practical exercise and help to boost mental well-being.
The funds will allow us to install a metal storage shed & park bench at Trenoweth Community Orchard and plant more fruit trees at Trefusis Orchard. We also have the opportunity to work with with Redruth Town Council’s facilities team to plant up a new orchard at East End Park. We will purchase more tools and resources to support volunteers to care for the trees and orchard spaces, as well as more fruit trees, and supporting perennial plants and shrubs. Other opportunities are listed below, please get in touch.
Trenoweth Community Orchard
Trenoweth Community Orchard group volunteers have been meeting up regularly for over 2 years now to plan, prepare the site, plant trees, fundraise for tools, metal shed and other resources. With this new funding we have been able to ensure the installation and preparation of the base for the metal tools shed; run a series of sessions over Winter to help care for the space, hedgerows and trees; provide some opportunities for volunteers to visit older orchards in the area to gain practice in pruning older trees; water harvesting installation; add support plants and more fruit trees as some examples.
Trefusis Community Orchard
At Trefusis Community Orchard, we have been working with local people to create bug hotels to attract beneficial insects into the orchard to help improve the health of these trees. Volunteers have mulched the trees and so far two new apple trees have been planted, with Kew and Manaccan plums to be included here. New beds with perennial and woody plants will be added around the fruit trees to attract more beneficial insects.
East End Park Community Orchard, Redruth
At East End Park we will be working with Redruth Town Council, a local school and the local community to plant a new orchard. The trees to be planted include apples, plums and a medlar and we will be holding a community planting day in early February 2025.
Other activities have included visiting Tehidy orchard to collect branches to grow as own root trees.
Some upcoming opportunities to get involved in the Redruth Orchard Project:O
- Bird box making with Harmony Permaculture’s Sam Tancock on Saturday 21st December at Redruth Library. Either take one way with you or build one to install at one of the orchards at a later date.
- Peening & scything management workshop (for those with some scything experience)
- 2 x pruning practice opportunities open to Redruth volunteers in older orchards (20+ yrs) in Redruth area.
- Plant a new community orchard at East End Park with us & Redruth Town Council in early Feburary 2025.
- Join weekly orchard sessions at Trenoweth Community Orchard, Redruth, see flyer above.
- Tree planting at Trefusis Park & creation of forest garden beds Dec 2024 onwards Wednesdays & Saturdays. please get in touch: resilientorchardscornwall@gmail.com
This funding has been allocated from Cornwall Council’s Community Levelling Up Programme. The Community Levelling Up Programme is part of the Good Growth Programme, which is delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
Thank you also goes to Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (CN4C) for a grant from the Communities Working Together Innovation Fund that helped us to purchase the metal shed and some tools.
Also to South West Water’s Neighbourhood Fund to help us with a grant to install water harvesting as part of the Redruth Orchard Project.
