OrchardProject-Ella

Hi folks, As a follow up to this thread - we were successful in receiving permission from the council to restore the older fruit trees at Dawsons Hill and we have a pruning workshop coming up in a few weeks time. It would be lovely to see you there. The workshop will be a chance to learn about pruning techniques, and to start to restore the older apples and pears onsite. It will run on Saturday 28th January, 10am-2pm and is free for local residents. To book your free place, register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dawsons-hill-fruit-tree-pruning-tickets-40875884872 Best wishes, Ella

Hi All, I work with Stephanie at The Orchard Project. It sounds like the trees at Dawson's Heights and the green space in general is very much loved. I noticed that some young fruit trees have been planted near the older ones and have also been recently pruned, which is great. If we can see a need for our support, our aim would be to work with people who live nearby to restore the older fruit trees whilst maintaining and improving the site's biodiversity. We can also identify the apple varieties, create a management plan for the community and the landowner that promotes biodiversity and the trees, run a workshop for local schoolchildren in the area, and help to create events in the orchard such as apple juicing days, minibeast discovery days etc. The main intention of our project is to celebrate what is already happening in green spaces around London with fruit trees, and add capacity to these efforts so more people can get involved. We are in discussion with the council about whether we may be able to support the orchard at Dawson's Heights and I am keen to meet with any of you face to face, to hear about what the space means to you and how our project may be able to support and improve the space. Do email me at [email protected] if you would like to meet by the trees for a chat. Best wishes, Ella