Clewer and Dedworth’s first Community Orchard has been planted and is ready for local residents to enjoy as part of their daily lockdown exercise.
Designed to fruit from early summer to late autumn, it is home to 17 different varieties of fruit tree including, apples, pears, plums, cherries, quinces and damsons.
We've worked closely with Green Earth Plan CIC, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to deliver this project. We're investing in Clewer and Dedworth to improve health and wellbeing, increase employment and empower the community.
Lotus Landscapes, the landscaping division of Q3 Services Group, planted the trees, providing their services voluntarily.
“We know that the pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing, and getting outside for fresh air and exercise can really help,” said Danielle Lane, Community Development Officer at Abri.
“We’re investing £15m into our communities between 2020-2025 to help improve health and wellbeing, increase employment, and empower our communities. We hope that the community orchard will be something that the whole community can enjoy, and somewhere to bring the community together. It’s an opportunity to try some new and interesting fruits.”
Zoë Macavoy at Green Earth Plan CIC added: "The Orchard is the first of several urban greening pilot projects being designed and brought to life by Green Earth Plan in collaboration with community action groups under the 'Green Up Our Street' campaign. Our hope is that this orchard will support the health of both people and biodiversity and serve as a wonderful outdoor classroom for the community to learn more about the natural environment."
Cllr Stimson, Lead Member for Climate Change, Sustainability, Parks and Countryside, said: “This project is beneficial to the community but will also deliver on the councils Environment and Climate Strategy at a community level. This is encouraging to see as the natural environment is so closely linked to the community’s general health and well-being.”
