Adopt a tree in a community orchard

Friends of Dukes Meadows seek tree lovers for foster role

Last Autumn Friends of Dukes Meadows planted a new community orchard on Dukes Meadows with the help of volunteers from the BBC and Cavendish Primary School.

Sponsored by local company Kraft Foods and supported by actor Richard Briers, the project will create an attractive new landscape feature in the park and a valuable education resource to enable local children to see how fruit is grown.

The Friends have been watering the 20 mature trees planted, but were relying on the smaller whips to fend for themselves.

Development Manager Kathleen Healy said, “In a normal year that would be fine and most would survive, but this year we have had a very dry winter and spring, the driest for 40 years and the summer looks set to be hot and dry too."

She went on to explain " The whips are getting very thirsty and to help them we are inviting people to adopt one and water it when they visit Dukes Meadows. A litre a couple of times a week could make all the difference”.

The Friends will be running a stall up on the Meadows so people can choose and label a tree (labels provided.)

July 21, 2005