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Archive for the ‘Community orchards’ Category

Work for new community orchard, Abbey Hey

Posted in Community orchards on February 16, 2014|

Today members of the Friends were out with the Sale and Altrincham Conservation Volunteers (SACV) to do preparatory work for another in the series of community orchards along the Loop.  Given recent weather, it was very pleasing to find we had a still day and wonderful sunshine for the task!  Today’s aim was to prepare the site for the planting of the trees in four weeks’ time, in particular to get the planting holes ready and use compost and topsoil to improve conditions (given the site’s past as the route of the railway) for the new trees.

If anyone would like to come back to join in with the planting on Sunday 16th March, all volunteers will be welcome!

Volunteers at work
SACV and FotFL volunteers work on new community orchard, Abbey Hey
SACV and FotFL volunteers work on new community orchard, Abbey Hey ii
In a hole

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Work for community orchard, Fallowfield

Posted in Community orchards, Fallowfield, Volunteering on February 17, 2013|

Today members of the Friends, together with the Sale and Altrincham Conservation Volunteers, worked on the site of the new community orchard in Fallowfield, close to the Sherwood Street entrance to the Loop.  The work continued from preparatory activities carried out in December: today the planting holes were dug and prepared with compost, and the planting of the orchard will take place in four weeks’ time, on Sunday 17th March.  In addition to the orchard work, preparation for a new boundary hedge on the corner of Sherwood Street and Wellington Road was carried out.  As the pictures show, it was a perfect sunny spring day to be out enhancing the Loop!

Work on the orchard site
Work on the orchard site
The volunteers!
The prepared orchard site
Preparing for a new boundary hedge

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Nominated for the North West Empowerment Awards!

Posted in Community orchards, Levenshulme on January 3, 2013|

On Wednesday 12th December 2012 several of the Friends attended the North West Empowerment Awards ceremony.  These awards were open to community or voluntary groups that have delivered a project regarded as having made a positive difference in their community.  The Friends had been one of four shortlisted from 33 applicants in the “Better neighbourhoods” category, and although we did not win the prize we received a “highly commended” plaque for working with the Levenshulme groups on the community orchard!

North West Empowerment Awards – with thanks to North West Together We Can and Asian Lite Photographers Ian O’Brien and Stuart Rayson for the picture

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Further work on Levenshulme Community Orchard

Posted in Community orchards, Levenshulme, Volunteering on October 23, 2012|

Well, it’s taken us a while to get some pictures here but last month (Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th September) local Levenshulme residents, young volunteers from ‘The Challenge’ and members of the Friends got together to continue work on the orchard, in particular putting down the underlay and woodchip for the paths.  A great weekend’s work!

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Opening ceremony for community orchard and lattice bridge

Posted in Community orchards, Lattice bridge on May 13, 2012|

On Sunday 20th May the Friends will hold an opening ceremony for the new Levenshulme station community orchard and the refurbished Highfield Park ‘lattice footbridge’, starting at 11 a.m.

The planned programme for the event is:

  • 11 a.m. at the orchard site (Crayfield Road/Kersh Avenue Loop entrance):  opening remarks by Friends Secretary David Beetham, ceremonial tape-cutting by local residents and photo session.
  • 11.30 a.m. (approximately) at the lattice bridge site: some reminiscences from Friends member (and Friends of Highfield Park chair) Alec Cowan, tape-cutting by him and St Andrew’s school representatives and photo session.

The fruit orchard, comprising apple, cherry, plum, greengage and pear trees, has been made possible using funds from the Friends, including a Manchester City Council environment award, with matched funding from the Government’s Big Tree Plant initiative, and sponsorship by local people.  Sustainable transport charity Sustrans, which owns the Fallowfield Loop, provided equipment and manpower for ground preparation, including Community Payback personnel.   The Friends, several local Levenshulme groups and individuals were involved in the actual planting, with help from the Sale and Altrincham Conservation Volunteers.  The orchard project also involved two fruit tree grafting workshops, led by members of the Friends.  The grafts are currently being ‘fostered’ by local people until they are large enough to add to the orchard.

The ‘lattice bridge’ is almost the only remaining railway artefact on the Loop.  The footbridge connects the north-west corner of Highfield Country Park with Thorncliffe Grove and is well used by recreational walkers and schoolchildren.  The refurbishment work involved replacing the top surface and several corroded metal plates supporting it, repointing the brickwork, replacing coping stones and repainting the metal latticework in the colours of the railway company that built the line.  The Manchester office of Sustrans sourced a grant for this work from the Department for Transport’s Links to Schools programme and organised the refurbishment, which has been a long-standing aim of the Friends.

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The planting of Levenshulme Community Orchard

Posted in Community orchards, Levenshulme, Volunteering on March 20, 2012|

A bird's-eye view of work on the orchard site

Over forty-five people turned up on Sunday for the the planting of the new orchard, at a site on the Loop by Crayfield Road, near the old Levenshulme Station.

The Friends had obtained a grant from the Big Tree Fund, and

Planting in progress

The site in 1965 (picture by T. Brooks)

with the help of members of the Sale and Altrincham Conservation Volunteers and local residents, traditional varieties of apple, pear, plum, damson and greengage were planted, staked and watered. In the months and years to come it’s hoped that the blossom will add a welcome aspect to this popular part of the route, with people later able to pick the fruit for making jam and chutney!

While the trees were being dug in at the site, other volunteers were taking part in a workshop at the nearby Sidings pub, learning how to graft rootstock for further planting later on.

More pictures to follow!

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