http://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/

The Orchard Project, 167–169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London (2026)

05/06/2026

For decades now, we have heard the story of the climate crisis. We see the rising temperatures across the UK in our spring and summers, and the increased rainfall and flood risk in our winters.

We see the impact this has on our community orchards, where trees are put under increased stress from extreme weather events. These are messages the environment sends to tell us that a delicate balance is being disturbed. But this is not the end of the story. 📖

Today, World Environment Day 2026 focuses on climate change and what we choose to do in response. The UN Environment Programme’s global campaign calls on all of us to step in . One way to act now is to join or support your local community orchard. 🍐

Community orchards play a key role in making cities cooler, safer and greener. Creating healthy ecosystems from the soil up by growing food forests in cityscapes brings vital shade from extreme temperatures (cooling cities by up to 4°C), stores carbon and reduces climate risks while protecting biodiversity. 🐛

Our new strategic plan for 2026-2031 responds to the climate crisis by making sure urban community orchards are supported to improve food system resilience, biodiversity and social equity for all.

You can read our full five-year plan here: https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/about-us/strategy/

📸Omari Taylor

03/06/2026

The Orchard Project, in partnership with Street Trees for Living, has just launched a new community programme, The Tree Line, supported by the Mayor of London's Green Roots Fund.

Over the next two years, we’ll be working with local communities and partners across South London to bring more trees into neighbourhoods where they are needed the most, and provide training and support for local people to look after them.

The project aims to create new green corridors that will improve air quality and bring much-needed shade and beauty to local streets and community spaces.

A key focus will be investment in community skills and training, including delivering our accredited Level 1 Award in Managing Community Orchards. This training will prioritise young people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds who have historically had unequal access to London's green spaces, and those not currently in employment, training and education.

The project supports the aims of the Greater London Authority's London Urban Forest Partnership by contributing to the expansion, protection and long-term stewardship of London’s Urban Forest.

Read more via the link in comments.

01/06/2026

Do you know an amazing community orchard volunteer who goes above and beyond to create a thriving, welcoming space for everyone? To celebrate National Volunteer Week (1-7 June) we want to highlight the often-unsung heroes who give so much to their communities.

Last year we launched our Community Orchard Volunteer of the Year award, which had such a lovely response that we decided to run it again this year. The winners - Genevieve from Merton Growing Spaces and Mary from Hatcham Gardens - were shining examples of the kind of people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make these spaces so special.

Anyone you nominate simply needs to be involved in an orchard The Orchard Project has helped to improve or create, and willing to have their photo and first name shared on our communications channels.

And as a small token of our thanks for all the volunteer hours they put in, one lucky winner and runner-up will receive a plant-themed prize.

Just let us know who you would nominate for Community Orchard Volunteer of the Year and why by filling out a short form before 30 June 2026 👉 https://form.jotform.com/261472033112039https://form.jotform.com/261472033112039

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31/05/2026

Have you ever tried to grow your favourite plant only to find it fails every time? It might not be anything you’re doing wrong - it could be it’s just not right for your soil.

Taking a permaculture approach to our growing space encourages us to work with what we’ve got, rather than try to change it to suit us. Pippa Chapman, a guest tutor on our popular Award in Forest Gardening Course, shows how to easily test your soil to see which plants will naturally thrive there and which might struggle.

In this video she explains that you don’t need to spend money on fancy soil testers and offers three simple ways to test your soil for free.

Some plants don’t care much about your soil and will grow anywhere, but others are a lot more fussy! Knowing your soil type means you can make the right decisions from the start, potentially saving a lot of effort and potential heartbreak later on.

Along with Pippa’s video, we also have a soil indicator plant list which you might find useful. Soil science is taught on our accredited orcharding course, and gives an insight into what the plants growing naturally in your space are already telling us about the growing conditions.

Pippa's video 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na6CGbGaU9Q

Soil indicator list 👉https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Soil-Science-Indicator-Plants.pdf

📷️ svklimkin/Flickr

29/05/2026

In a sweltering heatwave, trees in planters or pots need some extra TLC as the soil can dry out more quickly. Urban trees are even more vulnerable as cities experience more intense heat than rural areas. ☀️

The beautiful planters pictured here are at Danygraig Primary School in Swansea, where our project manager Kate led the children and teachers in fruit tree planting earlier this year through Swansea Council’s Local Places for Nature grant. Watering fruit trees is an essential part of orchard care, as the children demonstrated so beautifully. 🫗

During periods of intense heat your local community orchards may need more volunteers than usual to keep their trees watered. Why not reach out to your local urban orchard to offer a helping hand? 💦

Our guide to watering fruit trees gives advice for watering young and established fruit trees and locking moisture in the soil. Learn all about it here https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/guides_and_advice/watering-fruit-trees/

27/05/2026

Our new five-year strategic plan, launched today (27 May), imagines a future where community orchards are recognised as essential community infrastructure within healthier, more climate resilient towns and cities.

Under the key priority themes of: Biodiversity and Climate Resilience, Equity and Community Empowerment and Stewardship and Sustainable Food, it sets us on course to ensure that community orchards play a prominent role in improving food system resilience, biodiversity, and social equity.

“Community orchards can be far more than simply places where fruit grows,” says The Orchard Project’s CEO Kath Rosen. “They can be hubs for climate and local food resilience, biodiversity, learning and connection, rooted in the idea that healthier communities are built together, from the ground up.

“In the last 17 years we’ve learnt a lot. We’ve taken a seedling of an idea of a capital city covered in fruit trees to branch out into the UK’s leading organisation for supporting community orchards and urban fruit growing. In that time we’ve helped communities to create and improve over 720 orchards.

“But there is so much more that we want to do, and that urgently needs to be done.”

Here’s a little insight into some of what we’re imagining for the UK’s community orchards in five years' time:

🪲 More high-quality orchard habitats created and conserved across the UK, locking in carbon, cleaning the air, improving the soil, providing shade, and reducing water run off, while supporting sustainable food growing and wildlife.

🍎 Community orchards play an increasing role in strengthening local food resilience by helping communities access, grow, share and value locally produced fruit. 85% of these orchards are in high deprivation areas of our towns and cities.

🌱 Greater social equity through creating more accessible pathways into environmental skills, training, leadership and employment for communities disproportionately affected by inequality, poor access to green space and the impacts of climate change. The benefits of greener, healthier and more resilient neighbourhoods are shared more fairly.

🌳 Increased public engagement with orchards as places of climate action, local food resilience and long-term systemic change, with more people experiencing the wellbeing benefits of nature, food growing and shared community spaces.

🏙️ Orchards are recognised in more local, regional and national plans and funding for supporting these vital spaces increases.

Read the full report 👉https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Strategic-Plan-The-Orchard-Project-2026-2031.pdf

25/05/2026

We had an amazing time at RHS Garden Wisley for the initial session of our new Certificate in Community Orcharding Course (CICO).

It's always exciting to meet our students for the first time, as they come with such energy and enthusiasm for getting the most out of their time with us.

Our education and training manager Jo is leading this course, and was joined by freelancer Mary, who has recently completed our consultant development programme. Students explored everything from tree ID to local apple cultivars, and even learnt that agricultural labourers used to be paid in cider!

Covering everything from surveying, design and holistic orchard management to managing veteran trees, apple and tree ID, soil science, planting, pruning and grafting, our students will be well-versed in everything they need by the end of the course.

Based in the new Greener Skills Garden, we're teaching just a few minutes' walk from the beautiful veteran orchard and the World Food Garden.

Find out more about our CICO courses 👉 https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/what-we-do/cico/

22/05/2026

On International Day for Biological Diversity, we want to celebrate one of the best ways you can bring biodiversity to your orchard or garden: a pond! 🐸

Even a small pond can bring a wide diversity of wildlife into the orchard, including the obvious – amphibians - but also birds, mammals and invertebrates will all be drawn in. It’s a biodiverse utopia!

Welsh project manager, Witchhazel, has been busy working with Cae Tân CSA in Swansea to create a pond in their community forest garden.

In our latest blog, Witchhazel takes us through a step-by-step guide to designing, planning and creating your own wildlife pond habitat.

Read all about the process of pond-making here 👇️
https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/blog/how-to-create-a-biodiverse-pond-habitat/

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21/05/2026

🌱 Today is Outdoor Classroom Day! We’re celebrating with the launch of our new schools resources, designed to make it easier for teachers to take learning outdoors.

Covering everything from forest bathing to pollination, these curriculum-linked lesson plans offer a step-by-step guide to engaging children at both primary and secondary level.

They have been developed as part of our three-year Children and Young People’s Programme, which has included a review of our existing schools resources. We commissioned Oases, specialists in outdoor education, to co-develop a new digital package of lesson plans with us, alongside guidance to give teachers confidence to take learning out of the classroom. This included talking to schools we already work with to understand their needs.

The lesson plans cover a range of curriculum areas, including maths, science, geography and business, with topics such as Harvest Time (primary numeracy), Living Soil (primary science), Mapping the Orchard (cross-curricular primary), Fruitful Enterprise (secondary business), and Growing Locally (secondary humanities and environment).

Our thanks go to the Julia Rausing Trust and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation for helping to fund the creation of these resources.

You can explore the 10 primary and nine secondary lesson plans, along with introductory guidance, here 👉 https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/school_lesson_plans/

📷️ Cal Holland

18/05/2026

Check out how the Stoneyfields Park Community Orchard is getting on! 🌳

This lovely new community orchard was planted in Barnet, London back in February and includes apple, pear, plum, sweet chestnut and mulberry trees.

Volunteers have been taking excellent care of the trees and regularly litter picking the area to protect the biodiverse creatures that are already making the new orchard habitats their home. Our team returned to the orchard last month to help add some beautiful herbs and flowers to the site. 🌱

This orchard is drawing in more and more people with its community spirit. There was delicious Lebanese food for all the volunteers to share, which attracted other parkgoers to find out more about this wonderful space.

We also had some very enthusiastic young orchardists and Earthwatch Europe citizen scientists helping with the planting and finding worms! 🪱

The Orchard Project

05/06/2026

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