It’s all about people!
Our vision is to link children, communities, businesses, and landowners to plant fruit trees across Scotland for our Fruitful Future. Part of the vision is also to support a self reliant and confident people who can do this themselves. It takes spades and dirty hands and good will. There’s been a lot of progress since we launched the Commonwealth Orchard in the East end of Glasgow back at the start of 2009 - and many orchards across Scotland are being planned.
To attain our dream of the Commonwealth Orchard - people of all sorts, all ages - children, parents, teachers, developers, fruit eaters, gardeners, councillors, diplomats, business people and volunteers, landowners, architects and designers, cooks and bees, grandparents and greengrocers, all have a part to play. We value the contribution people have made so far, and part of the joy of the Commonwealth Orchard has been the unintended benefits - the friendships, the links between people coming together to plant together. Not planting their own fruit tree - but planting a little bit of a much bigger orchard - linked to neighbours and linking up so all Scotland as one big orchard shared by everyone.
The word “Commonwealth” is an interesting one. Its roots are to do with Common Good and Commonweal - an old Scots word to do with the well being of the whole community. It’s a very democratic and self reliant concept and is about resilient communities working to improve the lives of their own people.
Please see the Fruitful Scotland newsletter - this is developing as the voice of people interested in fruit growing and the wider ideas of creating a healthier and more self reliant Scotland. Please contribute your ideas and news from across a Fruitful Scotland.
It’s all about people. People to plant, to prune, to pick and to enjoy sharing the fruit of the trees. Please help make a Fruitful Scotland.
Download the COMMONWEALTH ORCHARD brochure here
If what we say resonates with you, it’s that we are branches on the same tree.
Please join us - download the relevant form and return to address or email below
Joining for schools, nurseries and groups like scouts, guides and others.
Joining up for landowners, developers, businesses and sponsors
John Hancox
Director
The Commonwealth Orchard
75 Clouston St
Glasgow
0778 606 3918
Fruitful Scotland Scottish Fruit trees for schools and communities
www.scottishfruittrees.com and www.fruitfulschool.com
Commonwealth Heritage & Scottish Fruit Trees
We supply high quality and delicious fruit trees of a good size, well adapted for the Scottish climate. Apple trees are on either M26 or MMIO6 rootstock ((semi-dwarfing) available for deliver from late Nov 2011 at the start of the tree planting season. We do not recommend more dwarfing varieties for Scotland as they lack the necessary robustness to thrive. Pears and Plums will also be supplied on semi dwarfing rootstock. Trees will be available Nov – March but ordering as soon as is highly recommended to ensure best selection and an early delivery. Please phone or email first to check availability)
Trees cost £15.00 per tree. Larger orders (over 50 trees) may be priced individually. Stakes, Ties, Labels and other supplies can be supplied with order for customers collecting. Trees can be collected from Glasgow – larger orders can be delivered by arrangement. Postage and packing £15 per bundle of up to 8 trees. Please contact us, for help with stock selection and other queries.
Orders should be prepaid prior to release of goods. Send Complete Order form with cheque payable to “The Children’s Orchard.” 75 Clouston St, Glasgow G20 8QW, 0778 606 3918 John@commonwealthorchard.com
INTRODUCTORY OFFER Valid until Feb 2012 – SCOTTISH ORCHARD KIT Our selection of 8 delicious fruit trees (4 apple, 2 plum, 2 Pears, plus planting instructions) suitable for Scottish gardens, schools and community groups – only £119, Inc P&P / Special 6 tree orchard £99 inc P&P
You might also be interested in how orchards fit with climate change as well as building fruitful communities - see attached
A fruitful Scotland – John Hancox
In the past few years, through my work with the Commonwealth Orchard, I’ve has been encouraging planting of trees and orchards across Scotland, and I’m delighted to be able to say that it’s an idea that is literally now, bearing fruit.
We have been involved in planting over 150 school orchards and dozens of community orchards amounting to thousands of trees. One of the interesting aspects of this is also how the planting of an initial orchard has led in various places to other grow your own initiatives. A good example is the Urban Roots project in south Glasgow, which evolved from an orchard planting undertaken in 2007.
I was struck at a recent Scottish Orchards Gathering by some research quoted by John Butterworth, which shows that the most significant thing people can do to reduce their carbon footprint, is to grow some of their own food. Apart from reducing food miles it also leads people to changing their behaviour, and to reducing waste. And I find from my point of view is it’s fun!
My interest in the contribution that orchard planting can make to reducing carbon output was increased when I was working with Dr Jim Paterson, who was working on a CCF funded orchard project in Tarbert,on the West Coast of Scotland. We supplied around 300 trees – selected to be suitable for the climate, and including many heritage varieties – and gave advice on planting a formative pruning. This year Jim has also added to this to create an Entire Kintyre Orchard - a great idea and I can see lots more regional orchards like this happening.
Jim said, “ For us, the Community Orchard project was extremely successful – and it really the key that opened the door to the community. People suddenly got really interested in the CCF project – it wasn’t just a couple of guys in beards monitoring energy use – it was a real winner in terms of getting people involved. Even months later we are still getting emails about the fruit trees and there’s a lot of competition between people how much fruit they are getting on their trees. It’s been an extremely positive part of the project – great value for money – and giving back a great deal more than just fruit. It’s really got people involved and talking.
Tarbert Orchard worked on the basis that trees could go where the community wanted them – the doctors surgery, the local school and various gardens. The Tarbert Orchard has helped to galvanise a small community on the west coast, but that is just a start. The popularity of the orchard project has led on to more ambitious plans for an Entire Kintyre Orchard – which links neatly into the bigger plans of Scottish Orchards to create a patchwork of orchards across Scotland.
This is of course just one of dozens of similar projects across Scotland. Jim’s calculations show that the Tarbert Orchard will reduce carbon emissions by tons, and also produce tonnes of delicious local healthy food in the process. It’s carbon reductions that are good enough to eat. It’s fun, and it’s a key to a fruitful future.
If you’d like to find out more – Jim Paterson’s report is on the www.scottishorchards.com website – and if you’d like help in developing your local orchard project, sourcing trees, or training on fruitful skills contact John Hancox, 0778 606 3918
