News

City orchard to bear fruit

Lucie Nield and friends from Crab Lane Primary planting at Ashenhurst Common.
A COMMUNITY orchard is to be planted as part of Manchester council's bid to bring 'fruit to the people'.

Nine orchards are either growing or planned for Higher Blackley, helping to meet the council's target of planting four orchard or fruit groves a year.

The latest, at Ashenhurst Common, Higher Blackley, will have apple, pear and plum trees. Council teams, helped by children from Crab Lane Junior School and local councillors, will plant 80 young saplings. Twelve larger trees have already been put into the ground and should start bearing fruit within two years.

Once established, fruit trees require little attention and will be maintained by the Irk Valley Warden, allowing local people to walk around the orchard, enjoying the space and collecting fruit as wanted.

A similar sized orchard has been established on nearby Tweedle Common, another big orchard is planned for the site of the former golf course, a smaller orchard has been established at the junction of Bank House Road and Plant Hill Road, and another five are either in use or planned.

A council spokesman said: "The fruit also provides the 'green' option. Picked on the day it couldn't be fresher and unlike shop goods, will incur no transport or storage costs."

Coun Richard Cowell said: "A community orchard offers easy access to free fruit, and contributes to the sense of community that comes with sharing a local resource.

"This project is a huge success on Tweedle Common and we hope to replicate it around the city."

Ward councillor Ken Barnes said: "This new orchard will give us two of a significant size. There will be apple trees and pear and plum trees."

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It is a sweet idea, I have had conversations with friends that have reminisced of times when they were young and they went to the orchard to collect fruit it is a nice memory. All I remember is tenement blocks and canals and the odd half eaten apple thrown on the floor that was discarded after buying it from the shop.

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