Cheshire Landscape Trust in Runcorn launches community orchard campaign

Jul 30 2010 by Mark Smith, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

A HALTON conservation charity urgently needs unused plots of public land to safeguard the future of Cheshire’s ancient varieties of apple.

Cheshire Landscape Trust - which moved to Runcorn’s Heath Business and Technical Park in June - is appealing to parish councils, local authorities, companies and landowners who have unused strips of land ideal for apple trees to turn into ‘community orchards’.

Once the plots have been identified, the charity will launch an orchard appeal to help fund the planting and maintenance of the apple trees.

Katie Lowe, chief executive of the trust, said: “Cheshire has 33 varieties of apples but many of these are no longer grown for sale in greengrocers.

“Some varieties such as the Lord Derby, a cooking apple, can only be found in some stately home gardens.

“Sadly, orchards in Cheshire have been in decline over the past 40 years.”

The proposed site needs to be at least 40ft by 40ft and publicly accessible at all times.

For more information or to help out contact the trust by calling 01928 518018 or email cltoffice@tiscali.co.uk.