Sheffield urban orchard is off to a great start

Great Places Community Development Co-Ordinator Phillip Walker planting a fruit tree at Maltravers Terrace Community Orchard with local volunteers Benjamin Shooter (13), Benul Rathnam (12), Ewan Page, Joseph Shooter (9) and Bevin Rathnam (6).

credit: leeboswellphotography.com — Great Places Community Development Co-Ordinator Phillip Walker planting a fruit tree at Maltravers Terrace Community Orchard with local volunteers Benjamin Shooter (13), Benul Rathnam (12), Ewan Page, Joseph Shooter (9) and Bevin Rathnam (6). credit: leeboswellphotography.com

The beginnings of a city orchard have been planted by residents along with representatives of local organisations.

Grow Sheffield was there to give guidance on caring for the orchard, sited in what was previously wasted space.

Residents are keen to have somewhere that they can grow healthy food, and hope to use the orchard for both education and play purposes.

With this in mind, Great Places, Best Start and the Manor and Castle Development Trust linked up with with Grow Sheffield and Trees for Cities to plant 30 fruit trees.

The community orchard got underway on February 25 in Maltravers Terrace, with refreshments provided for all parties who got involved.

Best Start is a lottery-funded project which helps families in deprived areas. A full consultation was held earlier with local residents, to find out exactly how they wanted the space used.

Sheffield has more trees than any other city in Western Europe, and the fruit from trees that are untended can go to waste. Grow Sheffield works to use such fruit and share it out across communities, or make it in to jams or pickles for people to keep and use throughout the year.

Great Places Housing Group is one of the largest housing associations in the north of England and has supported housing at the heart of its work. The group has helped over 2,300 vulnerable people across the north west region and Yorkshire to date.