Blaenau Gwent

As part of their Natural Neighbourhoods Project, Blaenau Gwent Local Nature Partnership planned to create nine new community orchards across the borough. A community orchard group was established to manage these. They also provided members of the public with new fruit trees for their gardens or allotments.

To increase biodiversity on former amenity grasslands and areas of low conservation concern, it was agreed to install nine new community orchards. These orchards would include underplanting with wildflower seed, hedgerow creation and the installation of insect / pollinator homes to support the wider biodiversity of the site.

Of the 9 sites identified, 5 were owned by Tai Calon Housing Association, 3 were owned by Blaenau Gwent CBC and the remaining site was split between both Tai Calon and Blaenau Gwent CBC. All were managed as amenity grassland with regular mowing and little diversity. Some had existing large trees which were to be left.

Eight of the orchards have taken well and have had no damage. One site has had some of the saplings uprooted in an act of vandalism, but has now been re-planted.

A number of fruit trees were also distributed to community groups, allotments and members of the public.

Volunteers as part of the community orchard group have been trained up in fruit tree management and orchard management to maintain the new orchards going forward.

There were some challenges. Land permissions were difficult to obtain for Blaenau Gwent LNP as many were managed for amenity green space, and there were some queries in regard to the change of land use and future management. By setting up the community orchard group they have worked around these issues.

On Tai Calon’s estates they were concerned about pushback from residents, but after some community liaison with Tai Calon’s ground team, no issues arose.

Some misinformation exists around the creation of community orchards in the area, primarily around rats and vermin being drawn in by excess fruits. Making sure that the community orchard group was set up to help manage the trees and collect the excess fruit to be processed was vital in securing public support. Grassroots community work was very effective at promoting the benefit of community orchards.

The community orchard group includes volunteers from a number of community groups, principally Sirhowy Hill Woodlands CIC, the lead organisation in the group. Without the hard work of these groups the orchard project would not have been as successful.

Going forward, the group will manage the fruit trees in a way that is sustainable. Sirhowy woodlands have much of the equipment needed to process the excess fruit, which they sell to the public, meaning that costs incurred in the management of these sites are covered by the income generated from selling the fruit juice.

All those who live and work in the immediate area of these new orchards will benefit from an improved landscape around them. As the trees mature, they will bear fruit for the community, as well as providing shade in the hotter months.