Tyfu Orchards: Wales
Our Welsh orchards project, Tyfu Orchards (Let's Grow, Orchards) aims to empower nearly 2,000 children and young people to enhance their natural environments through the establishment of school orchards.
The two year project launched in eight schools in October 2010 and is being run by Learning through Landscapes Cymru, the Welsh charity working to ensure that every child benefits from stimulating and memorable outdoor learning and play.
'We take in some of the most vulnerable children in the city, many are socially disadvantaged and can not access gardens at home. Work like this is invaluable to developing their independent living skills, establishing stronger community links and developing a collective sense of pride and self-worth.' Head of Meadowbank special school, Cardiff
Our eight participating schools are: Ton yr Ywen Primary, Grangetown Primary and Meadowbank School in Cardiff; Bryntirion comprehensive in Bridgend; Gaer Junior School, Millbrook Primary and St Julian's Learning Development Centre in Newport; and Ysgol Gymraeg y Ffin in Monmouthshire.
Together, we'll be growing 100 Welsh variety trees - fruity beauties like Bardsey, Bakers Delicious, Cissy, St. Cecilia, Afal pig aderyn, Channel Beauty, Afal Pren Glas, Marged Nicolas, Sunset and Discovery. Children will research their local fruit varieties, link with and visit local orchards, and prepare and run community Apple Day celebrations based on their own research.
Along the way, children and young people at our eight schools will work with members of their local communities to explore themes of local distinctiveness, culture and history, local food production, biodiversity and sustainability. This will help to develop further inspirational learning opportunities and ensure that school orchards flourish for years to come.
What’s more, we’ll be using the experiences of our eight schools to inspire and guide schools throughout Wales by sharing ideas, lessons learned and resources on the Tyfu Orchards pages of this site, set for launch in March 2011. To access resources on the cultures, traditions and biodiversity of Wales’ orchards as well as Welsh language ‘How To’ fruit tree care and maintenance downloads....watch this space!
In the meantime, our schools are each receiving an orchard starter pack which includes local variety apple boxes and tasting notes from the National Fruit Collection; a taster selection of James White juices; Common Ground Apple Maps and Community Orchard Handbooks and Garden Organic’s Fruit-full Schools ‘How To’ tree planting, care and maintenance guides.
Schools will be supported throughout by Learning through Landscapes’ Tyfu Orchards coordinators and will receive additional training and inspiration from our expert partners, the Federation of City Farms and Gardens and the Gwent Wildlife Trust.
In turn, our Tyfu Orchards coordinators will draw on support from the national Fruit-full Schools partnership led by Learning through Landscapes. Garden Organic will provide technical advice in tree care. Common Ground brings unrivalled knowledge of traditional fruit varieties, local distinctiveness and our wealth of customs and festivals.
Tyfu Orchards is delivered with the generous support of the Countryside Council for Wales and the Triodos Foundation. We are currently seeking funds to extend our Tyfu Orchards programme to even more Welsh schools. Please get in touch with Chloe Atkins at catkins@ltl.org.uk if you would be interested in helping to develop Tyfu Orchards into a nationwide programme of school orchard activity!
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