South Woodford Society member Louise Burgess invites you to help plant – and name – the community orchard, and advises how we can all support the group’s work in 2021
We are pleased to announce that we will be planting out the first fruit trees in the South Woodford Community Orchard (at the corner of Primrose Road and Mulberry Way) in January or February, so please look out for news of the date if you want to help. Apple and cherry trees have been ordered and a black mulberry tree will be planted later in the year.
We also have cardoons, lilies, herbs, a grape vine and soft fruits to plant. The existing greenery will be cut back to make space for the new planting and paths are also planned. A suggested design for the orchard is shown here, with the paths and possible new entrances, created by native north architects. If you’d like to join us on planting day, please get in touch. The South Woodford Community Orchard is a rather unwieldy name, however, and we are keen to hear suggestions for better monikers. What about Mulberry Gardens? Let us know your ideas for our new forest garden.
The yet-to-be named orchard is one of the Grow Zones (areas where grass is left to grow long over summer and naturalise with wild flowers) identified by Redbridge Council to increase the wildlife and biodiversity of the area. These Grow Zones can help to create wildlife corridors, and the orchard will add to the original zones already established in Wanstead. Redbridge Council is also working on a policy to create a plan for managing and improving greenery across the borough.
Our plans for a recycled container storage on the site, and even more ambitious plans for the regreening of South Woodford (including a green wall beside the bridge over the A406), are other proposals for which we are continuing to raise funds.
One way you can help us raise some funds is to make sure you are a member of the Co-op, and ensure you select South Woodford Society as your local cause – 2p out of every £1 spent now goes into our funding pot, at no cost to shoppers.
You can also help us raise funds by signing up for the new Redbridge Local Lottery. Once you register, you can purchase a monthly amount (or one-off payments from a minimum of five weeks upwards). The Society will receive 60p from every £1 spent, and you are in with a chance of winning £25,000 every month!
Finally, we’ve recently changed our website address, and it now appears as ‘.org’, along with a new design and updated pages. Please have a look and let us know what you think.
For more information on any of these projects and to get involved in future work, contact the South Woodford Society. Email e18society@gmail.com or visit southwoodfordsociety.org
