A COMMUNITY orchard for Woodrow and Greenlands is on the way to becoming a reality after being featured in the Redditch Standard and online last week.
We told how local resident Emma Marshall had dreamt of setting up the orchard to benefit everyone in the area.
She received the blessing of Redditch Borough Council and a patch of land off Woodrow North was allocated, but there was also the issue of raising £250 in ‘seed’ money to get the scheme in the ground.
Before Emma knew what was happening the Mayfly pub on Studley Road offered to hold a fundraiser, donations and offers of help from residents started to pour in and then County Councillor Pattie Hill (Lab, Arrow Valley West) also offered to help using money from her divisional funds.
“It’s really fantastic – I couldn’t believe the response and it’s so good that people want to get involved,” said the mum of four.
She’s hoping that if enough money comes in she can but not only 20 trees but stakes to hold them straight and protective netting to keep rabbits at bay.
“The Mayfly have said they will cover any shortfall and want to do things in the future too,” said Emma.
“I’ve also received lots of offers of help and I’ll be drawing up posters to tell people what’s going on as well as using our Facebook link.”
The hope is that by getting schools and the community involved the orchard will prosper without fear of vandalism as it is recognised as a public asset.
For details on how to get involved search for Woodrow and Greenlands Community Orchard on Facebook.
