New community orchards for Whitworth

Apple, plum and cherry trees have been planted in Whitworth

Amidst the cold weather and Tier 3 restrictions in December, Whitworth in Bloom - accompanied by members of the local community - planted orchards throughout the village.

With funding from Lancashire Environmental Fund, a large variety of apple, plum and cherry trees now adorn the council owned area of Waingap woods, near Lobden, as well as in Britannia and at Healey corner.

The team from Whitworth in Bloom followed the national guidelines given for tree planting, considering the current Coronavirus pandemic.

To allow for safe social distancing, timed slots were allocated to members of the community who wanted to dedicate a tree to someone special or in memoriam. Small wooden circles were provided for members to write on, with the tree type pyrographed on the opposite side.

The volunteers have plans to involve many more community groups in the development, maintenance and harvesting of the trees - something to look forward to on the other side of Covid-19. 

The Lancashire Environmental Fund is a partnership between SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd, Lancashire County Council, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and Community Futures. It is supported financially by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd, Lancashire County Council and various third-party funders.

Organisations can apply for funding for environmental and community initiatives which benefit the environment and people of Lancashire. Projects to date have included improvement to community facilities, environmental education, creation and management of habitats, improvements to parks, gardens, open spaces and play areas, canals and rivers and biodiversity, and more.

For further information about the fund visit www.lancsenvfund.org.uk