Fruitful Communities

Has your community orchard/growing space got an idea for an event in 2018?
Does your community orchard need a small amount of money to maintain it?

NEWS: Pot increased to £3500!

The Orchard Project’s “Helping Britain Blossom” project and Incredible Edible Wakefield are running a simple and fun way for you to get the funds you need to help you to run an amazing community event (eg Apple Day) and to keep your orchard looking beautiful & fruitful.
All you need to do is answer a few simple questions to be in the running to receive funding which will be decided through a public vote. At least one person in your community must be available to attend Fruitful Communities on Sat 30 June to pitch your proposal to people from other Wakefield & Leeds community orchards.
You might not think that your community growing space is an "orchard", but if it has 5 or more fruit trees we think you have an orchard!

If you are interested in starting a community orchard in the Wakefield District area, look at this opportunity.

Checklist
[_] I’m part of a community group in the Leeds or the Wakefield district that has or wants to create an edible growing space containing at least with 5 or more fruit or nut trees in a location that generally has open public access.
[_]  someone from your group can attend Fruitful Communities on Saturday 30 June at Wakfield College.
          [_]  Our group wants to run an orchard event in 2018.
    OR [_] Our group needs a small amount of money to maintain our existing community orchard.
If so then you can apply for up to £400 from Fruitful Communitiues using this simple form here. Preview the 8 questions before diving in.

Timeline
31 May: Early deadline for proposals. Free bug hotel or palace for all entries by the end of May.
20 June: Final deadline for proposals.
Sat 30 June: Frutiful communities event with 4 minute pitches from each group. Community groups from Wakefield & Leeds vote on which proposals get funded. There will also be a programme of useful workshops about how to make the most of your community food growing space.
July - December: Successful projects use the funds to run and event or improve their orchard.

Tips and hints
Remember it is other orchard carers that are going to vote on which proposals to fund. Your proposal is more likely to score well if you can show:

• it's good value for money and reasonably costed. Maybe not going for the full £400.
• your putting in some of your own time or even funds.

To start the application click on the big green NEXT button at the bottom of this page.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How much is available?
There is a total pot of £2500 (which we hope to increase), with a maximum of £400 available for each proposal.

What counts as a community orchard?
Community space with at least 5 or more fruit or nut trees in a location that generally has open public access.

Have you got any ideas for comunity events?
Apple Day in October is annual institution. here's lots ideas on the The Orchard Project website and from the thousands of events in the last decade. Blossom picnics are also increasingly popular. And there's also wassails and tree dressing.

How could we improve our community orchard?
H2Go water carrier & wheel barrow; woodchip delivery; replace a damaged tree; replacement rotten or broken stakes; adding fruit bushes; scythe for vegetation management; pruning secateurs and saws; tripod ladder for picking; telescopic fruit picker; bug hotel materials; bird boxes and bath; comfrey roots; durable noticeboard/sign; tree tags; bench; picnic blankets; hiring the Urban Harvest juicing kit; refreshments for work session volunteers; path materials; and more.

Why are you using this method?
The Fruitful Communities event is using an approach used all over the world called participatory budgeting. It is based on trusting communities or those with a stake to make good decisions about investments to make things better. Participatory Budgeting is a simple, un-bureaucratic and empowering way to distribute small sums.

We want to plant a new community orchard.
The Orchard Project’s Helping Britain Blossom project has seen us plant and restore orchards in Leeds over the last 3 years and there are now over 60. Almost everyone in the Leeds district is within walking distance of a community Orchard, but there are still a few gaps. We are now broadening our focus of orchard creation to the Wakefield district too.
The Fruitful Communities event does include a (friendly) "Dragon's Den" challenge for community groups in the Wakefield district to pitch for an orchard starter pack of 10 fruit trees (and all the guards, posts, ties, mulch, etc needed). Full details here.

What is Helping Britain Blossom?
Helping Britain Blossom is a partnership between Heineken UK and The Orchard Project, and is creating and restoring over 100 community orchards across Britain.

Disclaimer
The decisions made during the process are final. The Orchard Project and Incredible Edible Wakefield have no influence in the decision making process and is not a funding body. The autonomy lies within the process and the members that take part in the process. Incredible Edible Wakefield and The Orchard Project are neutral bodies within this process and will not be involved in resolving disputes between members.