he pictures show children at John Blow School helping to plant a couple of the twenty fruit trees that had been provided for them to form a ‘mini’ Community Orchard for the school.

As the trees are within the school grounds they are obviously not accessible to the general public, but all the produce from them will be free to the children attending the school and in that way it will be moved out into the wider community.

Head Teacher Mrs Helen Richardson said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to give the children a chance to see the whole growing process, experience the wonder of growing trees and harvesting their own fruit.”  She also added that the fruit trees were a great compliment to the kitchen garden which was now well established.

The trees were purchased from Pearson’s nursery in the village with funds that had been raised by the school, and with a donation from 2020 Green Vision.

There are also plans in hand to create a true Community Orchard in the village provided a suitable piece of land can be found.  Collingham Parish Council and the 2020 Green Vision group are cooperating closely on the project, so watch this space!