Maidenhead & Windsor

Two mini-orchards are to be planted in public areas in a bid to make the Royal Windsor and Maidenhead Borough even greener, improve sustainability and help reintroduce the traditional British orchard.

Ockwells Park in Maidenhead and Vansittart recreation ground in Windsor will each benefit from 24 apple trees, to be planted next week.

Apple trees are also being planted in Windsor and Maidenhead schools after an offer of three each was extended to every borough school and accepted by 25. Advice has been provided on where and how to plant the trees, and how to manage and prune them, and it is now down to each school, and especially the pupils, to roll up their sleeves and get them in the ground.

According to the Tree Council - which is leading the celebration of National Tree Week from 25 November to 6 December - traditional British orchards have become a nationally scarce resource over the last 50 years and Britain now imports nearly twice as many apples from abroad as are grown here.

Cllr Simon Dudley, lead member for Windsor and Maidenhead adult and community services, said: "It is a tragedy that we import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of apples every year when we could be growing better varieties in our own gardens, parks and schools.

"Sustainability is one of this council's key messages and by providing living lessons for our pupils and establishing these community orchards we hope we will get residents of all ages thinking about how they can reduce their food miles."

The trees, all British species, were chosen for their variety in terms of cropping, colour, flavour and resistance to frost or disease.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead