Growing Together: Creating a community orchard for all

The project looks to bring together people from across the community and remove barriers to people engaging with their local nature; through wildlife, culture, music and food. Resulting in a community orchard being created in the heart of a community, for all of the community.

Growing together has grown from a partnership between Merton Council, May Project Gardens, Merton Tree Wardens and Merton Friends of the Earth.

The project will give people the opportunity to find a new appreciation of wildlife, a sense of pride and achievement in their area, and a chance to socialise their neighbours. The planting event will leave a lasting legacy of habitat improvement and increasing habitat and food sources that will enhance the wellbeing of those visiting the playing fields and enable a greater diversity of wildlife to thrive. The project looks to inspire and encourage respect for wildlife and act sustainably. The project will connect the community and give them a sense of ownership of the underutilised site.

Through the environmental improvement of the site, it will be able to support greater biodiversity. It also supports other environmental improvement works within the area adding to the green corridor and environmental network of the surrounding area, forming part of our Green Hubs Project.

For more information, to volunteer or to be part of the project please contact francesca@habitatsandheritage.org.uk or check out our What’s On page to see the projects’ summer activities programm