Fruitful Communities

This is the event for anyone interested in community orchards and gardens in Wakefield & Leeds areas.

Registration is essential. Please use the green register button at the top of this page.

Join the event on Facebook for more updates.

Programme

10:00 Registration and refreshments

10:30 Welcome from the Mayor of Wakefield and introduction to the day.

10:45 Short pitches from 15 orchard groups for up to £400 and voted on by other orchard carers in the Wakefield & Leeds areas.

11:50 Wakefield groups pitch for community orchard starter pack.

12:00 Lunch provided by a Rainbow Junktion Cafe. And first chance to play with new 3D orchard design kit.

12:50 Pam Warhurst (Incredible Edible Todmorden)

1:20 workshops:
5 golden rules of composting - Mark Warner (Plate2Plate Compost)
Setting up a community powered cider enterprise - Dan Hasler
Fruit trees: propagation; planting; pampering; pruning; picking & processing; people to help - Alan Thornton

2:00 workshops:
Putting the COMMUNITY back into Community Orchards - Selina Paget & Jean Margetts
Pesky Pests and Fabulous Fruit - Clifford Cain
How to get an Incredible Edible group going and growing - Andy Austerfield

2:50 workshops:
Gleaning the urban fruit forest - lessons from Toronto - Not Far From the Tree
What helps to make a successful Apple Day event - Sarah Green & Sue Nichol (Wrenthorpe Community Orchard)

3:30 Celebration of results of vote, next steps, thanks and departures

Mark Simmonds will available to share advice on co-operative and community enterprise.

Fruitful Communities is organised by The Orchard Project and Incredible Edible Wakefield, with the support of Feed Leeds.

In the morning we will be hearing proposals from community orchard groups around the Leeds & Wakefield areas requesting up to £400 to help run an orchard event or maintain/ improve their orchard.

Orchard groups will have 4 minutes to convince the audience, of other orchard carers, that they deserve a share of the £3500 on offer. The winning groups will be decided by audience vote on the day.

We will also hear from community groups in the Wakefield district pitching for an orchard starter pack of 10 fruit trees (and all the guards, posts, ties, mulch, etc needed).

In the afternoon we will be learning from experts with great ideas to make orchards, community gardens and the area more fruitful and edible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does my commmunity orchard request some funds? Full infomation and proposal form is here.

Is this event for community gardens as well as orchards? Yes! It's just most of our funding is for orchards. But there's so much overlap we didn't want seperate events!

Do I have to stay for the whole day? No! You are busy people so come for the parts you can.

Travel: Wakefield College is central to the city and is only 5 minutes walk from Wakefield Westgate train station and Wakefild Bus Station. There is free cycle and car parking behind the building. Map

Food: The Real Junk Food Project will be providing a delicious vegetarian and vegan lunch. If you have specific dietary requirements please get in touch.

Cost: The Fruitful Communities event is free to people involved in groups caring for community gardens and orchards in the Leeds or Wakefield areas. Everyone else is welcome but needs to book and make a £10 contribution towards the costs of lunch and the day.

Childcare: We are not providing childcare. If this means you are unable to attend and participate please talk to Alan on 07730 216943 to see what we can do.

Access to participation: The venue is wheelchair accessible. It doesn't have a Hearing Induction Loop avaiable. If you have specific requirements to help you participate fully please let postmaster@incredible-edible-wakefield.co.uk or alan@theorchardproject.org.uk know.

Questions: The event is being coordinated by Alan Thornton (the Helping Britain Blossom project manager for Leeds) and Andy Austerfield (Incredible Edible Wakefield). Contact them at postmaster@incredible-edible-wakefield.co.uk (07971 098510) or alan@theorchardproject.org.uk (07730 216943), and preferably by phone.

FAQs

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No.