Calling all the #HardGrafters of Cheadle... and beyond.
Have you seen, have you heard? We're helping to co-manage the community orchard in Abney Hall Park. All part of our multi-year partnership with Stockport Council and The Friends of Abney Hall Park.
In April we're looking for some #HardGrafters to train in the not-so-dark art of fruit tree propagation. The much-misunderstood green-fingered skill of taking a 'rootstock' (bred for its size, vigour and disease resistance) and a 'scion' (a cutting of a fruit tree you want to clone) and fusing them together with a few quick cuts and some specialist tape. Sounds easy right? Under our expert tuition, it really is!
This special one-off session will see you walk away with at least two fruit trees to take home and possibly more towards our total target of 400 this spring.
Location
Abney Cafe, Newlands House, Newland Rd, Cheadle SK8 2BD
Parking
Come on public transport, foot or cycle if you can. There is ample parking at the cafe too.
Background to our Partnership
Stockport's Community Orchards Need You!
We're on a mission to partner with community orchardists across Stockport to help them plant, restore and celebrate all things fruity!
We're funded by Stockport Council to train new volunteer 'Orchard Apprentices' over the coming years, using existing community orchard sites as training grounds for year-round maintenance and celebration. This year our focus is on a partnership with The Friends of Tangshutt and Sustainable Living Romiley plus our other site with The Friends of Abney Hall Park.
All our partners and co-hosts have active groups, which you may also want to consider joining, who work tirelessly to keep these green spaces havens for biodiversity and for the public to enjoy.
Our training offer is an opportunity for anyone over 18+ who wants to learn new horticultural skills both in community orchards and optionally our commercial growing sites. Or for those who are already green-fingered and want to brush up their knowledge of fruit tree management to take back to their own garden or their local community orchard. Giving you valuable skills and knowledge for a career in the green sector. In total, it's approximately 4-6 days of volunteer commitment (more if you want it), mostly on weekends and evenings and optionally Friday daytimes*.
We only use professional horticulture tools from brands such as Niwaki, Silky and Opinel. You are welcome to bring your own gardening gloves and clean secateurs if you have them. A full safety briefing will be given at the start of the session. We have a limited number of left-handed tools too!
To find out more email hello@mcrfruittreecoop.com
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Age Limit
Due to the nature of our work we are only insured work with those over 18. However, younger children are allowed to accompany you if supervised. We will be using very sharp grafting knives but also have a limited number of easy-to-use grafting tools too.
