Red Rose Forest has joined forces with the Helping Britain Blossom project to help create and restore orchards across Greater Manchester.
The new partnership will work alongside our Heritage Trees project which was set up this year to record, celebrate and protect our local trees, woodlands, orchards and hedgerows.
Dan Hasler from the Helping Britain Blossom team will be based at our Salford offices and will be working in the coming months to help budding entrepreneurs to turn orchards and wild fruit into blossoming businesses. He will also be helping local communities to discover the old, lost and hidden orchards in their neighbourhoods - as well as planting new ones.
Dan will be launching the Manchester Helping Britain Blossom project at Hulme Community Garden Centre’s autumnal Apple and Pumpkin Day on Sunday, October 25th between 11am and 5pm.
The event offers a chance to meet Dan and find out more about the project and how you can get involved.
There will also be sessions on the joys of orchard fruit - including live cooking demonstrations, juicing, games and talks. Meanwhile, special guests will share their secrets for turning orchards and wild fruits into profitable and sustainable business ventures.
Helping Britain Blossom* has already carried out similar projects in London, Herefordshire, Birmingham, Leeds and Scotland.
Dan said: “Come along and tell us your fruit based business ideas. It will be like Dragon’s Den but without the wads of cash and nasty feedback! Our ambition is to help the next wave of fruity folk to turn their dreams of creating great local products from fruit into reality. It’s about supporting groups to harvest their orchard fruit and set up micro-enterprises to unlock the potential of their bountiful harvests.
“We also want to help local communities to make the most of the orchards which already exist in their neighbourhoods but which have perhaps become old, lost or forgotten. We want to restore them to their former glory and help people to use and enjoy them again as nature intended! and we’ll be planting some new orchards along the way.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the Red Rose Forest Heritage Trees team on this exciting project.”
To find out more about Helping Britain Blossom news, events, training and orchard activity near you CLICK HERE
Or you can contact Dan to find out more about the project on (0161) 872 1660 or email dan@theurbanorchardproject.org
You can also keep up to date via @HelpBritBloss on twitter or the Facebook page facebook.com/helpingbritainblossom
Hulme Garden Centre is at 28 Old Birley Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 5RG.
* Helping Britain Blossom is a unique partnership between HEINEKEN UK, The Urban Orchard Project and the Bulmer Foundation, working together with many hundreds of committed, inspiring and passionate people who want to make their communities better places to live and work. Its vision is to share the magic of orchards with communities across the country by helping local people create, restore and access 100 orchards by 2017 which they can enjoy and use for good. Orchards are a powerful way to bring people together to create green spaces and build healthier, happier and more sustainable communities.
- See more at: http://www.redroseforest.co.uk/web/content/view/409/887/#sthash.YbFpOc3S...