Royal Parks to create community garden and wildlife orchard

The Greenwich Park Orchard is being restored and transformed to improve its ecological value by planting native apple trees and establishing a community garden. The area will then be maintained by local residents and schools in partnership with Royal Parks' staff and volunteers.

Local school children are set to present their ideas for the future of the site to Mark Camley, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks, on 31 March 2009. This marks the culmination of an eight-week education programme covering ecology, sustainability, design, and development led by Royal Parks' staff and experts from ConstructionSkills. The school children's ideas will help inform the final plans for the project.

Derrick Spurr, Project Leader and Park Manager of Greenwich Park, The Royal Parks said: "The Orchard Project offers school students and local residents the chance to get actively involved in horticulture and to learn about sustainability and ecology by creating and maintaining a community wildlife garden."

Media enquiries:

For further information or images please contact: Katy Murray, The Royal Parks on 0300 061 2128 or email kmurray@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk.

Notes to Editors

About the Orchard Project:

• Background: The Orchard Project began in 2008 with a botanical survey that identified which plants and trees were of value and which should be removed. In January 2009 British Trust for Conservation Volunteers carried out work to improve the site - this involved carefully removing areas of brambles and thinning sycamore trees.
• Community involvement: The long-term aim of the Orchard Project is to create opportunities for public access in 2010 and to establish a community garden and orchard that will be maintained by The Royal Parks in partnership with local residents, groups and schools.
• Community involvement: The long-term aim of the Orchard Project is to create opportunities for public access in 2010 and to establish a community garden and orchard that will be maintained by The Royal Parks in partnership with local residents, groups and schools. If local schools and residents want to get involved then they should contact the Park Office on 020 8858 2608.
• Location: The Orchard is located in the northern corner of Greenwich Park and lies within the Blackheath and Greenwich Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation (SMI) as designated by the Mayor of London.
• Funding: The Orchard Project is currently being funded by The Friends of Greenwich Park and The Royal Parks.

About ConstructionSkills:

• ConstructionSkills is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the construction industry. As a partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, CIC and CITB Northern Ireland, they are UK-wide and represent the whole industry from professional consultancies to major contractors and small and medium enterprises.
• For further information please visit: www.constructionskills.net.

About Greenwich Park:

• Greenwich Park is a World Heritage Site and it has recently been awarded with Green Heritage Site Accreditation by the Green Flag Awards.
• Greenwich Park is the oldest enclosed Royal Park. There has been a settlement on the site since Roman times, but Greenwich is more strongly associated with royalty. The land was inherited in 1427 by the Duke of Gloucester, brother of Henry V, and generations of monarchs have enjoyed this magnificent park ever since.

About The Royal Parks:

• The Royal Parks is an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and St James's Park.
• For further information please visit: www.royalparks.org.uk