Apple Day at The City Academy in Homerton

Yesterday morning I attended a lovely event at the City Academy in Homerton, Hackney at the invitation of Lewis from Fruit-Full Schools, a fantastic project which is planting new community orchards in fifty schools around the country:

Fruit-full Schools allows us, the new generation, to take positive action towards the creation of a sustainable future, where we can pick fresh fruit from just round the corner instead of it being flown from the other side of the world. We’ll be doing our bit to increase biodiversity by planting trees and attracting wildlife, so not only will our schools become more productive, they will become more beautiful and inspiring places to learn and grow.

With the support of a national network of Fruit-full School coordinators, we’ll be exploring ways to ensure that our orchards are valued and well used by teachers, pupils and our local communities. It won’t just be the technicalities of grafting we’ll be learning about … we’ll be finding out about our rich fruit culture, history and traditions and reviving the colourful (and sometimes a little crazy!) customs that surround our orchards.

Yesterday there were lots of apple activities including apple bobbing, peeling competitions and juicing going on and lots of enthusiasm from the kids. The main event was the planting of a sapling grown from the apple tree, a Flower of Kent, that reputedly led Isaac Newton to discover gravity. What better way to inspire kids about the wonders of both locally grown fruit and science?

The new orchard will be planted soon and I’ve added it to the map in anticipation.  They’re on the look out for local volunteers to care for the orchard. There’ll be free training happening in March and I’ll post more information when I get it. If you’re interested in getting involved, drop me a note and I’ll put you in contact with Lewis.