Manchester Metropolitan University - Birley Community Orchard

This year 20 varieties of apple, plum, cherry and pear trees were planted at our recently opened Birley Campus. With the help of Hulme Community Garden Centre who for the past three years had nurtured the trees until the completion of our new site, along with over 40 volunteers we planted our Community Orchard.

The Planting Day was used as an engagement and community outreach activity, where local school children were invited on site to take part in a variety of activities. Twenty children from St Phillips School came along for the afternoon to try apples, write poetry, build bug hotels and plant bulbs.

Our sustainable student food group MetMUnch’s created a real “Apple Store” and there was fresh apple pressing and tasting.

Future workshops and engagement activities will take place at our community orchard including maintenance workshops taking place each season, run by Hulme Community Garden Centre. The sessions will cover all aspects of maintenance to keep the trees healthy.