Tesco is joining forces with leading sustainable resource management company Veolia, Groundwork, and local councils to introduce greener areas in schools. The Veolia Orchard campaign will be donating almost 600 fruit trees and 800 strawberry plants to schools that are limited by space or without green areas. Now in its second year, the scheme has expanded across another 190 schools thanks to the support of 22 local authorities.
Veolia’s message to schools stated, “Last year we supported 100 schools across the country with 500 fruit trees and 100 birdboxes. This year, we want your help to grow this national network of orchards even bigger, and all you need to do is apply. To deliver this initiative we’ve teamed up with the community action charity Groundwork, with the aim to improve biodiversity at schools, provide a learning resource for pupils, and offer them an ongoing supply of fresh fruit”.
To accommodate the plants, Tesco will be donating planters made from recycled soft plastic collected in its stores to help recycle plastic not always collected through kerbside collections. This will be part of Tesco’s own Stronger Starts campaign supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of children, encouraging healthy eating alongside learning, and opportunities to get active. Veolia’s own ProGrow will be providing peat-free compost to fill the planters. The apple and pear trees and strawberry plants are to be provided by Grow at Brogdale and will be delivered to the winning schools in November.
Grow at Brogdale is the onsite fruit tree nursery based at the home of the National Fruit Collection. The nursery offers companies a carbon offset programme using fruit trees. As Managing Director Donna Cooper explains, “In very simple terms, the greater the number of trees that are sponsored, the greater the reduction in your company’s carbon footprint. Our fruit trees are grafted from the trees in the orchards at Brogdale. Every year we select varieties that originated from all over the UK; we then select the most appropriate trees for each recipient, taking into consideration the site, soil, location, and individual requirements.
“The possibilities are endless, but it is crucial to identify the right trees from the start. We have an extensive list of schools and pre-schools, along with community groups who would love [to receive] fruit trees. Working in partnership with the Harmony Project and the Sustainable Food Trust, the trees will not only provide a green space for students and local communities, but form part of a wider educational package, a living resource that will beautifully demonstrate seasonality and sustainability”.