Craven Vale Community Association is planting a Community Orchard around the Craven Vale estate with help from the Brighton Permaculture Trust on January 25th and 27th. There will be forty fruit trees planted starting with twenty this year and a further twenty next year.

Brighton & Hove Council are keen to see this go ahead with their housing officers and parks rangers being fully supportive of the project.

Funding for the project has been managed by Brighton Permaculture Trust. Additional funding was also made available from The Big Tree Plant and Harvest - Brighton & Hove.

The idea is to encourage growing, harvesting and eating local fruit as well as engaging with the local community to help plant and look after the trees. The project also helps save rare Sussex varieties of apple trees and improves the estate attracting beneficial insects and helps bio diversity. Wildflowers will be planted around the trees in the spring with the help of The Sussex Wildlife Trust.

On Wednesday the 25th January planting will take place with residents from Craven Vale, Brighton University students supervised by Groundwork.org and anyone who would like to join in. The time is 10:00am to 16:00 pm. Meet at the Vale Community Centre, Hadlow Close, Brighton.

On Friday the 27th January planting will take place with help from children from St Lukes School and residents from Craven Vale. The time is 10:00 am to 12:00pm. Meet at the Vale Community Centre, Hadlow Close, Brighton.

For more information contact: Grant Scott Tel: 07763015157 Email: cidarec@hotmail.com