When volunteer Brian Williams spotted a batch of fruit trees at the Co-op in Boley Park, Lichfield that were about to be thrown away, he knew they deserved a second chance. Acting quickly, he asked if the Trust could take them and, thanks to the Co-op’s generosity, we were able to rescue 110 before they went to waste.
Some of them were in need of a little TLC, but that didn’t faze our brilliant Duke of Edinburgh volunteers — Henry, Alex, and Jacob — who stepped up on a Saturday morning to help team leader Philip Skelton prepare the ground and plant them at our nursery in Darnford Moors Ecology Park. With water nearby, we’re hopeful they’ll establish well.
The following Saturday, our Green team and DofE volunteers planted more of the rescued trees at another new nursery at Borrowcop Locks.
Volunteers from the Adventist Group in Walsall came to help for a volunteering day, and planted the final batch of 45 fruit trees at Darnford Moors, giving even more of them a new lease of life.
Thanks to Brian’s quick thinking, the Co-op’s generosity and the hard work of all involved, these trees will now support biodiversity. They’re already showing signs of recovery and will be transplanted into our managed hedgerows either this autumn or next.
