This project was initiated by attendees of our Grand Launch event back in March 2015. These locals were inspired enough to club together with the intention of increasing the number of fruit bearing trees throughout the town.
The project was originally given the working title of ‘Fruit Trees for Southall’ but has since become known as ‘The Southall Orchard Project’. In addition to planting orchards to increase foraging opportunities and create greater abundance, it is hoped that our volunteers will also help to keep our public parks tidy for the benefit of the whole community.
We envision our parks and green spaces filled with a variety of fruit/nut trees and fruiting hedges which will provide free food for local people to enjoy. We intend to create a number of new orchards in Southall as follows:
| Phase | Park | Time Period |
| 1 | Southall Park | Dec 2015 – Mar 2016 |
| 2 | Southall Recreation Ground | Dec 2016 – Mar 2017 |
| 3 | Jubilee Park | Dec 2017 – Mar 2018 |
| 4 | Spikes Bridge Park | Dec 2018 – Mar 2019 |
| 5 | Dormers Wells Sports Ground | Dec 2019 – Mar 2020 |
The project was launched during National Tree Week . The first planting day was on 5th December 2015 at Southall Park.
We believe that well maintained community orchards are great because they:
1. Help to combat pollution and improve air quality.
2. Improve the health of the populace through increased access to fresh food.
3. Increase foraging opportunities for local people.
4. Create greater abundance and food security.
5. Make the area more attractive.
7. Provide shade in summer.
8. Provide a habitat for birds and other wildlife.
9. Help children to reconnect with their food.
Southall Transition originally partnered with the Tree Council who provided the necessary expertise to get this project under way. Additional assistance was provided by Ealing Council’s park rangers and the Community Champions Coordinator.
We recruited local volunteers to help plant the orchards. Students from nearby schools and children from local scout groups helped during phase 1 and 2 and are likely to be joining us again during upcoming stages of the project.
We hope to train our volunteers to a high standard so that they can continue to care for the trees beyond the initial planting stage. Some of the fruit will be harvested by our volunteers and shared with the community.
How you can help:
If you would like to get involved there are a number of things you can do.
Volunteer
To participate, please register here to be notified about the next planting day. If you would like to join the committee please contact the *Orchard Team Coordinator Sanjay Synghal on 07533056064 or via email sksynghal@hotmail.co.uk.
Share
Please spread the word by sharing this information via email, social media or word of mouth. You can download the latest flyer (coming soon)
If you are a business and would like to sponsor this project, please contact us
All queries should be directed to the *Project Lead: Mani Dhanda on 07490 848 876.
*Please note that Southall Transition is run entirely by volunteers.
southalltransition.org 