Creating a Community Orchard

Community Orchard Project South East (COPSE) is a social enterprise set up to engage with other community organisations and landowners to create and enhance community orchards in and around Surrey and further afield in the South East.

The talk will include a brief ‘how-to’, first steps for anyone looking at creating a community orchard on a green space near them!

Community orchards benefit us all by:

🍎Providing a focus for community events, activities and training.

🍏Being a vehicle for social cohesion ~ working groups, events and food sharing.

🍎Providing a community resource ~ a place for quiet reflection and casual recreation.

🍏Being a source of locally-grown, seasonal fresh fruit.

🍎Creating traditional orchards for wildlife and increasing biodiversity.

🍏Planting trees for Carbon Capture.

COPSE is coordinated by Gareth Matthes and Claire Matthes, Dr. Susan Ryland and Andrew Rothwell.  Gareth and Andrew have been practising ecologists for over 20 years, with an interest in conserving traditional orchards, for people and wildlife. Claire is a qualified family and early years practitioner with experience in facilitating community projects. Susan is an environmental artist having work experience with Community Art Projects.