On Monday 9 September, Veolia Orchard opened for applications once again. This scheme invites schools to increase biodiversity and become a part of Veolia’s family tree by growing their own strawberries or nurturing their own orchard of fruit trees.

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Since 2022, Veolia SLWP has delivered 25 fruit trees and 20 strawberry plants to seven schools across Sutton. This local network is just a small part of a whole family of 1,085 trees and 780 strawberry plants steadily growing at 291 schools across the UK.

This initiative launched in 2022, with fruit trees donated to schools in order to give young people a chance to experience the benefits of engaging with nature as well as improving local biodiversity. Building on its initial success, in 2023 the scheme expanded to include strawberry plants, ensuring that urban schools with limited outdoor green space could participate.

Each orchard comprises either five trees or ten strawberry plants per school, an individual component of a much wider network. Schools can apply online from 9 September to 8 November 2024. Successful candidates will then hear back from 25 November with deliveries taking place in spring 2025. Schools can opt for an interactive planting event where Veolia’s experts guide students through their planting whilst educating them on the orchard’s long-term benefits to the community and environment.

Pascal Hauret, Municipal Managing Director at Veolia said: “The Veolia Orchard scheme is about growing more than just fruit; it’s about cultivating a love of nature in our future environmental ambassadors. I am especially happy to see this initiative continue to flourish in urban schools where there are typically fewer opportunities to interact with the environment. Not only are we boosting biodiversity by introducing new fruit tree species, creating habitats for pollinators, and enhancing the genetic diversity of cities with urban farming, we’re planting the seeds for a more sustainable future.”

Councillor Christopher Woolmer, Chair of Sutton Council’s Environment & Sustainable Transport Committee, said: “This is a great way for Sutton’s children to learn about how fruit grows and where it comes from and enjoy making it happen.

“We are already one of the greenest boroughs in London and the Council has planted a record number of trees over the years. These new plants and orchards in Sutton schools will also play an important part in helping the borough take action on climate change and increase our biodiversity even more for the future.”