How an 'orchard renaissance' could bring nature back to UK cities
Written by Patrick Greenfield
Volunteers are reviving a legacy of fruit trees that stretches back to the Romans, hugely increasing biodiversity – and cider production
Every autumn, cider maker Hawkes asks Londoners to donate apples to its cidery under the railway arches in Bermondsey, just south of Tower Bridge. In normal times, people who drop off a box of russets or royals leave with a bottle of cider from last year’s crop. But 2020 has not been a normal year.
Through a trial delivery scheme to continue the exchange during the pandemic, 12 tonnes of apples have arrived at Hawkes in the post.
If you don’t prune your trees, they’ll go wild, they’ll stop fruiting or you get bad apples or get hundreds of little apples
A fruit tree's cavities and standing deadwood are really crucial to host invertebrates, which kind of makes the biodiversity world go round
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