Teddington Orchard gains prestigious community award
School House Lane Orchard has gained recognition as one of the best community-run green spaces in the country.
By receiving the Green Flag Community Award, it has been recognised as a high-quality, well-managed and welcoming space, central to the local community.
This once-neglected green space has been transformed progressively over the past five years into a cherished community orchard, stocked with fruit and nut trees, herbs and native hedging as well as composting and recycling facilities.
FSHLO celebrates Green Flag Award
The Friends of School House Lane Orchard (FSHLO) cares for the site and is composed of hard-working local residents. After the success of dead and live hedging in 2010, this year plans are afoot to also create a wild-flower meadow.
FSHLO has received support from the start from Richmond Council’s Parks Department, which owns the Orchard, as well as South West London Environment Network and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. The Friends received a grant from Awards for All in 2006 and Thames Community Foundation in 2010.
Speaking at the Friends’ annual summer party on Saturday 23rd July, FSHLO chair Ian Jones-Healey said: “We are delighted to receive recognition from this national awards scheme for our much-loved Orchard. I would like to thank all our members for their hard work in getting us to this point and our colleagues in the Council, SWLEN and BTCV for their invaluable help along the way.”
Orchard Welcome Sign & Spring Grove Morris Dancers at Orchard summer party on Saturday July 23rd 2011
School House Lane Orchard is the first site in the borough of Richmond-upon-Thames to win the Community Award. It is one of a record number of parks and green spaces receiving the Green Flag Community Award this year, ensuring that even more of us now have access to well-managed, high-quality green spaces.
All award-winning sites now have the chance to receive a further award from the Green Flag Plus Partnership, the People’s Choice Award. This award is voted for by the public, so if you want to see your local park receive a national accolade as the People’s Choice, then visit the Green Flag Award website at www.greenflagaward.org to register your vote.
