Wrythe Green

Friends of the Wrythe

By Beverley Walker

Cllr Sam Weatherlake and Tom Brake plant the final tree in the new Wrythe orchard, while members of the Friends of the Wrythe look on. November 30th 2019

Fiona Bower

NEW ORCHARD ON THE WRYTHE

 Inspired by the trees planted at the end of WWI by Carshalton Athletic Football Club to commemorate the players who had been killed, the Friends of the Wrythe group has collaborated with the Parks Department of the London Borough of Sutton to create a community orchard on that part of Wrythe Green between West and North Streets. Made possible by support from the Greener City Fund Community Grant Scheme, the new long-term resource for local residents and visitors was inaugurated at a short ceremony on Saturday 30th November, when Cllr. Sam Weatherlake,Borough Councillor for the Wrythe, and Tom Brake, Liberal Democrat candidate for Carshalton and Wallington in the forthcoming general election, planted the final tree in this first phase of the orchard’s development.The aim of the orchard is to provide fruit for local people to 'scrump' and eat or cook. There will be apples, pears and plums, as well as hazel nuts. It is hoped that the trees will start bearing fruit in 2021. After that the Friends group plans to consider baking competitions and other ways to use the fruit to get the community together.