The Veolia Orchard campaign continues to bloom, supporting over 190 schools across the UK with 8 orchards in Medway.
Medway Council is joining forces with the UK’s leading resource management company Veolia, Tesco and community action charity Groundwork to introduce greener areas in schools by donating free fruit trees and strawberry plants to 8 schools across Medway.
The Veolia Orchard campaign has donated almost 600 fruit trees and 800 strawberry plants to UK schools limited by space or without green areas, to give children a stronger start by learning more about the environment.
Now in its second year, the campaign has expanded to another 192 schools across the country.
The apple and pear trees and strawberry plants, provided by Grow at Brogdale who specialise in organic plant care, were delivered to the winning schools this March, giving them the best chance to bloom in Spring.
To house the plants, Tesco donated planters made from recycled soft plastic – collected in its stores from customers to help recycle plastic not always collected through household collections, such as bread bags, carrier bags and pasta packets.
Veolia’s own ProGrow will also be providing peat-free compost to fill the planters.
This campaign is powered by Veolia's Sustainable Schools programme which educates children and young adults on the importance of protecting our planet and the environment.
Benefitting the environment and young people
Cllr Simon Curry, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration at Medway Council said: “It is great to see that eight of Medway’s schools will benefit from the Veolia Orchards Scheme. This initiative benefits the environment and helps to increase biodiversity, but it also gives our young people the opportunity to learn more about fresh and healthy food and where it comes from. I hope pupils at all eight schools really enjoy the process of growing their very own fruit, and even more importantly, I hope they enjoy eating it!”
A lovely way for children to learn
Polly Bolshaw, Rochester RiversideTrustee of Rochester Riverside Parent, Teacher and Friends Association said: “The pupils loved planting their strawberry plants and are now excited to tend to them and see their strawberries grow. Thank you to Veolia for providing this opportunity - it's such a lovely way for children to learn more about the natural world; hopefully with some tasty produce for their efforts, too."
Delivering ecological transformation
Pascal Hauret, Managing Director, Municipal at Veolia said: “Improving air quality around schools, engaging pupils on the power of plants and finding innovative recycling solutions which contribute the greatest benefit to the communities we serve is all part of our purpose to deliver ecological transformation.
“Considering we only launched Veolia Orchard last year, we are delighted at how popular the campaign is with schools and are thrilled to be supporting nearly double the amount we did in 2022.”
Courtney Pallett, Tesco’s Packaging Campaigns Manager said: “Our in-store recycling points help make soft plastics even easier for our customers to recycle. We’re delighted to be working with Veolia to turn the plastic waste we collect into something new – keeping it out of the environment and helping create greener learning spaces for children in our local communities.”
For more information on how Veolia supports schools and to discover other partnership opportunities please visit www.veolia.co.uk/schools.