Transition Town Reading begins community food gardening project with Nut Tree planting in Palmer Park.
Transition Town Reading, a local community group exploring life after cheap oil, has begun a program of edible planting projects in public spaces around Reading with a nut tree planting in Palmer Park. The planting took place on Saturday 3rd March with a number of Sweet Chestnut and Walnut trees being planted around the stadium by local residents.
“We’ve been in talks with the Reading Borough Council’s parks department about carrying out edible planting projects around the town for some time, so it’s great to finally get planting.” said Rich Waring of Transition Town Reading.” We see it as a chance to provide free, tasty, healthy, local, organic food for local residents, while sequestering a little carbon, creating a pleasant atmosphere and promoting local community.”
The planting has been “crowdfunded” by donations from local residents and from local groups keen to support local food and community in the area, such as the Newtown Globe.
Saturday’s planting follows a number of edible public plantings which have been organised by other local groups in the area, including community orchards in Swallowfield, Twyford, Wargrave and Hurst. With high food prices driven by the price of oil, more people are now looking to grow more of their own food, and to build community resilience by getting their food from local sources. For others, local food is a practical way to reduce their carbon footprint. Other people are attracted by the idea of public growing spaces as meeting spaces where community events can be held.
Transition Reading has further plans for fruit tree planting in Palmer Park to be carried out later in the year, as well as further edible projects in Prospect Park and Waterloo Meadows. They have also just been granted funds from the Reading Borough Council’s capital fund for a community apple press, which will be available for local residents and community groups to make their own fruit juice and cider. With these planting projects, alongside other community food projects in the town, such as Food4Families’ Reading GrowAllot and Reading’s award-winning community co-operative True Food, local residents should be better placed than ever to enjoy tasty locally-grown produce.
For more information about Transition Town Reading’s edible planting projects go to www.transitionreading.org.uk. To get involved or (use the apple press) email treeplanting@transitionreading.org.uk.
Transition Town Reading 
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