Mapping Stalybridge’s Lost Trees

Missing trees

Not so long ago fruit trees were a valued local food source, but today many trees go ignored and forgotten with fruit that just drops and gets wasted. Traditional orchards were once much more common, with fruit harvested to eat, store or juice. There was a far greater variety of types and flavours than what we consume today: Over 2,000 apple varieties have been grown in the UK, each with their own characteristics and often bred for local conditions. Although many have been lost, we hope that with your help we can find some hiding in Stalybridge!

Our big fruit tree search

Abundance Tameside has already identified some fruit trees in Stalybridge, but we’re looking for many more in and around the town. Our dream is to help people notice and get to know more about the town’s fruit trees, whilst reducing waste by identifying those with surplus fruit that could be eaten, juiced and redistributed.

What we are looking for

We’d love to know about fruit trees in Stalybridge that are significant in some way: Maybe they’re weighed down with fruit at harvest time that doesn’t get used, or they are old, gnarled and full or character, ones which you remember vividly as a child, or which have a special history or story, or ones that you have planted. They could be anywhere: in your garden or someone else’s, at an allotment, in a public space, at the roadside or on private land.