Fruit-full School is a national network of over 50 schools who have come together in this, the International Year of Biodiversity, to share in a common, fruit-full endeavour.

Together we’ll be helping to reverse the dramatic decline of traditional orchards: a habitat identified for urgent attention in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan.

Fruit-full Schools allows us, the new generation, to take positive action towards the creation of a sustainable future, where we can pick fresh fruit from just round the corner instead of it being flown from the other side of the world. We’ll be doing our bit to increase biodiversity by planting trees and attracting wildlife, so not only will our schools become more productive, they will become more beautiful and inspiring places to learn and grow.

With the support of a national network of Fruit-full School coordinators, we’ll be exploring ways to ensure that our orchards are valued and well used by teachers, pupils and our local communities. It won’t just be the technicalities of grafting we’ll be learning about ... we’ll be finding out about our rich fruit culture, history and traditions and reviving the colourful (and sometimes a little crazy!) customs that surround our orchards.

Along the way, we want to encourage as many other schools as possible to follow our lead and get fruit-full with us. As our projects progress, we’ll be sharing our experiences and resources the website. We hope they inspire you to get involved.

Go to www.fruitfullschools.org for more information