Roots manoeuvre: staff comms team volunteers at community orchard
Posted on behalf of: University of Sussex
Last updated: Thursday, 6 June 2024
Molly Brown and an ex-weed
The team with two staff from Brighton Permaculture Trust
The University’s staff communications team recently spent half a day volunteering with the Brighton Permaculture Trust, maintaining fruit trees in the charity’s Bevendean orchard.
All staff on a contract of 12 months or more are entitled to two days of paid leave a year to volunteer. Find out how to volunteer.
The team was guided in its work by Brighton Permaculture Trust orchard worker – and part-time member of the University of Sussex Widening Participation team – Paul Wiggins.
Paul, who now runs his own landscaping business, said: "It was wonderful to have a team of volunteers from the university join us at the Avenue Orchard. We care for nearly 30 community orchards across the county and that adds up to a lot of trees to look after.
“Having volunteers who can come and muck in makes a big difference to our team and means that the trees get better care and will eventually be more healthy and productive."
What is the Brighton Permaculture Trust?
The Brighton Permaculture Trust is a charity that promotes greener lifestyles and sustainable development through design. Formed in 2000, it plants 100 trees each year in schools and community orchards - saving 30 tonnes of locally grown fruit and turning it into produce. The charity also runs 40 courses a year in permaculture, fruit growing, horticulture, sustainable design and building.
The team spent 2 1/2 hours pulling up weeds from the base of some of the 46 apple, plum and pear trees in the orchard, which is nestled between rows of houses near Brighton’s Lewes Road.
Sean Armstrong, one of the team’s Staff Communications Managers, said: “We’d been trying to do something like this for a while, but it was hard to find a slot. That’s why its great that you can split up your volunteering allowance into bitesize sessions.
“It was lovely to get outside and back to nature for a bit. We’re hoping to squeeze in another session before the end of the summer – maybe one of the Surfers Against Sewage beach cleans.”
How to volunteer with the Brighton Permaculture Trust
Potential volunteers can join the Permaculture Trust volunteer mailing list and receive a weekly email listing what is available or visit their volunteer listings webpage
There are several roles available to individuals and groups. Many of the volunteer opportunities take place in Stanmer Park where the charity manages three orchards and a gardening plot. They also hold regular sessions at Racehill Community Orchard in Whitehawk. Sessions range from gardening to orchard maintenance, fruit picking and juicing in summer and autumn plus tree planting over winter.