Iceland Foods is to fund the creation of community orchards in cities across the UK to help local residents reconnect with nature and better understand the food system.
The supermarket’s charitable arm, the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF), has partnered with charity The Orchard Project to fund the cultivation of an initial three community orchards in areas of London, Swansea and Glasgow.
Iceland will invest an initial £50,000 during the first year of the three-year project to support the planting of the new orchards. The funding will also help support The Orchard Project’s work with schoolchildren, to create “vibrant outdoor learning spaces”.
The charity provides horticultural training and support, and advocates for the creation of community gardens across the UK.
Community orchards are typically small collections of fruit or nut trees run by volunteers for the local community. They are growing in popularity amid a wider crisis for traditional UK orchards, which have declined by more than 90% since the 1950s as a result of urban development and decline.
The total hectares dedicated to commercial orchards has also declined by around 32% over the past five years, prompting British Apples & Pears to warn in July that the industry faced a “watershed moment” to secure supply.
Planting urban orchards not only improves access to healthy food, they encourage a sense of community, improve biodiversity and allow people to learn more about where their food comes from, campaigners say.
“Community orchards offer local, inclusive, and long-term solutions to the social and environmental challenges we face,” said Kath Rose, CEO of the Orchard Project.
“By equipping urban communities with the skills and resources they need to effectively steward green spaces, we are strengthening food security, enhancing biodiversity, and helping to create a social infrastructure that supports wellbeing and resilience.
“With IFCF’s support, we will be able to bring orchards into more communities across the UK and help nurture the next generation of orchardists,” Rose added.
The first three sites funded by Iceland are at Edgeware’s Stoneyfields Park in London, St David’s Catholic Primary School in Swansea and Calder Street Greenspace in Glasgow.
“Our new partnership with The Orchard Project reflects our shared commitment to creating greener, healthier communities as part of IFCF sustainability initiatives,” said Iceland executive chairman and IFCF chair Richard Walker.
“Community orchards transform lives as much as landscapes. It’s about building opportunities for people to connect with nature, learn, and thrive. By supporting projects like this, we’re doing it right for people and the planet, and we hope to inspire others to explore how they can make a positive impact too.”
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