A core of hard working youngsters found hard work rather a-peeling as they helped plant apple trees on a former allotment site.
Volunteers from The Challenge - a group formed in 2009 to build better communities - were at Boston Manor Park on Sunday (28) to lend more than 50 pairs of hands to tasks that needed doing.
The root of the day was the new orchard which was installed on the site of the park’s old allotment which was abandoned four years ago.
Friend of Boston Manor Paul Smith had carried out research into what type of trees would have dominated the area in the 1800s when much of it was woodland.
Eight apprentices from Transport for London (TfL) had earlier spent the week preparing the ground with assistance from the Community Payback scheme for ex-offenders.
Each youngster received a full set of tools and instructions on how to plant the trees, as well as a diagram showing where their particular tree must go.
This was in order to ensure pollination took place in the future for the trees which included the varieties Lemon Pippin, Norfolk Beefing, Orange, Flower of Kent, Russett and French Crab.
Funding for the project came from Friends of Boston Manor, as well as a Paramount Films donation, while the trees all came from a nursery on the Isle of Wight.
The allotment officer for Carillion which manages parks on behalf of Hounslow Council, Jim Buchan even gave up his Sunday to come and supervise.
Other tasks on the day included trimming the hedge which spells out the park’s name, and helping to make cupcakes in the Friend’s Pavilion.
After all the toil in the soil was complete, a BBQ took place with hungry volunteers polishing off more than 100 burgers between them.
Organiser Linda Massey said: “We are extremely grateful to all for helping with this project, and in particular to all who offer to help us maintain this community orchard in the future.”
