A group of young people in Aberfan have come together to plant a community orchard that will give local children access to free fruit for generations to come.
The Fruit Factor project aims to plant a new batch of fruit trees every year until every child born in the village between 2004 and 2020 has their own tree.
The first 144 apple trees in the orchard will be planted as a mark of respect to the 144 children and adults who died 54 years ago this week – 116 of the apple trees will represent the children who never came home on October 21, 1966, while 28 slightly larger and more established apple trees will represent the teachers and adults lost that day.
The trees were nurtured in pots during the lockdown by 30 local young people and their families. They will be gathered at a nursery being created by the young people this week on a derelict site in the village, before being planted at a permanent site in the village in December.
The fruit factor project is being run by Youth factor, a voluntary organisation for young people over the age of 12 that was set up in 2019 to focus on improving youth provision in Merthyr Vale and Aberfan. It has received £13,500 in funding from Social Farms & Gardens, UK-wide charity supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together. It also works closely with Afon Gwreiddiau Environmental, a group working for a safer, cleaner and greener environment in Aberfan, Merthyr Vale and Mount Pleasant.
Youth Factor wants to reclaim derelict spaces in the village and plant new community gardens with a wide selection of fruit and vegetables. Its ultimate aim is to improve community wellbeing and engagement by providing residents with a source of fresh foods.
Part of the group’s vision is to build a ‘secret garden in the grounds of Capel Aberfan, which was burnt in a fire in 2015 and still stands derelict in the heart of the community.
Lynne Colston, project co-ordinator, said:
“No-one in Aberfan will ever forget what happened here in 1966. The Youth Factor team wanted to acknowledge that and to help younger people remember the past while also looking to the future, and this orchard is the perfect way to do that. It represents hope and growth.
“The youth team came together to do something for the young people of the villages, because there’s been no provision for them for so long. They feel strongly about protecting their environment and protecting wildlife and see community land ownership as a way to preserve and promote their heritage to develop new enterprises.
“On a practical level the orchard will be a place they can help nurture and develop over several years, while learning valuable skills and life lessons. Also, small villages like these don’t always have access to large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables, so this will provide young people with access to healthy foods they might not otherwise have.”
For more information, visit: https://www.youthfactor.org/fruit-factor
Photo by Darren Wyn Rees at Aberdare Blog – Published by Aberdare Blog, CC BY-SA 4.0.
