Merton Council has teamed up with Wimbledon residents to bring Merton apple varieties to Wimbledon Hill.

Leader of Merton Council Councillor Stephen Alambritis joined local community group Transition Town Wimbledon to plant apple trees which will bear Merton Russet and Merton Knave apples. The varieties were developed in 1950 and 1975 respectively at the old John Innes Institute in Merton Park and were selected for Wimbledon Hill by the National Trust at Morden Hall Park.

The project supports the council’s community plan’s objective to develop food producing potential of Merton’s green spaces: http://www.merton.gov.uk/merton_community_plan.pdf

The trees are sponsored by local residents and Riverford Organic Vegetables.

Leader of Merton Council Councillor Stephen Alambritis said: “This is a great example of the community, local business and the council working together on an initiative to benefit the borough’s appearance, making it more attractive for residents to enjoy. It is marvellous that these apples are Merton varieties, and I look forward to seeing them flourish over the coming years. A thank you must go to Transition Town Wimbledon for leading the initiative for the benefit of the community.”

Transition Town Wimbledon’s John White said: “We hope these apple trees will be a reminder that we won’t always be able to rely on cheap imported food. We can’t all have allotments, but let’s make the best use of the spaces we have around the borough.”

-ENDS-

Note to editors

Transition Towns are a network of local groups working to make their towns more resilient and better able to cope with rising energy prices and climate change.

Transition Town Wimbledon can be contacted through http://www.sustainablemerton.org