Lancashire Community Orchard Grant
How my application will be assessed
A panel will meet to discuss all applications meeting the basic criteria. The key questions asked of each application will include:
- Where your project is
- Who it benefits
- How your project will be a lasting legacy to the coronation
- Evaluation of your costs
- The sustainability and longevity of your project
Application form (DOCX 169 KB)
Section 1
Tell us about your organisation
We want to know who you are and what you do. This helps us to understand what type of group you are and the work your organisation currently carries out within Lancashire.
We need to be reassured you are a responsible body to receive public funds and report on how it's been spent.
Section 2
Tell us about who you work with
Who is involved in delivering the project?
Partners
We strongly encourage partnership working. Please tell us if anyone else is involved in delivering your project, who they are, and what role they will have. For example, your project may involve the local school, youth group, or mental health support group.
Who will benefit from your orchard and how?
Tell us who in your community might benefit directly, or indirectly, from your project. For example, growing produce to donate to your local food bank.
Section 3
Tell us about your project location and what you will be doing.
Map
You must include a digital or physical map alongside your application. Your map can be hand drawn or digital.
Please clearly indicate the following on your map:
- Site boundary lines (in a different colour)
- Scale
- The estimated planting position of each tree
- The point of entry by your group or the public (if your site has a gated entrance)
- Orientation of North
You may want to also include other vegetation already in your space on your map. If you plan to put a fence around your orchard, see if there are any existing fences you can incorporate into your plan to reduce costs.
If you have hand drawn your map we recommend you scan your hand drawn map using a photocopier. We will also accept photos of your map taken with a phone - please make sure they are clear and in focus. Alternatively, you can post your physical map to the address listed at the beginning of the guidance.
Where will your Orchard project take place?
You can give us your precise location of the center of your site. You can provide this in the following ways:
What 3 Words
Search the map or input your address.
Click on the square that’s at the centre of your project
Copy the three words into the application form
e.g. ///most.frozen.keys
Google Maps
Find your site either using the search box or scrolling over the map.
Right click on the centre spot of your project
A small drop down menu will appear.
Copy the numbers at the top of the list either by hand or by clicking on them into the application.
e.g 53.75756874019992, -2.709271948313981
Grid reference
https://gridreferencefinder.com/
you can search for your project site either with a post code or scrolling the map.
Right click on the location at the centre of your project site and copy the Grid reference into the application form.
e.g. SD 53335 29259
Landowner permission
If you are not the landowner, you will need written permission to plant your orchard and provide evidence of this with your application. Applications without permission to plant by the landowner will not be funded. We can accept photocopies, photographs, letters, and emails. If you don't know who the landowner is contact us and we will try to help.
Public access
We will confirm if current rights-of-way already provide access to your site. Tell us how you will be encouraging further access from the public. For example, you might install an information sign about your project encouraging the public to visit, or host dedicated open days.
Future proofing by growing resilience.
We want to hear about how you will manage your trees from planting to fruit harvesting.
In this section we are looking for your plans of how you and your group will be ensuring the trees have enough water to survive – especially for the first three years of establishment. Droughts can be a major cause of tree planting failure. To reduce this risk you may plant your orchard close to a mains water supply, or use a hose pipe, scheduling a volunteer watering timetable during the summer, or installing water pipes on each plot.
Are you using mulch? If so, will you be making your own or purchasing it?
Tell us if you are buying mulch or if you are using your own. Mulch mats are an alternative that could provide a simpler solution; however, they might not be suitable for all sites.
What is your method to protect your trees from animals and control weeds?
If you are doing it by hand, tell us who will be doing it and how often. Are you using weed surpassing mats? If so, tell us about them. We strongly recommend not using chemicals to control your weeds.
Does your site have deer, rabbits or voles that might find your newly planted trees delicious? How are you going to prevent them from tucking in to an all-you-can-eat tree buffet?
Vandalism by humans causes a high number of tree fatalities. You can minimize this risk by using appropriate protection, like a guard mesh and double staking.
What will you do with the fruit?
What are your plans for the fruit in the coming years and further into the future? Our rules do not allow it to be sold for commercial gain. As the orchard grows it will produce more fruit. How will you accommodate this? For example, you may use the fruit in the first few years as donations to food banks and schools. In future years you may expand by storing the larger amounts in the community centre's storeroom to use at a fruit pressing event.
Are there any other benefits of this project to the wider community and environment?
Your project may serve many needs and we'd love to hear about all of them. Will your orchard be increasing local aesthetic appeal or perhaps you are working hard to provide more food for nature, as well as people. Maybe your project will bring people together or is helping local wellbeing initiatives.
How will this project create a lasting legacy to the King's Coronation?
This grant was made possible through the Coronation Living Heritage Fund which is part of DEFRA's Nature for Climate Fund and the projects it supports are intended to commemorate the King’s Coronation.
As such, we would ask that you commemorate the coronation in some way in your orchard plans. This could be a celebration/ opening event, a physical sign, or a series of online and social media posts. Whatever you decide, please give us some detail. Precise dates are not needed, but a general timescale would be good to include if relevant.
This is one-off funding how will your project be sustained in the future?
It is important for your group to be able to continue to support and maintain the orchard beyond the life of our funding. Will your project continue? Will there be a lasting change and benefit?
Tell us about the plans and prospects of your group, how much time you expect to be able to devote to managing the orchard and how well equipped you are to do so. We'd like to know if you might expand your new orchard into something more ambitious at some time in the future or whether you would like to keep it at the scale you have described in your application.
Section 4
Tell us about how much your project will cost, and how you have arrived at those costs.
Please list what trees and protection you will be spending the funding on.
If you need recommendations of fruit trees that work well in Northwest climates, please read the Pick your orchard trees list (XLSX 44.5 KB). Once you have a full list of trees and items you should send this to at least two different suppliers or tree nurseries to calculate costs. We may request evidence of this process.
Give as much detail as possible including tree type, root type, and size. We will not fund any plastic tree protection.
Funding
So that we can understand what support you need from us in terms of a grant, we need to know how much your whole project costs and what contribution you require us to make.
What is the total Cost of your Project?
This is the amount that your project will cost in full. The total cost of your project could be higher than the amount you request from us. For example, your project could cost £1,500 but you only request £1,000 from us.
Total that you are requesting from us?
This is where you tell us how much money (grant) you require from us. It can be the same as the total cost, or it can be less.
Do you have any further funding for other items in the project not included here? ie paths, seats. If so, who is it from and how much?
If applicable, please tell us where the rest of the funding for your project is coming from, the value, and if the funding has been confirmed. Sometimes other people or organisations offer help for projects as a direct contribution, this is known as in-kind support. Are you receiving any in-kind support? If so, what is being contributed? e.g. Volunteer time, equipment, services.
Where are you purchasing your trees from?
We need this information to confirm you are purchasing from a Plant Healthy certification scheme registered provider and what their bio-security measures are. We can only fund trees for purchase from suppliers that are members of the Plant Healthy certification scheme.
Plant Healthy certified suppliers
What is their Plant Healthy ID number?
Look out for an image like the one shown below. It might be shown on their website or promotional leaflets. You can also simply ask your supplier for their Plant Healthy ID number.
The status of your group or organisation
If we offer you a grant we will require from you documentation that is relevant to your application. This may include:
- Governing Document
- Bank Account Statements
- Public Liability and or Employers Liability Insurance
- Any relevant lease and/or planning consents
- Any other document that we deem necessary relevant to your project and activities
When submitting your files please name them with your group name, and nearest town.
E.g.
FriendsofKingPark_Charlestown_Map, FriendsofKingPark_Charlestown_Orchardapplication
Application check list:
Please make sure you have completed and sent us the following items for your application:
☐ Application form
☐ A map
If you need any help with any of these please contact us at loot4fruit@lancashire.gov.uk and we can assist you.