I'm taking part in a 100 mile cycling event call the Velo this weekend and over the past few days a deliberate fire has destroyed most of the Highbury Orchard project. The lovely people who run the orchard are now making decisions about how to keep the projects running and what the future will look like for them. In this short term I wanted to raise some funds to go towards new tools at least.

From the team at Highbury Orchard :

"Highbury Orchard in Birmingham has suffered another fire. There seems to have been a break-in beforehand. The damage is so extensive that they will have to suspend some, if not all, of their activities. The garden is in good shape; the bees have all survived (thanks to whichever firefighters moved the hives!) and their recently constructed workshop is intact. The metal sheds are beyond repair, and will have to be removed, along with other metal waste. Along with their secure storage, they've lost all of their materials, tools, gazebos, tables, and shelving. Without that, they can hardly run their regular sessions."

Highbury Orchard is a Community Interest Company running woodland projects on the Highbury estate, Birmingham that help people connect with nature. These currently include Community Orchard Workdays, Stick Around for adults managing their own well-being through conservation and crafts, and Woodland Play for families with 0-8s, learning together.

Please give what you can and if it's not money please also contact them if you'd like to offer other forms of help to get the project back on it's feet.