Who We Are

Abundance Manchester is a voluntary project which picks surplus or unwanted fruit from gardens and public trees around South Manchester and distributes it to local groups and communities. We also collect and distribute surplus vegetables from allotments and have our own Abundance allotment to grow food for groups who can make good use of it. We also look after Kenworthy Community Orchard in Chorlton. Below you will find the latest updates on the project.

To get in touch please email abundancemanchester@yahoo.co.uk

Watch the clip  here  from BBC’s North West Tonight programme to find out more about what we do.

Abundance Manchester also strongly supports other groups and campaigns which promote sustainable, local and organic food.  We particularly support the campaign against GM crops and the recent anti-GM protest organised by Take the Flour Back, which can be seen here in this short film.

We are part of a growing network of  fruit harvesting groups, for a list of others around the country see the Abundance Network website.

Kenworthy Community Orchard events

We’re recently run winter fruit tree pruning and fruit tree grafting courses. Our next event will be a picnic and volunteer day in the Spring. Go to the orchard page for more info.

Urgently seeking apples!

….or any other surplus fruit and veg.

It’s been a pretty dismal year for UK fruit and veg because of the terrible weather, so we are struggling to find as much surplus fruit to pick as normal. If you have produce in your garden or allotment that is not being used please get in touch by emailing abundancemanchester@yahoo.co.uk or phoning 07967 227 981. If you have produce you can drop off yourself, please do so at our collection hub in the car park of Manchester Bridge Club in West Didsbury -  30 Palatine Road, M20 3JJ. Head into the car park and to the right of the building until you see a veg plot, a dilapidated shed and some boxes and just pop produce in one of the boxes. Produce gets sorted and distributed on Sunday evenings.  Thanks!

Abundance on Tour!

Two Abundance Manchester co-ordinators have recently returned from three weeks of cycling and food foraging with the Ecotopia Biketour.  This annual DIY bike tour  visits sustainable communities, squats and action camps along the route. This year’s theme was Degrowth, the concept of downscalling production and consumption to live within our ecological means in a sustainable and socially just way.

During our time on tour in France and Italy, we picked an abundance of fruit along the way to feed to the group, including grapes, plums, figs, apples and pears.  We also found pomegranites but unfortunately they were not yet ripe! Food reclaimed from  supermarket bins was also a welcome and regular addition to our diets.

 

After cycling with an international community on-the-move for three weeks, we have plenty of inspiration to inject into the fruit picking season here in Manchester!

Fairytale Apples

Today, on the first fruit picking session of the year, we harvested unbelievably perfect red apples from a tiny tree, along with pears, cooking apples and rhubard.

The weather was sunny, the fruit was ripe and we even got cups of tea! The produce will go to The Destitution Project for destitute asylum seekers and Cornerstone, which provides meals for homeless people. Thanks to everyone involved in the picking and the home owners for sharing their fruit with us!

Getting Involved (first 2012 weekend pick coming soon!)

Our first weekend picking session will be on Sunday 2nd September at 2pm. To take part in fruit picking, distributing or orchard activities please sign up to our email list by emailing abundancemanchester@yahoo.co.uk, that’s how we let people know what’s going on and how to get involved.

A small group also meets regularly to plan activities, discuss progress, and distribute tasks. This is usually a core group of about 6 people, and we are always keen to get a few more people involved. Next meeting 7pm, Wed 29th August. Our meetings are open to anyone who’d like to get more involved or just wants to find out more about what we’re doing.  The meeting will be at the Work for Change offices in Hulme, M15 5RF, in the Yellowbricks (same building as Kim by the Sea).  Facing Kims, head to your left to the end of that building and turn right around the corner onto Geoge Parr Road. The entrance to the offices is a red door on your right about halfway along the building. If no-one’s there to let you in, buzz the buzzer. We’ll probably have a drink round the corner afterwards at Kims.

All Welcome!

An Abundance of Salad

We’ve made a link with a college in Reddish, Stockport, who have a school farm. Over the summer holidays the produce isn’t being used, and were delighted to link up with us and make sure the produce is used. Early in August we harvested about 6 bin bags full of crisp mixed salad leaves – including rocket, lettuce, mustard and mizuna! An expensive product to buy in the shops, it was very gladly received (just an hour or two after harvesting) by 3 Stockport and 3 Manchester projects. We’re going again on Wednesday 15th August.

Kenworthy Orchard Project

Soft Fruit, Hard Graft

Sunday 12th Aug 2012 saw a group of nine volunteers learning about plum and damson tree pruning from Hilary Dodson, chair of the Northern Fruit Group. Like all our workshops it was a good mix of learning & doing, & the plums especially look they’ve got a bit more room to breathe. Join our mailing list to hear about upcoming free events at the orchard, or keep an eye on the Kenworthy page.

See the Kenworthy Orchard page for more details.