Roger Mitchinson and Vivette Moore

“Somerset – and Taunton Deane in particular – has always been associated with apples. Orchards were once a common sight but, sadly, many have been uprooted to make way for other crops. I hope the Council’s lead in planting beautiful and useful native trees will bear fruit by others following our initiative to make Taunton Deane a truly ‘Tasty Borough.’”  Cllr Coles, TDBC

Taunton Transition Town helped to launch the “Tasty Borough” project with Taunton Deane Borough Council on Thursday, 25th February. Twelve traditional apple trees were planted including old varieties such as Old Somerset Russet, Pomeroy of Somerset and Beauty of Bath.

The project was kick started by Taunton Deane’s Green Champions Roger Mitchinson and Vivette Moore who lobbied for a re-launch of TDBC tree planting scheme with an obvious emphasis on the edible tree. This is just the start of a wider programme to put Taunton Deane at the core of the apple country (pardon the pun!)

The Council is keen to make the Borough a greener place, reducing its carbon footprint and mitigating the effects of climate change. Next year some £10,000 is being put aside for tree planting across the district.