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In celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee later this year, Woking Borough Council has partnered with the Clink Charity based at HMP Send’s Fruit Tree Project to distribute 500 fruit trees to local organisations and community groups to commemorate this historic occasion.
Pear, apple, plum and cherry trees were distributed to groups and organisations including Woking College, The Lightbox, local schools and faith groups.
Refugee families, charities and a limited number of residents were also among those receiving a fruit tree.
Talking about the project, Zafar Iqbal, Woking Borough Council’s Senior Policy Officer for Community Engagement, said: “We are really proud to be working in partnership with the Clink Charity at HMP Send to help distribute 500 fruit trees to organisations and groups that are in the heart of our communities. Trees are vital for our natural environment and can enhance an area and support local biodiversity, whilst keeping the air we breathe clean. We hope that these trees will enliven community spaces and be valued by communities for generations to come.”
Some of the trees will also be used within HMP Send to develop two new orchards and to increase biodiversity within the estate. In addition, a proportion of them have been made available to projects external to the prison with a view to supporting local community initiatives.
The project is a multi-partnership operation between Woking Borough Council, Clink Charity, RHS Wisley, and Army Training Centre, Pirbright.