Waitrose celebrate the fruits of their labour

Partners from Waitrose Admiral Park are celebrating a growing orchard at Delancey Park.

With the help and support of local charitable society the Guernsey Men of the Trees, Partners (as all employees are known) from the supermarket gave up their time from February until September to plant, water and sustain the development of an orchard in the public area. Containing cooking apples, dessert apples, crab apples, pears and walnuts, the orchard will continue to develop over the next year and will be available for members of the public to pick the fruit once it is in full bloom.

Waitrose gave the trees to all its branches to celebrate the supermarket’s 75th anniversary as being part of the John Lewis Partnership.

A fund equivalent to £7.50 per Waitrose Partner was made available to every branch across the UK and Channel Islands. Every Waitrose shop put all or part of this fund towards a planting project in their local community and Partners have been volunteering to plant them.

Ian Burdekin, branch manager of Waitrose Admiral Park, said: “Planting the orchard was suggested by our Partners to provide a legacy for those who use the park and to help sustain the local environment. We are pleased to be doing something longstanding to celebrate the milestone of the Partnership.”

Andy McCutcheon, secretary for the Men of the Trees said: “The planting has been a great way to continue the regeneration of the park. The Partners from Waitrose have put in a huge effort to keep everything alive during the long hot summer and the orchard is now in a good state for generations to come.”