Thirty schools in the Forth Valley area are taking part in a biodiversity campaign to engage pupils in learning about orchards.

The Central Scotland Green Network Trust (CSGNT) ‘Plant A Mini Orchard’ campaign aims to celebrate the traditional fruit growing areas of the Clyde and Avon Valley and Inner Forth, by helping schools to create and maintain mini orchards within their school grounds.

The official definition of an orchard is five fruit trees and the participating schools were provided with five apple trees, along with all the educational resources required to plan, plant and look after the orchard.

The packs included advice on all aspects of orchard management and maintenance, as well as a guide for teachers to demonstrate how orchards can be used in the classroom as part of the curriculum.

Emilie Wadsworth, heritage and biodiversity officer at CSGNT, said: “Orchards are a wonderful, but sadly diminishing resource, with many of the small orchards in our traditional growing areas of the Forth Valley and Clyde Valley being replaced by commercial orchards elsewhere.

“The ‘Plant a Mini Orchard’ campaign celebrates the heritage of orchards in the area and offers an excellent range of training and resources for schools to help them engage pupils in learning about orchards.” For more info, go to www.csgnt.org.uk/activities/plant-a-mini-orchard.