A community orchard is due to be planted in Cardiff's Buke Park after the local community raised thousands of pounds to re-plant trees that had been destroyed by vandals. The much-loved park was subject to a "dark and sinister" attack of vandalism on the night of September 9 2021, in which more than 50 trees were destroyed, plants, planters, and manhole covers were broken and bins were ripped from the concrete.
Hundreds of people took part in a march to reclaim the park on September 18 in what was described by organiser and owner of the Secret Garden Café, Melissa Boothman, as a "friendly show of solidarity and resistance" and a "positive counteraction" to the vandalism.
Melissa also set up a fundraiser to replace the lost trees in the park, which has raised £5,000 at the time of writing. The money raised is set to be used to start a community orchard with apple, pear, and plum trees. In a tweet announcing the plans, the Secret Garden Café said that "each tree will represent the 50 plus trees we lost last year in the vandalism."
READ MORE: The poignant stories we heard on a guided tour around one of the largest cemeteries in Wales
A target of £10,000 has been set for the fundraiser, with permission needed from Cardiff Council before any plans for the orchard can go ahead and a decision on where the orchard will be placed has not yet been made. A council spokesperson said: “The support and generosity shown by the community since last year’s vandalism has been overwhelming and the plan, to use some of the funds raised to replace the damaged trees, to establish a community orchard ties in well with the council’s wider ‘Coed Caerdydd’ tree planting programme, which aims to increase tree canopy coverage in Cardiff to 25%.
“The team at Bute Park will be looking closely at the plans ahead of the next tree planting season to agree the details, including where, how many, and what type of fruit trees could be planted, and the provision that will be required to manage and maintain the orchard, so that visitors to the park can enjoy the many benefits the new trees will bring for years to come.”
