The Heritage of Orchards and Cider Making in Wales Project

The Welsh Perry & Cider Society and George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling are collaborating on a project titled 'The Heritage of Orchards and Cider Making in Wales', and will focus on three areas of activity: 1. Working with 14 community groups to regenerate old orchards and/or identify areas for new plantings. Groups will be supported with apple and pear trees (to include heritage Welsh varieties), training, event support and installation of interpretation. Biodiversity management plans will also be produced as a key starting point for development and implementation. 2. Exploring and recording Welsh Heritage cider and perry fruit through DNA fingerprinting, qualitative observation of trees, and single variety juice fermentation trial to produce a comprehensive online catalogue. 3. Telling the modern story of orcharding and cider making in Wales through the collection of oral histories and digital stories. Working with University of South Wales to produce a digital collection accessible online. GEECS is leading on stream 3 of the project.