Mayor of Hereford, Paul Stevens, has been busy planting more perry trees across the County! These rare pear trees were facing a dark future of endangerment before the Mayor took it upon himself to make sure that doesn’t end up the case.
The first trees were planted at Brockhampton Estate, near Bromyard. A second set was planted at Ross Cider, and another at Holme Lacy College.
These will eventually blossom into fruit baring trees, giving the rare pear a chance to spread across Herefordshire.
The Mayor had previously worked on reviving the perry trees last year by planting at Little Pomona Cidery on Brook House Farm. A long time advocate and enthusiast of our County’s rich history in cider and perry, The Mayor was initially dismayed to hear that the famous perry trees were under threat. To prevent this from happening, Paul sought out Jim Chapman of the National Perry Pear Centre in Hartpury to secure scions for grafting, and approached Nick Dunn at the nationally renowned nursery, Frank P Matthews near Tenbury Wells.
Marking Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year, these trees have been planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, a special invitation to all people to plant trees to mark the important occasion. Not only is this a fantastic initiative to get us outside and proactive, it’s also a boon for the ecological diversity and future of the UK’s environment.
