Meet Donna Cooper, Director at Grow Fruit Trees, a nursery in Kent that grows and donates apple trees to UK schools
We plant hope every time we plant a tree. In 2024, over 1,000 trees were donated to more than 80 schools and community groups across the UK. Individuals and corporates, keen to reduce their carbon footprint, sponsor the trees, all of which are grown at our family-run nursery dedicated to conserving Britain’s rare and heritage fruit tree selections from the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale.
Food poverty in schools has become a growing concern since the Covid-19 pandemic, and several schools have requested apple trees so they can provide fresh produce to struggling families. What started a decade ago with environmental and educational goals is now vital for addressing this social issue.
It’s a rewarding challenge. While we only donate apple trees because they are well-suited for children to care for, we respond to each school’s priorities. At a school for children with additional needs, small dwarf trees were selected because they’re easier for wheelchair users to reach. For pupils with impaired vision, cultivars such as Malus domestica ‘Knobby Russet’, with their distinctive lumps and bumps, and furry-skinned ‘Egremont Russet’ AGM, help engage other senses. Other schools may request apples for juicing, cooking, or for suitability to the local soil and climate.
Supermarkets don’t stock the specimens we grow. The UK imports 90 per cent of its fruit and vegetables, so we’re one of the few places on Earth where certain cultivars of apples, pears and plums can still be found. We offer 2,400 different apples, from the ancient Roman ‘Decio’ to the old-fashioned ‘Violette’. We hope we’re creating a living legacy while helping communities in need.
Page used with kind permission of the RHS The Garden - November 2025