What we do

EEAOP works in an advisory and educational role, promoting the planting of local orchard fruit varieties and the preservation of orchards in the east of England. We also provide training in orchard skills, a fruit identification service, undertake research into the region’s orchards and fruits and produce local variety fruit trees for sale. Since 2003 we’ve supplied more than 45,000 local variety fruit trees to over 300 community projects, 500 schools and many hundreds of individuals. In 2019 we launched a set of curriculum-linked, orchard-themed teaching activities and resources designed for primary school children.

At our headquarters at West Raynham in Norfolk we hold the East of England Fruit Collection. This unique orchard contains examples of all of the region’s apples, pears, plums and cherries – around 270 different varieties – and is used by us for training, research and promotion.

Our members help us take part in various events throughout the year, including most of the region’s major Apple Days, as well as assisting with research, workshops and managing our orchards.  They’ve helped us to recover and to discover around thirty locally-raised fruit varieties, which had once been considered ‘lost’ or were previously unknown.

If you’d like to know more, please Contact us.