BSA Boarding Orchard initiative gets royal seal of approval

Posted: 15th January 2021

A sustainability project launched by the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) to encourage boarding schools to do their bit for the environment by planting fruit trees has received support from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales.

The Prince, a well-known supporter of eco-friendly and sustainable initiatives, recently appeared on BBC One’s Countryfile, where he joined celebrities including actress Dame Judi Dench, model Twiggy and legendary Queen guitarist Brian May, to give his backing to the programme’s ‘Plant Britain’ campaign, a two-year project which will see 750,000 trees planted.

Following his appearance on the programme, BSA Group Chief Executive Robin Fletcher wrote to the Prince to highlight the BSA’s own Boarding Orchard tree-planting project.

The Boarding Orchard was launched by the BSA in 2014. It aims to be the ‘largest’ orchard by geography in the world and encourages schools to involve their pupils in planting trees to support the environment. Since launch, schools across the UK – including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – have joined the Boarding Orchard, and trees have also been planted at boarding schools in Switzerland, Russia and the USA.

In a reply to BSA, a Clarence House spokesperson passed on the Prince’s ‘warmest wishes for every success with the project’, calling it ‘an excellent way of promoting environmental awareness.’

Robin Fletcher said: “For many years, HRH The Prince of Wales has been a great champion of a wide range of causes and projects relating to protecting the environment and sustainability, so we’re delighted that our Boarding Orchard scheme has his support.

“Since its creation, more than 150 schools all over the world have contributed to the Boarding Orchard, planting over 180 trees and each year, more of our members join the scheme. Through this project, we can work together to address the urgent need for action on climate change and play our part in protecting the environment for generations to come.”

For more information on the Boarding Orchard, please visit the BSA website:

Categories: BSA News Uncategorised