Cairngorms National Park has revealed 18 new orchard sites in Scotland.

The announcement marks the tenth anniversary of the Park.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) in partnership with the Soil Association - through the Cairngorms Food for Life programme - invited community groups and organisations to nominate a site for an orchard. As a result, 18 Heritage Orchards, each containing eight trees, a mixture of apple, plum and pear, have been awarded to a range of groups across the Park.

Glynis Ross, the Cairngorms Food for Life Development Officer said: "We were delighted with the amount of interest from the communities across the Park. This project is about learning where food comes from, and ensuring good food is available to all.

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"We want communities to utilise their green spaces and become more sustainable by growing their own food. The inclusion of another eight orchards means that even more people will be able to get involved with growing their own."

The orchard sites are: Abernethy Primary School, Anagach Woods Trust, Ardgeal Community, Aviemore Primary School, Ballater Community, Blair Atholl Community, Braemar St. Andrew's Church, Crathie Primary School, Cromdale Community, Dalwhinnie Community and Deshar Primary School.

Also making the final 18 are: Glenlivet Community – Drumin Castle, Grantown-on-Spey Primary School, Kingussie Community, Laggan Community, Newtonmore Primary School, Strathdon Primary School and Tomintoul Community – Smugglers Hostel.

The Crown Estate, who helped the community in Glenlivet to put their bid together, have agreed to match the trees provided under the project, meaning the orchard planned for Drumin Castle will benefit from 16 trees.

The timing of the planting of the orchards will depend on the preparation of the sites and weather conditions, and each group will be invited to a local training session on how to plant fruit trees correctly.

Funding for the project is coming from the Park Authority and the European funded LEADER programme.

(JP/IT)