Ilford Community Apple harvest 2026
We are piloting a community effort to pick and use the apples going to waste in people’s gardens. These apples are fresh and organic with zero food miles.
We will try and collect and use apples from 25 trees in Ilford. The good ones we can distribute to the Community Grocer, Food banks and others.
If you have ideas for where to donate the apples, please get in touch.
The damaged apples can be turned into chutneys etc, using all the community recipes we can find. We will use community kitchens in Belgrave Mosque Community Centre and Cranbrook Baptist Church.
For this first year we are mainly helping to pick apples in the roads around Christchurch School and around Highlands School. However if anyone wants to drop off their apples, we are going to organise drop off times and points.
Why just apples?
We won’t turn down other fruit but the focus is apples. Most of those we pick and use this year will have gone to waste in 2025. We want to start somewhere and see what we can achieve. We will get some experience, share our learning, and enjoy the community spirit along the way.
In partnership with Redbridge Cooking Connections, Community Action Redbridge.
Got an apple tree? Please register the tree here. or text/whatsapp 07957 534908 or send us an email – and we will get in touch with you. (You can register other fruit trees too, for the future!)
You want to volunteer? We need people to pick the apples! This can be at a time to suit you. Please get in touch if willing to help. It should be fun!
We need people to help deliver the apples to the organisations and groups that want them.
We need people who can join community cooking sessions to save the non perfect apples and make chutneys etc.
And there’s many more ways to help out….
Please get in touch if you’d like to be part of it. Contact: Ilfordtransition@gmail.com / (texts/whatsapp only 07957 534908)