Campaign to secure future of original Bramley Apple Tree

AN appeal has been launched to secure the future of the original Bramley Apple Tree.

The property on Church Street where it is located has been put up for sale by the current owners, Nottingham Trent University.

This has prompted fears, by the group, the Mother Bramley Fund (MBF) that a new private owner may not be able to care for the tree, which has an incurable fungal infection.

The group includes broadcaster and musician Cerys Matthews OBE; artist and tree campaigner Dan Llywelyn Hall; Celia Steven, great-granddaughter of Henry Merryweather who first cultivated the Bramley; Rob McBride, whose advocacy has helped save threatened trees from Sheffield to Wales; and Dr James Ritchie, a scientist who has long championed the Mother Bramley’s cause.

MBF has launched a crowdfunding campaign to try to purchase Bramley Cottages and secure the site for the public, permanently. 

Once purchased, a Community Interest Company will be established to oversee the tree’s care and the site’s future. The cottages will become a heritage destination and educational facility, with free public access to the garden and the tree itself.

The cottages are on the market for £400,000 and the campaign has linked up with an unnamed local business which will, if the target is reached, make up the difference.

For more details or to donate visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk and search: Save the Mother Bramley Apple Tree for the Nation.