Local Distinctiveness

These days it seems you can walk down any high street from Bristol to Inverness and see exactly the same shop fronts selling identical goods wherever you go. Its a cultural version of the loss of biodiversity and homogenisation that is happening with industrialised agriculture, and in the same way leads to the impoverishment of our experience and existence. Promoting local distinctiveness reminds each of us of our unique regional heritage, whilst at the same time celebrates our cultural diversity... Community Orchards are living celebrations of local distinctivness. The National Apple Collection at Brogdale includes over 2200 apples of UK origin, yet in the shops only some 5 or 6 varieties are generally available. Granny Smiths and Golden Delicious, with a texture like cotton wool and even less flavour can be bought anywhere, but what has happened to the Norfolk Biffen, the Chelmsford Wonder and Beauty Of Bath?As well as serving as a �bank� to preserve the genetic resources of the region for a future when diversity and distinctiveness are once again valued over uniformity and supermarket blandness, such an orchard can be a bridging point between the traditions of the past, the awakening environmental awareness of the present, and are perhaps a more appropriate mark of sustainability for the new millenium than some toxic, non renewable dome in an inaccessible part of London.

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