- Applicants must work with Keep Wales Tidy staff when planning package installation.
- Packages must deliver environmental growth that can be seen ‘from your doorstep’. This means they should be located where people live, work, access public services, travel (could include roadside verges, roundabouts) and spend their leisure time (e.g. public open spaces).
- Work must be delivered between 1 October 2025 and end of February 2026 (variable due to tree planting season).
- Applicants must agree to maintain the site for a minimum of 5 years and have a plan for future maintenance (Keep Wales Tidy will help you prepare this).
- Applicants must provide photographic evidence and monitoring data to Keep Wales Tidy, such as number of participants involved, quotes from beneficiaries and sign an asset register to state they have received all package items.
- Applicants will be asked to publicise the work via social media and press releases using the templates provided.
- It is the responsibility of applicants to be on site to accept deliveries from suppliers.
Who can apply for packages?
Our Orchard Packages have been designed for organisations looking to create small community orchards on land that is in ‘not for profit ownership’. Applications are open to community groups of all shapes and sizes, and other organisations such as NHS, Local and National governments (including Town and Community Councils), public schools and nurseries, third sector organisation, religious organisations, social enterprises, universities, housing associations, and wider Welsh Public Service including Transport for Wales.
Priority will be given to projects meeting all the requirements of the application process who are located in urban/peri-urban or rural town locations, involve disadvantaged members of the community, are located in areas of the highest deprivation (identified by the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation) and have little or no access to nature.
Priority will be given to applications that involve Black Asian, Minority Ethnic and/or disabled participants.
Can schools apply?
No. Local authority-maintained schools can instead apply for a School Orchard Package. It contains the same items, but the support schools will receive from Keep Wales Tidy is little different. Click here to find out more and apply for a School Orchard Package.
Who cannot apply?
- Individuals / private gardens
- Private sector organisations
Please note, if you have already received funding for your activity or site from the National Lottery Heritage Fund or your Local Nature Partnership, there may be restrictions that could affect your application. Please contact nature@keepwalestidy.cymru for more information.
We received a Keep Wales Tidy Local Places for Nature package previously, can we apply again?
If you have already received a package, you meet all this year’s key criteria and want to apply for another package, then you may be able to apply. We would suggest you apply for a different site. Please note, that priority is likely to be given to applicants who have not applied before.
Who do you consider a disadvantaged/disengaged/underrepresented group?
We welcome and support applications from disadvantaged/underrepresented groups and those who have limited capacity for involvement in projects such as Local Places for Nature. Applications will score highly if they include participants from the following groups:
- Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
- Disabled
- Homeless
- People with substance misuse issues
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- Gypsies / travellers
- People with mental health problems / suffering from personality disorder
- Children / children in care / young people
- Carers
- Older people
- Teenage parents / single parents
- Victims of domestic abuse
- Offenders
- People from sexual minority communities
- Socio-economically disadvantaged
- Those who cannot read, write or speak English or Welsh
- Non-Christian faith group
- People with protected characteristics
We are not a disadvantaged group can we still apply?
Yes. There are other key scheme criteria that applicants need to demonstrate they meet (see above). Saying that, we encourage all applicants to outline how they have consulted with disadvantaged/under-represented members of their local community and how they will be involved in the project going forward, as we want the projects to be as inclusive as possible. Involving disadvantaged groups will strengthen your application, giving you a higher chance of success.
Do we need to be a constituted group to apply for one of the garden packages?
Yes. Keep Wales Tidy officers can support you to become a constituted group. We have template constitutions available and our team of community officers can help you through the simple process. Please visit the contacts page for details of your local community officer who can help, or ask the Nature team.
Social enterprises and community groups will need to provide a copy of their constitution and charities will need to provide us with their charity number.
How do I apply?
Please submit the relevant application form via the Keep Wales Tidy website. You are not required to set up an account or login to apply, but please note, once you have started your application, you will not be able to save your progress and return to it later.
A preview of the questions can be found below, and further details on supporting information can be found in these FAQs. Please read this guidance carefully before starting your application.
Please answer all the questions within the recommended word count.
How are the applications assessed and selected?
All applications will be assessed by a grant panel including representatives from Keep Wales Tidy, Welsh Government, Social Farms and Gardens, The Wildlife Trusts and local nature experts.
Applications will be judged against programme criteria, with priority given to applications who meet at least three of the following key scheme criteria:
- Places with little or no access to nature – priority will be given to sites with no green space at all and those on manmade surfaces (e.g. Tarmac, concrete).
- Urban / peri-urban and rural town.
- Places with the highest levels of deprivation – priority will be given to applicants in the 30% most deprived of any WIMD deprivation statistic, by super-output area.
- Involve disadvantaged, disengaged, or underrepresented groups, particularly Black Asian Minority Ethnic and disabled participants (physical and learning, including visual, hearing and speech impairment).
- Applicants should demonstrate wide community involvement with a minimum of ten regular volunteers and a range of organisations able to access nature once the orchard has been installed.
When considering applications, the panel will award packages across a broad range of locations / partners / organisations so that different approaches can be trialled and monitored.
The panel will decide whether an application is:
- Successful
- Unsuccessful
- On the ‘reserve’ list
If all above priorities are scored equally, then the package will be awarded to the applicant in the area of highest overall deprivation according to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation.
What is the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) and where can I find out more?
The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) is the Welsh Government’s official measure of relative deprivation for small areas in Wales. It is designed to identify those small areas where there are the highest concentrations of several different domains of deprivation. WIMD is currently made up of eight separate domains of deprivation.
Click here for interactive WIMD map of areas of highest deprivation. Priority will be given to applications in the 50% most deprived of any WIMD deprivation statistic (e.g. physical, education, income).
When will we hear if we are successful?
A grants panel meeting will take place in October for all Orchard applications. All applicants will be informed via email within five working days of a grants panel meeting.
What is What3words and why do we have to use it?
What3words is a website and app that has divided the world into 3 metre squares and gave each square a unique combination of three words. It’s the easiest way to find and share exact locations. More and more delivery companies are now insisting on What3Words when planning deliveries. It is the best way to ensure items get delivered to the exact location.
Please visit www.what3words.com to pinpoint the exact location of your garden and the delivery location.
How much does it cost?
Nothing.
