The Brighton Permaculture Trust is launching an online crowdfunding campaign with Buzzbnk to complete the building of The Fruit Factory creating a permanent hub to build on the success of their pop-up Scrumping Project.

Located in an old tractor shed in Stanmer Park the straw-bale renovation will be a use for the processing of local and seasonal fruits into jams, chutneys, and juices.

Work has begun on the The Fruit Factory but £12,000 is needed to complete the structure by summer 2015 to be ready for the fruit season.

The Buzzbnk campaign launches on Tuesday 3 March and will last for 30 days only. It has been shown that successful campaigns reach 10% of their target in the first day.

One of the Brighton Permaculture Trust’s key projects for the last six years has been their pop-up scrumping project – turning unwanted and wasted fruit into delicious produce.

Now, they want to scale-up their scrumping. The Fruit Factory could process up to 40 tons of fruit a year – the equivalent of 250,000 apples!

Stanmer Park, one of Brighton’s most visited green spaces, is the location of many of their activities. Managing three orchards, a volunteer plot, and courses at the iconic Brighton Earthship, Brighton Permaculture Trust also runs the hugely successful Apple Day in the park.

Founded in 2000 Brighton Permaculture became a charity in February 2013. For fifteen years Brighton Permaculture Trust have worked to create an abundant future for local communities, celebrating and supporting sustainable projects through the application of Permaculture Design.

Over the last 10 years the Brighton Permaculture Trust have helped plant 90 orchard with schools and communities across Sussex. Working with both adults and school children The Fruit Factory will also be a place of learning.

By re-localising production and locating it in a well known site, The Fruit Factory aims to demonstrate what seasonal and environmentally sound food looks (and tastes!) like. As an educational charity bringing people together around the production and sharing of food is central to the work of Brighton Permaculture Trust.

The Fruit Factory will also function as a venue for Brighton Permaculture’s work providing courses in orchard management, hosting events and selling produce.

***

READ ON

• Eating out in Sussex - best restaurants - Whether you’re looking for fine dining, pub food, a romantic meal for 2 or a taste of something from further afield, eating out in Sussex really has something for everyone. Here’s our guide to the best local restaurants and pubs.

• 20 best pubs in Sussex to visit this winter - What could be nicer than a sleepy Sunday afternoon in one of our beautiful Sussex pubs? Here are some of our favourites...

• Cathryn Dresser from Great British Bake Off on running her own Handcross shop - Cathryn Dresser lives in Pease Pottage with her husband and “two little peanuts”, Maisie and Ambrose. But alongside school runs, trips to the park and the like, Cathryn runs her own shop, The Little Handcross Bakery in (yes, you guessed it) Handcross.