About me

I mainly work as a co-operative development worker, but for many years I have also been an enthusiastic semi-professional orchardist, experimenting in the South Pennines with apple trees.

I use permaculture principles to create thriving orchards in harsh upland environments, where the wind blows hard and the deer are hungry.

I produce most of the trees I plant myself - grafting about 100 trees a year.

I particularly like finding interesting pippins in the wild and propagating them to become new varieties, such as Janet, Lad Law and the Colden Cat.

I love working with fellow enthusiasts and community orchard groups across the North of England and beyond.

Feel free to drop me a line and we can chat about how I might be able to help your project.

Mark Simmonds (Apple Mark)