The “Orchards in the Community” project is part of the DCs for Bees initiative launched by Host in Ireland, which promotes awareness of the benefits of hosting digital assets in Ireland.

An initial 50 organisations from the Irish data centre community and supporters have pledged more than 1,000 orchards to be planted across Ireland in the 2021-2022 planting season.

Each participant organisation is allowed to determine the location of their pledged orchard and Eversheds Sutherland has donated 40 for the grounds of Barretstown, which offers free, specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness.

Their grounds are a key part of the camp activities, so the orchards will enrich the experience for the children and their families.

Tim O’Dea, director of development at Barretstown, said: “Our goal at Barretstown is to provide our families with a chance to unwind, destress and enjoy quality family-time together in a fun, safe and relaxing environment.

“The orchards will provide a wealth of activities for our campers to enjoy as they connect with nature and learn more about the life cycle of pollinators and their environments. We are excited to plant the trees and grateful to our good friends and long standing supporters, Eversheds, for their generous donation.”

Garry Connolly, founder of Host in Ireland, said: “Success through collaboration has always been front and centre in who and what Host in Ireland stands for.

“DCs for Bees has been created to raise awareness and take action to reverse the dramatic decline in Ireland’s pollinators. ‘Orchards in the Community’ gives our partners yet another opportunity to collaborate within their local communities and actively assist in the reverse of the decline of Ireland’s pollinators.”