Watch out for a series called Wild Things on Channel 4 in January – it features a rare LOQUAT tree from TCV’s Green Hub Railway Fields Nature Reserve in London. Loquat is a Mediterranean fruit popular with the large local Turkish population, one of whom we assume threw a loquat stone over the fence into Railway Fields some years back.
The filming is a story in itself. Three months ago a black cab draws up at Railway Fields. Channel 4 camera crew, director, presenter, presenter’s dog and plant expert get out. Lots of photos taken of our Loquat, then a trip to the nearby high street in search of the fruit – alas out of season. Off they go back to TV land. Channel 4 orders loquats to be flown in from Brazil. Loquats arrive at Heathrow but are lost at the airport and never found. Back they all come to Railway Films and do their film with the Tree and a plastic bag of apricots standing in for the loquats. The director assured us they’d have the real thing on the show. See what you think.