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| Helen |
We recently held a well attended party in St Peter’s Hall to
mark 10 years of successful apple and pear growing in our Community Orchard. It
was great to see many of the original volunteers and to be able reminisce about
our early struggles with the nettle and brambles. Although we saw the site in
December 2009 we didn’t actually plant the trees until November 2010. There was
a huge amount of work to do, and in the early days there were work parties at
least weekly with massive bonfires as we cleared the site following 40 years of
neglect.
Helen would like to
thank the committee (Lorna Ball, Peter Jarvis, Jennie Ephgrave and Pauline
Whyte) for their continued enthusiasm and expertise. And we are grateful to our
Friends who generously support the venture with annual donations. Many
of the early volunteers are still working regularly with us and we can look
forward to the next ten years with confidence. |
| Jeremy Turtle & John Gilbert volunteers from the start |
 | |
| Ed Heaver & Andrew Claringbull our Wassail Masters |
We can be proud
we've started our Orchard ….and it can only get better as years go by. We
are at the very forefront of a movement round the world to re green spaces and in
our Orchard we are encouraging wildlife by being insecticide and pesticide free
and allowing the grass to grow longer and become more diverse with many wild
flowers. We are encouraging a reduction in food miles and want to teach
children where our food comes from.
 |
| Steve Thresher & Bob Paterson regular volunteers |
This can only work
if more people contribute not only in work parties but by taking responsibility
for individual aspects such as hedges, steps, bonfires etc and some of the
social activities too. Our Wassail is assured for the next year or so but we
will always need more people offering to help.
Here’s to the next ten fruity years!
