Aim: To create, develop and maintain one or more community orchards for the benefit of local people, visitors and wildlife; a place for recreation and quiet contemplation, where horticultural and wildlife knowledge and appreciation can be learned. Objectives: To encourage community involvement in the development and management of the orchard. To create and maintain an orchard that reflects local distinctiveness. To grow a mix of local varieties of fruit to include apples, plums and cherries

The Community Orchard will preserve local fruit varieties and counteract the massive loss of local orchards. It will enhance biodiversity and local wildlife. Local schools have shown great interest in the project which will provide an outdoor classroom and enliven the school curriculum. It will revive an interest in fruit growing and encourage the sharing of horticultural skills. Lastly, the orchard should provide a place for quiet contemplation as well as a centre for local activities.

During the first year of the project, the group has been very active raising awareness through stalls, public meetings and articles in the local media. There has been overwhelming local support for the project with many offering to volunteer. We held a very successful juicing weekend last September and hosted a most instructive restorative pruning workshop earlier this year. Much thought has gone into the orchard design and we are now preparing for the first phase of tree planting early in 2013.