Community Orchard

After many months Haddenham Parish Council has taken ownership of the Farrar-Bell field adjacent to Townsend Green from Rectory Homes.

The creation of a community orchard, which was voted for by the village in 2014 as a legacy for this and future generations of the village, can now begin in earnest.

A professional orchard designer was employed to create a layout using a range of old varieties of apple, pear, cherry and plum trees. The final design includes for soft fruit bushes and wild flowers with an integral seating / meeting area.

The orchard committee, which was formed in September 2014 has planned a number of community events over the next four months and we hope this will attract a large number of Haddenham residents.

Firstly, however, we need to raise the necessary funds to purchase the saplings, bushes, protection and support for the plants, sign boards and furniture. Our budget for the complete orchard is £4,000 which will be spread over two years.

We are applying for grants from local charities but hope that the majority of the funds will come from private donations which will be publicly acknowledged at the entrance to the orchard.

The committee hope that the orchard will encourage the community at large to engage in its creation and maintenance in addition to harvesting the free fruit! We also anticipate that the local schools will use the orchard for educational purposes throughout the year. The committee plan to hold at least two public events a year in the orchard such as celebrating midsummer or apple picking and pressing days.

If you are interested in getting involved with the project in either a manual capacity or as a sponsor please contact either Elaine Pickup on 01844 296191 — Elaine.pickup@hotmail.com or David Greaves on 01844 290039 -grivas@hotmail.co.uk

The next open event is scheduled for 22nd August at 11.00am, when we will layout the orchard according to the design (planting will begin in October). There will be games for the children and maybe even the adults! We will have a BBQ going with hot and cold drinks so why not come along with all the family and have some fun whilst helping to create a lasting legacy for the village?