East Bridgford used to have many orchards which have been replaced by houses. We are campaigning to establish a Community Orchard in East Bridgford. We hope to plant fruit trees which originate from the region to help maintain a link with the past.
Recently one of the East Bridford Wildlife and Biodiversity Group, Sue Pynegar, celebrated 'Apple Day' with some children from St Peter's School. She invited them to see her orchard and to pick some apples. It sounded as if it was a very successful day as many of the children sent pictures and wrote thank you letters to Susan, to thank her for the enjoyable day. The apples picked were used to make a massive apple crumble which was enjoyed by everyone at the school.
Eating healthily and conserving our heritage, is something that we think could be jointly promoted by the development of a community orchard in the village. England has lost 63% of its orchards since the 1950s. East Bridgford lost its orchards due to the infill expansion during the 50s and 60s. However, now, community orchards are becoming increasingly popular; Lowdham has its own orchard and recently celebrated 'Apple Day'.
What we would like to know is, would there be people in the village who would like the idea of a community orchard, maybe even be prepared to help plant some apple trees? It would also be useful to know if anyone has particular trees in mind and relevant knowledge as to their care, such as pruning and grafting. Ideally, the trees we would like to plant would be local heritage fruit trees, that are not too large, so that people can pick the fruit more easily. Suggestions as to where we could find a sunny, well drained half acre of land would also be very useful.
The plantation of the Millennium Wood was a very successful community effort and we can all enjoy the rewards of this wood today. We would like to continue that community co-operation.
We have produced a list of local fruit as a potential starting point.
For more information please email info@eastbridgfordwildlife.org.uk.