THUMBS UP FOR APPLE DAY 2021!
A big thumbs up from one of our young visitors to the October 2021 Apple Day. It was simply a wonderful day.
The sun shone, and family groups came in their droves to visit us at Colwall Village Garden.
Apples got pressed, with the juice sampled, blended and bottled.
Tim Dixon helped identify apples.
The crowd were entertained by local band 'Banjaxed'.
Kids (and adults!) played orchard games.
Drinks flowed and those who were hungry feasted on freshly cooked fare from our barbeque and cob pizza oven, followed by home-baked cake and tea.
It was a very relaxed and convivial atmosphere and we were delighted to welcome friends old and new.
A massive thanks to all who worked so hard to make this happen, to those who supported us in a wide variety of ways and those who came on the day.
One to remember, and it was lovely to get back to some sense of normality.
A representative selection of images are displayed below.
Waitrose and Partners Give Us A Little Love...
We are exceptionally grateful to Waitrose and Partners who contacted us recently to say that they'd seen our website and were impressed by our work.
They have included us in their 'Give A Little Love' initiative and have kindly supported us with a big financial contribution of £500.
Pictured - with a large and very generous cheque - are Rosa Kauppinen, Community Activator for Waitrose Great Malvern; Lindsay our Chair and Wendy our Secretary.
We plan to use the money to make improvements at Colwall Village Garden for the benefit of people and nature. More details to follow.
Health and Safety Training
As an organisation we take our responsibilities for Health & Safety very seriously. Late September saw some of our volunteers successfully complete a first aid training course.
Pictured are Phil and Wendy dealing with a scenario for a person found collapsed on the ground. Coincidentally, and there's nothing to be read into this - the location was the churchyard of St. James The Great Church, Colwall...
Annual Tree Ordering Service 2021
As many of you know Colwall Orchard Group provides a service to members and friends by collating together orders for fruit trees, ornamental and native trees and hedge plants, as well as soft fruit bushes (raspberries, blackcurrants, etc). We get trade discount which we share with you and add a bit to our funds.
We order mostly through Frank P Matthews, or Walcott Organic Nursery or RV Roger Nursery so have a look at their websites to get an idea of what is on offer but bear in mind that there is a wider choice available for trade accounts so if you have something in mind let us know.
We are also happy to have a chat with you if you would like some advice about what to plant. Or, if you are looking for inspiration, have a look around the community orchard at Colwall Village Garden. Many of the trees are labelled with the variety here, although this is work in progress.
You can send your requests now and through to the end of October by email to members@colwallorchardgroup.org . We will do our best to get the trees delivered for you to collect from Colwall Village Garden in December.
GREAT CRESTED NEWT NEWS...
From small beginnings...
...to something more impressive
...to something more impressive
We are reliably informed that this is a Great Crested Newt larva and this was found recently in our pond at Colwall Village Garden.
We are very pleased to have found this inhabitant which was identified during a recent survey of the pond by the Ledbury Naturalists - Survey Group who are doing a survey of the flora and fauna of our sites this year.
...to something more impressive
...to something more impressive
...to something more impressive
Great Crested Newts are a protected species. They are the UK's largest native newt species and get their name from the crest which develops in the back of males during the mating season (as shown above).
Their presence in our pond is a good indicator of the favourable health of the pond which we continue to manage in a low intervention manner.
Art In the Orchard
We've been busy sprucing up Colwall Village Garden in preparation for hosting the Art in The Orchard event from 4th to 12th September.
Colwall Allotments
It's mid August and a subtle change in the way that the allotments at Colwall Village Garden are run is just taking place. Following a recent Extraordinary General Meeting of Colwall Allotment Association (CAA) it was agreed to disband the CAA and transfer all tenancy agreements to Colwall Orchard Trust (COT) which is the formal name of our charity, but otherwise known as Colwall Orchard Group (COG), the site landowner.
COG has setup an Allotment Working Group to run the allotments under a 'direct letting' management model.
A new organisation - Colwall Allotment Society - has been created to which all allotment tenants automatically become members.
The allotments are a vibrant part of Colwall Village Garden and bring people and life to the site with plots visited on a daily basis throughout much of the year. The allotments plots are proudly tended by the allotment plot holders, and much-admired by those who visit the site.
A wide variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers are grown on the 58 plots of varying sizes providing a plethora of produce for both people (and nature!).
We are looking forward to keeping the allotments as an important part of the site and hope to maintain and further improve facilities at Colwall Village Garden, for the benefit of all, over the coming months and years.
Work Continues On New Compost Bins
A 3rd Sunday of the Month morning work party session at Colwall Village Garden saw great progress being made on some new rustic compost bins. These are being made from chestnut posts and rails, and offcuts of timber from a local wood supplier.
This was a very well-attended Sunday volunteer session with around 20 people present and we were very pleased to have help from three new volunteers attending for the first time.
The compost bins will be used to compost materials that we generate from the general maintenance of the site - weeding, grass clippings, orchard prunings and strimming waste. Our preferred composting mix is 50% green material and 50% woody material.
Any resemblance of the finished structure looking like some sort of a re-enactment of a Time Team historical study is purely coincidental.....
The Orchard Book
Sometimes there are days when even the keenest orchard enthusiast is defeated by the weather and stays indoors. On those occasions it's great to settle down with a good book and we're excited to share news of the release of an upcoming new one written by Wade Muggleton. Wade is a good friend and supporter of ours, and a very well-respected orchard expert who has already written a county pomona on the apples and orchards of Worcestershire.
The Orchard Book promises to be that rare read which provides a comprehensive, informative and entertaining guide to orchards no matter how large or small your plot is.
We've only been able to preview the book online but from the beautiful front cover to the wonderfully laid out, and easy to read content, this is going to be a book that you'll be pleased to own.
You can pre-order a copy from the Permaculture Market at https://shop.permaculture.co.uk/the-orchard-book-plan.html with a publication date of 31st October. The book has 160 pages and is very modestly priced at only £12.95. We will be adding a copy to the COG library.
10th year celebration at Colwall village garden july 2021
Cake Cutting at the 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
Cake Cutting at the 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
Cake Cutting at the 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
We were delighted to have a small, informal gathering on 10th July 2021 to celebrate 10 years of our main site - Colwall Village Garden.
Looking back over ten busy and productive years it's amazing what's been achieved.
Wendy and Lindsay did some brief ceremonials as we enjoyed an alfresco buffet and some celebratory drink.
Our New Entrance Sign Gets Group Approval
Cake Cutting at the 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
Cake Cutting at the 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
As part of the event we introduced our new entrance sign. This has been hand-made by a local craftsman and features an apple, hand-carved and incised from solid oak.
It will shortly grace the entrance to the site and should make finding us considerably easier!
Pictured are a few of the attendees, all of whom have helped us over the years.
We'd like to broaden our thanks out to all those who've made Colwall Village Garden, housing both a community orchard and allotment garden plots, such a vibrant and successful community location.
Here's to the next ten years!
THOMAS ANDREW KNIGHT AND APPLES AND PEople
A new paid commission for local Colwall artist Chris Hellowell
We've previously publicised the website - Apples and People - which celebrates this fabulous fruit and the people associated with it. We were interested to hear recently from local Colwall artist Chris Hellowell that he has received a paid commission from Apples and People to produce a set of four images around the life and works of Thomas Andrew Knight and the importance of his studies of the apple. The artwork that Chris produces will accompany a story to be published in 2022.
Thomas Andrew Knight (pictured courtesy of the Hereford Cider Museum Trust) was born in Herefordshire in 1759 and died in 1838. He was a leading botanist/horticulturalist of his time and did much to research and produce new varieties of plants by selective breeding.
The Apples and People website can be seen at https://applesandpeople.org.uk/
Chris Hellowell has his own website at http://hellowell.co.uk/
Chris is amongst a group of local artists who will be using Colwall Village Garden as a centre to display and sell their art as part of this year's h.Art cultural event.
You can find more details on our website at https://colwallorchardgroup.org/events under the Art in the Orchard feature.
NATIONAL HEDGEROW WEEK - 29th MAY to 6th JUNE
National Hedgerow Week
National Hedgerow Week
National Hedgerow Week
We are happy to join in the first ever celebrations of National Hedgerow Week run by the Tree Council.
Hedgerows are an often-overlooked national treasure.
They are wonderful wildlife habitats, provide uplifting greenery and can even help tackle climate change. But to thrive, they need our care and attention.
Join us in this nationwide c
We are happy to join in the first ever celebrations of National Hedgerow Week run by the Tree Council.
Hedgerows are an often-overlooked national treasure.
They are wonderful wildlife habitats, provide uplifting greenery and can even help tackle climate change. But to thrive, they need our care and attention.
Join us in this nationwide celebration and get access to resources, inspiration and activities that we can all do to close the gaps in our urban and rural hedgerows.
More detail at https://treecouncil.org.uk/take-action/seasonal-campaigns/national-hedgerow-week/
Our Hedgerows
National Hedgerow Week
National Hedgerow Week
At both of our sites - at Colwall Village Garden and at Lugg's Mill Orchard - we have planted several hundred metres of new hedgerows to include thousands of young plants from many different native species.
These plants include the usual hedgrow stalwarts of hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, and field maple but we've also included more unusual
At both of our sites - at Colwall Village Garden and at Lugg's Mill Orchard - we have planted several hundred metres of new hedgerows to include thousands of young plants from many different native species.
These plants include the usual hedgrow stalwarts of hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, and field maple but we've also included more unusual species to include whitebeam, wild service and euonymus.
In places we have also planted new trees such as damsons or let existing trees such as oak or ash remain. These will be allowed to grow as bigger, standard trees to generate height and variety within the hedge line, and to provide a lofty perch for songbirds.
Hedgerow Regeneration
National Hedgerow Week
Hedgerow Regeneration
Hedges obviously require maintenance. Rather than simply trim them annually, or even cut them back hard every two or three years we are big fans of hedgelaying.
Hedgelaying allows us to let our hedges grow and mature for a decade or so before they are cut back hard to regenerate and repeat the growth cycle.
Sure, it's hard work, but it's th
Hedges obviously require maintenance. Rather than simply trim them annually, or even cut them back hard every two or three years we are big fans of hedgelaying.
Hedgelaying allows us to let our hedges grow and mature for a decade or so before they are cut back hard to regenerate and repeat the growth cycle.
Sure, it's hard work, but it's thoroughly enjoyable and provides a therapeutic activity which is relatively easy to master and very satisfying.
The fact that it's slow and time-consuming provides a natural limitation upon the amount that can be completed annually. That way we have succession of stages of hedgerow growth around our sites providing a variety of habitats to the site boundaries.