Community orchard planting this Saturday!

Dodington Parish Council, South Gloucestershire Council and the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group are coming together to create a Community Orchard by planting groups of fruit trees at various places around Wapley Common.

Conservation Group members and friends will be meeting on Saturday 12th March starting at 10.00 am from the Shire Way access to the Nature Reserve, next to the zebra crossing near Cherington. Local people are very welcome to join in – if possible they should bring a spade, gloves and suitable footwear.

The planting session will start with a workshop led by local supplier “Mr Fruit” (Graham White). “We’re used to planting woodland trees, but fruit trees are more fussy and we want to do it properly” said Cllr Paul Hulbert. “Our vision is that we’re planting a community orchard for the future, where our children and grandchildren will be able to come and pick delicious fruit straight from the trees.”

Tim Fairhead of the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group said “Fruit trees used to be a common part of the rural landscape but there are fewer orchards today. When the community orchard was being planned, we found some examples of a rare local plum variety. Planting the new trees will increase the biodiversity of our area, and they will also become a biological resource for future generations.”

The project is being funded jointly by Dodington Parish Council and by South Gloucestershire Council. Cllr Claire Young explained, “When South Glos transferred its council houses to Merlin Housing Association, there was a small amount of money left in the Housing Revenue Account. Each South Glos councillor has been able to choose schemes that would benefit people in their wards, so when local people suggested a community orchard I thought that it would be just the right project for the rural Wapley area.”