Success again for Wapley Bushes

Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve and the Orchard for the Future have won the Green Flag Community Award for the third year running - the only Green Flag Award in South Gloucestershire.

The Green Flag Award scheme recognises quality parks or green spaces. In total, 1,582 parks, cemeteries, universities, shopping centres and community gardens in the UK have met the high standard needed to receive the Green Flag Award or the Green Flag Community Award.

The Green Flag Awards are judged by an army of more than 700 green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement. The Green Flag Awards Scheme is run by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Obviously Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, who manage the Reserve, and landowners Dodington Parish Council are very pleased with this success. They are now looking forward to hearing the results of their South West in Bloom award entries.

Well done to South West in Bloom winners

The South West In Bloom awards included some fantastic results for locations in Westerleigh ward.

The Dodington Allotments Association (pictured left, who put in the hard work on the new allotment site this year) gained Level 5 Outstanding in the Neighbourhoods on the Pennant Route category.

Wapley Common & the Orchard for the Future (pictured below) also got a Level 5 Outstanding. Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve got a Level 3 Developing in the Neighbourhoods Awards.

Last night the certificates for these and all the other winners in the Yate and Dodington area were presented at a volunteers' evening at Poole Court. Congratulations to all concerned!

Free fruit tree pruning workshop 13 July, all welcome

Orchards are a South Gloucestershire priority biodiversity habitat because many orchards have been neglected or grubbed up in recent decades.

In order to help stem this decline, Wapley Bushes Conservation Group, Dodington Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council are now all working together to preserve the traditional horticultural skills that are needed to maintain existing and newly-planted orchards.

A free fruit tree pruning workshop is being held at the Wapley Rank cottages opposite the southern Besom Lane entrance to Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, Besom Lane, Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, BS37 8RW, starting at 10am on Sunday, 13 July 2014. The workshop tutor will be local fruit tree expert Mr Graham White. No advance booking needed - just turn up on the day.

Orchard planting day a success



Claire Young, Paul Hulbert and Graham White (front left to right) with Parish Councillors, members of Wapley Bushes Conservation Group and local people at the orchard planting



On Saturday, local South Glos councillor Claire Young joined Dodington Parish Councillors, members of Wapley Bushes Conservation Group and local people to plant a community orchard on Wapley Comon and nearby.



More than 40 trees were planted, with those on the Common being local types of apple plus a few plums of a rare local variety.

"It's good to do something so traditional yet so future-looking", said Dodington Parish Cllr Paul Hulbert, who organised the event. "We're very grateful to expert Graham White - known locally as Mr Fruit - who guided us through the planting."

Claire Young commented, "This was a great way to spend a beautiful spring morning - fresh air, good company and exercise with a legacy that should last years."

The planting was jointly funded by Dodington Parish Council and South Gloucestershire Council. Claire 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. Not only will local people be able to pick the fruit in years to come, this is also going to be an important gene bank, helping to protect local varieties that may have useful traits.” 



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.”

Play time for under 5s in Westerleigh

 New equipment for toddlers and pre-schoolers has been installed in the play area in Westerleigh.

Claire Young said, “Last year local parents told me the play area was lacking equipment for younger children. So I was delighted to be able to use some of the money allocated to councillors from the transfer of the council houses to Merlin to help the Parish Council buy this new equipment.”

Other contributions from Claire’s share of the money have gone towards a new bench for the playing field and a sign for the village pound, both of which have been ordered by the Parish Council, and new items for the village hall kitchen. In Dodington Parish, plans are underway for planting a new community orchard at Wapley Bushes.