Friends of School House Lane Orchard
A local group working to conserve and develop a community orchard in About Us The Since then this beautiful community orchard has been restocked with fruit trees and is now a space for residents to sit and contemplate nature, to meet with friends and for children to play. The group has also provided a useful single voice to comment on local issues, such as nearby planning developments, that could have an impact on the orchard. Achievements · A grant from Awards for All in 2006 allowed for substantial changes with the involvement of local residents. It allowed us to take control of the development of the site on a practical level and to improve substantially its appearance. The grant brought residents together to discuss specific spending plans and to take part in outings to purchase equipment and plants. · The Friends received a Certificate of Achievement at the Richmond Council for Voluntary Service (RCVS) Community Awards in June 2007 for outstanding services to volunteering in Richmond Borough. · Nominated for a BTCV Green Hero Award 2007 · We have planted a considerable number of trees, shrubs and plants. We have left unmown an area to encourage a wildflower meadow. A survey of flora was conducted by our botanist. We have provided seating and installed leaf mould and community composting facilities. In March 2010 with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) a dead hedge was planted along the News and Events
Summer Party
The Friends hold an annual Summer Party with stalls, refreshments, live music and children’s games.
Meetings
We hold an Annual General Meeting every year and other meetings as required.
Visits to Other Sites
Members of the Friends and other groups visited a number of similar community sites in the borough as part of an information-sharing exercise organised by Richmond Environment Network.
Future Plans
We plan to develop our membership, create additional herb and bulb plantings, repair the worn central lawn area, apply for further grants, install bird and bat boxes and install additional composters.
Why Orchards are Important
On the subject of Community Orchards Common Ground state on their website:
Community Orchards offer a way of saving vulnerable old orchards and opportunities to plant new ones. They provide places for queit contemplation or local festivities. A reservoir of local varieties of fruit and a refuge for wild life.
Orchards were once widespread throughout the British isles - apple varieties hail from north of Inverness to the edge of
Pressure on land for new houses and roads and the importation of cheap fruit from abroad has caused the loss of many of these small orchards. Orchards in villages and on the edge of towns are prime targets for development.
The acreage of commercial orchards has declined rapidly too. In 1970 MAFF recorded 62,200 hectares of orchards in the U.K. this declined to 46,600 hectares in 1980 and further to 22,400 hectares in 1997. This is a 64% decline in 27 years.
Join Us
Annual Subscription for membership is: Individual £5.00; Couple/Family £8.00.
To apply for membership call 0772 901 5295 and we will send you a membership application form by email or post.
Why We Need You to Join
We encourage all local residents to join whether or not they wish to engage in practical work days. Your support whether as a volunteer gardener or as an occasional visitor is very important to us. With your support we can:
· increase our list of volunteers willing to undertake practical gardening work;
· expand our list of supporters;
· increase our knowledge base of conservation and horticulture;
· ensure we have the funds we need to pay for plants, tools and insurance.
Keeping You Informed
We display information on the orchard noticeboard, issue a newsletter and email group members.
Contacts with Other Organisations
Richmond Council have contributed hedge plants, returfed the central area of the orchard and resurfaced the path. New signs were installed at both entrances.
Richmond Environment Network (REN) have provided invaluable support and guidance.
We are associated group members of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV).
Contact Us
Telephone: 0772 901 5295
