The Symondsbury Apple Project: News and Courses |
Dorset Orchards
'Research-Restore-Replant' is on sale in Bridport for £1 at the Centre For Local Food, The Bridport Museum, Groves Nurseries and Washingpool Farm Shop or by sending a £3 cheque or postal order made out to Symondsbury Apple Project:
send to:
The Office
The Old Post Office
Duck Street
Symondsbury
Dorset
DT6 6EZ
The Treewise Co-op
The Apple Project has recently set up a co-operative: a not for profit organisation lead by environmental trainers, play leaders and volunteers who will maintain and develop the projects program of training, seasonal family learning and school workshops. All pruning and tree care courses are now delivered though The Treewise Co-op.
Email: Link to Treewise contact form
Telephone: 01308 427 449
All Apple Project tree care courses are now delivered by our new Co-operative under the Earth Crafts programme.
Throughout the Earth Crafts programme Treewise aim to
use natural or recycled materials wherever possible.
We are continuously searching for more environmentally friendly alternatives
to the materials we use.
Symondsbury One Day Pruning Courses
Learn to prune your apple and pear trees with David Squirrell's 'hands on'
approach.
Each year we run one day courses in January and February at Willy Tuck's Orchard, Symondsbury -
9.30am - 4.00pm
£65 (including hot lunch) with concessions available.
See course information here
Booking
To book any of these courses please telephone us on 01308 427449, or email treewise@appleproject.org.uk attaching the (MS Word) Booking Form
In order to secure a place we will require the full amount of the workshop at least a week before the workshop date.
Please check with us if you have children under 5 you wish to bring; some workshops are not suitable. Where suitable under 5s are free.
Refreshments and lunches
Drinks will be provided during all workshops
Unless otherwise stated please bring a packed lunch to our day workshops.
Cancellation Policy
Treewise works within a tight budget including in some cases hiring halls due to this financial commitment we are only able to provide a full refund for cancellations made up to two weeks prior to workshop date. If a cancellation is made within two weeks of the workshop date a full refund can only be given if the place is subsequently taken, otherwise only 50% of the cost is refunded.
The Bridport Community Orchard
See the Community Orchard website
Wild
Trees Club
See www.treewise.org.uk
From field to orchard in a few short hours
On Saturday morning in Bridport hundreds of willing hands were bent to the task of transforming a field off South Street into an orchard. Members of the community and representatives from community groups came together to plant 360 hedging plants and 23 apple trees. Remarkably good weather, good company and hot food meant that the hard work was enjoyable and many people stayed for the day and took part in the singing workshop and wassailing in the afternoon.
The orchard group hit on the idea of planting on the traditional Twelfth Night, which is also the time to wassail apple trees therefore bringing tradition, celebration and positive community action together, with a lot of trees to plant they were hopeful that Bridport people would rise to the occasion, on the day the response was overwhelming.
After a morning of digging and planting, adults and children joined Sally Reed and the Acapella Singers in the church hall to learn three wassailing songs. Then everyone walked down to the orchard to gather around the central fire and soon a wonderful harmony of many voices filled the orchard. Any ancient wassailing tradition that may have existed here has been long forgotten but in Bridport's orchard a new tradition is in the making. To symbolise the hope for the future that is at the heart of this orchard project, an older and a younger person were chosen to complete the ceremony. Anna Lovell, representing the older people's forum, gathered children to toast one of the trees with cider and apple juice. And called for a good harvest and wassail, 'good health' to all.
This first phase of planting includes varieties that are locally successful rather than distinctive to the county. They are apples with good disease resistance so they can be managed organically. Most names will be familiar such as the early Beauty of Bath a very pretty dessert apple and locally popular Tom Putt, another early apple that can be used for cider, eating or cooking, it must have been a welcome addition to the diet before commercial storage and imports made apples available all year round.
Dorset varieties are more difficult to source and some of them need to be grafted from local trees once these have been found the orchard will be completed after a couple more planting sessions. Work on paths and access will be undertaken soon in the meantime the group invites the people of Bridport to take a stroll around their new orchard.