A NEW community orchard has been planted in Alderbury and is the first of many projects to enhance biodiversity in the village.
Twenty five volunteers turned out in force on Sunday morning (November 28) to plant 10 fruit trees on Waleran Close Green.
The volunteers also planted two cooking apple trees, four eating apple trees, two pear trees and two plum trees which in future years will be available free for all villagers.
Vice chair of Alderbury Parish Council, Cllr John Fuller, said: “At the last minute storm Arwen nearly blew us off course, but we switched our planting day to Sunday and carried on with cheerful enthusiasm.
"The wildlife volunteers turned up in good numbers, with a good mix of young and old ready with spades and wellies to help plant the orchard. It was a lovely morning with a real community spirit and a lot new friendships were forged as everyone worked together in the sunshine.”
The trees were purchased from local nursery Landford Trees, together with everything needed for the volunteers.
The nursery also provided advice on how to plant the trees and care for them over the next few years as they establish.
Nick Self from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Wild Landscapes Team was on hand to provide expert advice and tea and cakes were in plentiful supply to warm everyone up at the Village Hall afterwards, courtesy of Cllr Mel Lawrence.
Parish Clerk, Steve Milton, added: “Landford Nursery were absolutely brilliant. They provided advice on the best varieties to plant, delivered the trees to Waleran Close for us and provided everything we needed. They were a joy to work with.”
The community orchard is the first in a series of wildlife projects in the village.
There are plans for a mini-forest at Spiders Island, a wildlife reserve at Oakwood Grove and a scheme to improve access to the woodland at the Old Canal.
The projects have been developed in partnership with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Wild Landscape Team led by Nick Self and supported by Longford Estate who own the green. The scheme was approved following consultation with local residents who gave the plans the green light.
Nick said: “It’s great to see villages taking an active role in creating and enhancing green spaces. Residents in Alderbury have been concerned about the loss of trees through new developments and they have decided to do something positive about that. Alderbury is a woodland village, it’s part of the very special character of the place and projects like this show just how much people care about the natural environment where they live.
"This orchard is the first of many projects that aim to enhance the biodiversity of this special community. Alderbury is a shining example of how a village can contribute to the government’s Nature Recovery Network strategy.”
A group of more than 35 volunteers has come together to take the project forward working alongside the parish council and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
Volunteer Sam Dominey added: “It was great for the volunteers to meet up and take part in this lovely project, there was a fantastic community spirit and a lot of new friendships were formed. This is just the first phase of our work at Waleran Close, next year we aim to sow a wildflower meadow to enhance the orchard and enrich the biodiversity further with bird boxes and bug hotels.
"It’s clear there is real enthusiasm for more projects like this in Alderbury. Special thanks should also go to Mel who arranged the refreshments and baked some very delicious cakes. It really was a fantastic start for the Wildlife Group and we thank the parish council for getting this moving.”
Alderbury Parish Council will be allocating further funds to keep up the momentum going into 2023 when it sets its budget next January.
Parish clerk Steve said: “The parish council is right behind this brilliant project and the enthusiasm of the local volunteers helps makes this a very cost effective way to deliver projects that have such a positive impact on the village. The community orchard is a flagship project, right in the heart of the village and we hope to grow the wildlife group and let it set the agenda as we roll forward.”
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