Orchard

Orchards have long been a traditional part of the English landscape but sadly they have been in sharp decline over the last few decades. Some have been simply neglected or forgotten but many more have been shamefully destroyed, to make way for more profitable crops or building work.

Mansbridge Bounty by local Photographer & Enthusiast Bob Painton

But why are orchards so important? Why should we care about preserving them?

Orchards are much more than a place to grow fruit for financial gain. School children can visit them to learn about science, nature, geography, health and food. Orchards form important habitats for endangered species, wildlife and bees can thrive amongst the trees. Wild flowers can grow under the trees. The orchard can be a place for tranquil reflection; it can be used for picnics, playing and walking. When the bloom arrives with spring, blossom walks are a perfect way for people to enjoy the season’s splendour. Outdoor events can be held in orchards, they are the textbook place for celebration. Where children can play safely and adults can relax, we can once again enjoy that long lost feeling of being immersed in nature.

Mansbridge Apples by Bob Painton

Finally when autumn arrives there will be a huge crop of apples and when everyone joins in with the harvest, the overall benefit to the community is tremendous. An orchard for the community does not only supply free food, but encourages the talking, meeting, walking, and the communing. The exchange of ideas, recipes, skills, plans and even dreams. It can reunite the old and the young; it can enhance respect for each other and the land. Mutual respect, bought through public involvement is an effective way of reducing crime, bigotry, and the sense of hopelessness, which can permeate in times of depression.

More Mansbridge Apples by Bob Painton

After negotiations with the City Council regarding a Community Orchard in Mansbridge we have now been granted full permission to establish, maintain and harvest from the trees in the area. We need volunteers; there will be lots of on-going work to do, but it will be worth it. Herbert Collins, the architect of many of the houses in this area, firmly believed in the benefit of green spaces and often insisted that fruit trees were planted in the gardens for the benefit of those who lived there.

The Ever-Watchful Eye of Mansbridge by Local Photographer Bob Painton

Fruit trees benefit from being carefully pruned, it helps them to remain strong and produce a good crop of healthy apples and pears. A few paths may need to be considerately maintained to improve access to some areas. Different fruit trees (plums and cherries for instance) could be planted to take advantage of their earlier seasonal fruiting. Fences could be made by coppicing hazel to protect wildlife in sensitive areas. There will be more work to be done in the first couple of years but once the orchard establishes itself the job will become easier.

We will need education, skills, tools, planning and funding but if we work through these things as a community, the barriers can be overcome. In time, we can clear the rubbish from the wilderness, and develop a natural haven, sprinkled through with healthy fruit trees, which everyone can delight in and benefit from.

We now have a Facebook page and our campaign has attracted huge amounts of press attention; many people, including the Southampton Woodcraft Folk, are getting fully involved.

If you support the Community Orchard Campaign or can help in any way - let us and everyone else know...

Some of the initial comments below related to a previous campaign, which has now been sucessfully resolved.