A new community orchard for Tollesbury
Earlier in 2024 we were asked by Maldon District Council whether we wanted to be part of a district wide bid to develop local community orchards. Of course, we said yes! Happily, the bid was successful. The money is coming from the Kings Coronation Heritage Fund, administered by Essex County Council who also provide mentoring and support. So in the summer we identified two potential sites and in due course agreed with the Parish Council to create the orchard on land next to the cemetery carpark at the entrance to the village. We had previously planted trees at the cemetery so the orchard makes a nice addition to our copse and hedgerows already there.
We then presented the idea to the village in September 2024 to hear feedback, ideas and get more people involved to develop the orchard. This proved to be a success and there were over 20 people that volunteered to help, with Adam taking the lead on the project.
The wheels were then in motion to plan and design the orchard. Tollesbury Royal British Legion kindly gave us the space to meet for orchard meetings. We then marked out the site and worked out that over 30 trees could fit into the space available. We also wanted to have a metal sculpted tree in the centre of the orchard which could house commemorative leaf & fruit plaques. We had feedback that there are limited opportunities for this in the village so thought this would be a great addition.
The trees will be delivered and planted in early 2025 and we hope to have the other items such as footpath, seating, signage and sculpture in place soon after. All trees are from the east of England region and will be 1-1.5m (1-2 years old), with a mix of fruits including apples, pears and plums. The orchard will be accessible to all with one hard-surface path suitable for people in wheelchairs, and anyone pushing a buggy etc. The orchard will be run and managed by Tollesbury Climate Partnership volunteers for the community and should begin to produce fruit in three years.
The orchard will benefit the climate as trees will remove and store carbon from the air. Fruit will also be produced for people to use locally which will reduce food miles. The fruit and trees will also benefit local wildlife. Not to mention the social benefits to local people to have a beautiful space to enjoy.
We want to thank Tollesbury Parish Council for their support throughout this project and Essex County Council for funding for the project. Not to mention our fantastic volunteers who have contributed in a variety of ways to make the orchard a success.
If you would like to get involved in the orchard project in any way then contact Adam on adam@tollesburyclimate.org you can also follow our social media for more updates.