Kent Orchards for Everyone
Kent Orchards for Everyone is a project which is working with 15 community orchards of traditional character in the Mid Kent Downs and west of Maidstone. This project is supporting communities in celebrating and conserving, their very own traditional community orchard.
Do you live in Morella Walk, Lenham or Iwade, Gillingham, High Halstow or Lynsted? Or did you know you had a community orchard in Sheldwich, Weavering, Hucking, Plaxtol, Yalding, Stockbury, New Ash Green, West Malling and Milstead? Why is your community orchard so important? Hunton now have a new community orchard close to the village hall.
‘Kent Orchards for Everyone Project’ will help you to enjoy your community orchard and discover what is hiding amongst those majestic trees. This is a fantastic opportunity to involve orchard communities and stimulate those nostalgic memories of years gone by. It is creating a footplate for villagers to celebrate their heritage, to volunteer and collaborate in surveys and educational events in their traditional orchards.
There are opportunities for volunteers to discover their village’s orchard heritage and learn new orchard management skills whilst establishing good management practices within our community orchards. The project encompass’ training workshops such as pruning and grafting, an educational programme and all of this information about each orchard is digitise and placed on a single web portal www.kentorchards.org.uk allowing on-line public access to the all that is traditional orchards. To celebrate this heritage, fruitful events are happening; look out for apple pressing and cherry tastings. The project will culminate with the inauguration of a Kent Orchard Trust.
With memory gathering events happening around you watch out for event notices in your village or town, through posters and village news, all are welcome to participate in the proposed activities. If you have a fruitful memory handed down by your family, do let us know. To have a peek at the activities access the Kent Orchards for Everyone web site for the upcoming activities and opportunities that the project offers. Follow us on Facebook KentOrchardsForEveryone with all fruity related posts.
Further Information
For further information about managing an Orchard you can download the Orchards chapter from the Land Managers Pack which gives guidance on managing your land. Further information about the Orchards project can be found at http://kentorchards.org.uk/