to Bridport Community Orchard's website
❀ Click here to find out about the Park Road Green Space and our planting day!
❀ Our January 2012 Newsletter is out - download a copy from our Newsletter page.
The Community Orchard was established in 2008. It is just under one acre of land, located in the heart of the town of Bridport, off South Street and behind St Mary's Churchyard. Click here to see a location map.
It grew out of two community initiatives, one in Bridport, to save a field from development and the other, a year-long project of The Symondsbury Apple Project, which was designed to raise awareness of Dorset’s rich orchard heritage. The field, once priory land, links South Street to the River Brit. In 2006, it was designated as a green space for community use.
The new project created an orchard of apple trees, a ‘cordon hedge’ of heritage varieties, a wall of espalier pears and plums and a small plot of mother trees of local provenance to provide grafting wood for the future. A link to the list of tree varieties in the orchard can be found on our Orchard page. Fourteen allotment plots (including a Community Allotment with a thriving Gardening Club), sitting areas, an outdoor classroom, wildlife areas and a pond all contribute to making the orchard a truly valuable and sustainable community space. Everyone is welcome to use and enjoy it.
BCOG's guiding principles are to manage the entire area as a model of "Sustainable Community", maximising the benefits for people and wildlife. It is operated on organic principles, with the aim of reducing, re-using and recycling whenever possible.
Working Days to care for the orchard are held monthly, usually on the second Sunday of the month. All skills and general help much appreciated. Please see our "Calendar" page for Working Day dates, and for other events.
New members of BCOG are always welcome (no joining fee). Contact: Sheila Hawkins (Secretary) by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. Further information can be obtained from Jill Lloyd (Chair) at jill.lloyd15@talktalk.net or ☏ 01308 458480.
The site is leased by Bridport Town Council (from West Dorset District Council) and the Bridport Community Orchard Group (BCOG). BCOG is made up entirely of volunteers.
BCOG Partners
Bridport Town Council
Huge thanks are due to:
Bridport Town Council - for partnership working, grass cutting and support at public events; specifically to Bob Gillis, Town Clerk, and to Daryl Chambers, Town Surveyor, and his team
Treewise - for advice on tree care
Groves Nurseries - for sponsoring our Newsletter
Students of Sir John Colfox School, Asaf Tolkovsky and Mace Bryant - for designing and providing the wooden benches
Dorset Wildlife Trust - for assisting in a Bio-diversity survey
Harry Britton - for providing a report on Orchard wildlife
Pete Millson - for permission to use his images on the Gallery page
Nick Meech - for the wooden Noticeboard
Restore, Oxford - for the engraved wooden tree labels
Linda Bullock - for the gift of display boards
......and all the volunteers who continue to give so generously of their time and effort.
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