We’ve also got a great job opportunity for an enthusiastic person to help encourage and support local groups that are collaborating in the orchard inventory project. Its part-time, one day a week and runs for six months starting June.
Social media and some wordpress skills are needed too.
See Jobs page
Closing date 31st May 2016.
Job Opportunity: GIS Operator
We have a great opportunity for a person with Geographical Information Systems skills, who would like to contribute to our great National Orchard Inventory project. Its a short term contract, 11 days of work on a specific task. You don’t have to be a top line expert, just relatively competent with MapInfo – we provide the system.
See Jobs page
Closing date 31st May 2016.
Training for Orchard Surveys in the Ayrshires
Monday 24th August saw three new Local Facilitators meet up in Maybole, Ayrshire to participate in an afternoon of training the trainers. The training was carried out in cooperation with Ayr-based Scottish Smallholders Association, who are our local ‘Collaborating Organisation’ for North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, and South Ayrshire. Local Facilitators are the people that organise and support volunteer surveyors in their area.
The training was part of the Field Verification phase of creating a National Orchard Inventory for Scotland. The national project collaborates with local organisations so that knowledge is kept local and community organisations can be part of an orchard revival across Scotland.
Scottish Smallholders Association were successful in gaining Awards for All funding to carry out local work. Nationally the project is funded by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Want to know what’s involved in being a volunteer – here’s a one page summary
If you are interested in volunteering in any of the Ayrshires, please email ssa@scotlandthefruit.org.uk
For all other areas, please use our volunteer form here
Orchard Gathering 2015
Its happening on 3rd October 2015
Gathering: 10.00 – 17.00
Evening meal and entertainment: 18.00 – 21.30
Dundee West Church, Lower Hall, 132 Perth Rd., DD1 4JW – enter via
Roseangle Arts Cafe
On 3rd October 2015 Dundee Urban Orchard will welcome the Orchard
Collective Scotland to Dundee. The Orchard Gathering will focus on the
theme of Orchard Cities and the role that the creative arts can play
in generating and sustaining energy for a growing orchard movement.
Examples of creative orchard projects from across the UK will be
highlighted. The day will include lively presentations, creative
workshops and plenty of time to discuss next steps for the Orchard
Collective Scotland.
The Gathering includes tea/coffee and lunch. For those able to stay
on, there will be an orchard themed evening meal and live
entertainment from 18.00 – 21.30.
Dates for the Orchard Gathering have been chosen to complement Tay
Landscape Partnership’s Fruit Festival events and encourage synergy
across urban and rural environments. TLP events include an apple
harvest at Elcho Castle Orchard on the 4th October, a picking and
juicing skills sharing workshop in Errol on the 7th October, and a
Fruit Festival in Bell Wood Park, Perth on the 10th October.
For more information please contact jb4change@gmail.com
Here’s the Eventbrite link to book tickets:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/orchard-gathering-2015-tickets-18400012934?aff=es2
We’ll update programme information as soon as we’ve received
confirmation from contributors this week.
Reviewing the Gathering Collective Vision
At the Gathering follow up in February 2015 we had a session to try and tease out more of the collective vision
More at Gathering page
This presentation gives you a flavour of that vision
Reporting on Orchard Gathering
Orchard Gathering 2014 has a dedicated website – just for the event itself.
It will get live updates as the day progresses. And form a record of the event.
http://orchardgathering.weebly.com
Orchard Gathering soon upon us
Only a few days to go before Orchard Gathering 2014.
There are still a few tickets left, and for the evening ceilidh
Click here to book now on Eventbrite
This is what we’re hoping will happen at the event:
- sharing experiences and knowledge
- building energy and enthusing folk
- making new connections and sparking new ideas
- working together to further the orchard movement
- eating good food, having a great time
See our webpage for details
Newburgh Orchards feature on Landward
Nick Nairn is doing a piece on undervalued local food. Choosing the apple as one of three local foods, Landward came to Newburgh a few weeks ago to film. It is after all the place that probably most deserves the accolade ‘fruit town of Scotland’. As well as filming in the Community Orchard, they also visited a town orchard of a member of Newburgh Orchard Group.
See it all on Friday 24th October, at 7pm on BBC2, and thereafter on iPlayer.
Orchard Gathering 2014 announced
How do we celebrate and grow the orchard movement in Scotland as part of the local food revolution?
Click here to book now on Eventbrite
You are cordially invited to take part in the first Orchard Gathering on Friday 7th November. This will be an open event calling people together from across Scotland who are passionate about orchard trees, their fruits (and nuts), and how we strengthen the culture, knowledge and skills of keeping them. We believe the following things will happen at the event:
- sharing experiences and knowledge
- building energy and enthusing folk
- making new connections and sparking new ideas
- working together to further the orchard movement
- eating good food, having a great time
These are exciting yet demanding times. All over the country, old orchards are waking up and new ones are being planted, yet at the same time the supermarkets retain their stifling globalised influence: despite the apple being Scotland’s favourite fruit, our shop shelves are bare of Scottish-grown apples. But the orchard tree, and the apple in particular, has deep roots in our culture, and seems poised for a resurgence.
We will be using innovative participative leadership techniques to ensure that everybody present has a voice, and also harvesting the fruits of all the conversations as we go along, taking notes, photos and video that will be uploaded to a website of the event.
This is an event in two halves: discussion and celebration – you are invited to both. Once the purposeful, focussed daytime part is finished, we will move on to an cultural evening with music, storytelling, dinner, a play and ceilidh.
Tickets are by donation from £5 for the daytime and £5 for the evening (£2.50 unwaged).
Click here to book now on Eventbrite
This is a collaborative event hosted by Fife Diet, Orchard Research & Enterprise CIC and Forth Environment Link. For up to date event info please visit any of the three websites:
PROPOSED PROGRAMME (to be finalised)
1000: Registration, tea, coffee, freshly pressed apple juice
1030: Welcome circle including an interactive map of Scotland’s orchards and update on the National Orchard Inventory.
1130: What has been achieved so far?
In this session we will explore and discuss what is happening across all sectors of orchard growing, generating the agenda on the day to fit the programme to the people.
1300: Lunch with practical demonstrations and stalls featuring:
- Strategy meeting for National Orchard Inventory
- Book launch of Apple Hunter’s Handbook by Fife Diet Seed Truck
- Celebration of Forth Valley Orchards initiative
- How to preserve your fruit
- Toffee apple tree
1430: What is needed to help grow the orchard movement?
Gathering everyone together, we will use the World Cafe format to discuss how to grow and strengthen the orchard movement.
1600: Next Steps
What do we think are the key next steps? How much can you commit to making them happen? With a summary and closing speech by Fife Diet’s Mike Small.
1700: Day event closes
1730: Sit-down dinner with an orchard fruit theme. With a welcome by Mrs Mash the Storytelling Cook.
1900: The Forgotten Orchard. A play for all ages by Eco-Drama. Followed by a tasting of all of Scotland’s apple varieties
2100 – 2230: Ceilidh with Hud Yer Wheesht ceilidh band, plus others – feel free to take a turn!
Click here to book now on Eventbrite
With thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for the funding to make this happen. Forth Valley Orchards Initiative is funded by CSGN. Header photograph by Clementine Sandison.
Inventory report due for launch at Gardening Scotland
The completion of the first of two major steps in the creation of a National Orchard Inventory for Scotland is reported here. It has been over a century since the last comprehensive national orchard survey was carried out.
This first step is a detailed deskstudy using a geographical information system together with diverse other sources of data. Also reported is the pilot carried out in the Scottish Borders for the second step which is Field Verification by volunteer survey.
The report is launched on Friday 30th May 2014 at the Gardening Scotland event, Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston. Come and see us there Stand 187 in the Living Garden zone, and perhaps try some lovely Scottish cider !
