Orchard Revival

Scotland's charity for traditional orchards

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Scottish Apple Days

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A photo of baskets filled with apples and people gathered around an apple press

LAST UPDATED: 29 Sep 2016

We are entering a rather exciting time of the year for the orchard community. Over September and October there is lots to harvest and even more to celebrate! We thought we’d make it easier for everyone to get involved by collecting information on Apple Days and related harvest celebrations around Scotland.

Our lovely new volunteer, Lesley Anderson, has started collecting the information last week and below we provide a summary of what she’s collated to date. We know that the list barely scratches the surface of what’s out there so please contact Kaska on animateur@scotlandthefruit.org.uk to make sure that your event is included.

It is so great to see so much celebration gathering momentum around Scottish orchards! We will be joining in at the Fruit Festival in Perth on the 8th of October so please come and say hello!

If you happen to be south of the border, People’s Trust for Endangered Species has what looks like a very comprehensive list of Apple Days for England and Wales here.

 

Date Town -Area Event name Organisation Link to event info
10-Sep-2016 Dunkeld – Perthshire Big Apple Day Dunkeld and Burnam Community Orchard Click here for more info
14-Sep-2016 Edinburgh Holyrood Apple Day Scottish Fruit Trees Click here for more info
17-Sep-2016 Carnoustie – Angus Barry Mill Apple Day Barry Mill Click here for more info
17-Sep-2016 Bo’ness -Falkirk Roman in The Orchard – Family Fun Afternoon Forth Enviroment Link/ Friends of Kinneil Orchard Group Click here for more info
17-Sep-2016 Resolis -Black Isle Apple Juicing at Resolis Country Show Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
17-Sep-2016 North Kessock -Black Isle Apple Juicing at North Kessock Market Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
24-Sep-2016 Pitmedden – Aberdeenshire Apples & Cornkisters National Trust For Scotland Click here for more info
24-Sep-2016 North Kessock -Black Isle Apple Juicing at North Kessock Market Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
25-Sep-2016 Resolis -Black Isle Grow North Workshop: Fruit care Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
25-Sep-2016 Rosyth – Fife Apple pressing at the Rosyth Market EATS Rosyth Click here for more info
25-Sep-2016 Buckhaven, Fife Open Day and Apple Pressing CLEAR Buckhaven Click here for more info
1-Oct-2016 Newburgh – Fife Apple Market Newburgh Orchard Group Click here for more info
1-Oct-2016 Fochabers – Moray Apple & Chilli Day Gordon Castle Walled Garden Click here for more info
1-Oct-2016 Forres – Moray Harvest Festival Newbold Trust Click here for more info
1-Oct-2016 Crossford – South Lanarkshire Clyde Valley Fruit Day Clyde Valley Orchard Cooperative and Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership Click here for more info
2-Oct-2016 Edinburgh Apple Day Royal Botanic Garden with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Click here for more info
tbc October Newburgh – Fife Apple Day Newburgh Orchard Group Click here for more info (details to be confirmed)
5-Oct-2016 Cyrenian’s Farm, Kirknewton- West Lothian If Life Gives You Apples…celebrating apples and how they can generate income Growing Together Click here for more info
8-Oct-2016 Haddington East Lothian Amisfield Garden Apple day Amisfield Walled Garden Click for more info here
8-Oct-2016 Cromarty -Black Isle Apple Juicing at Cromarty Market Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
8-Oct-2016 Harestanes -Borders Apple Day Borders Organic Gardeners Click here for more info
8-Oct-2016 Perth – Perthshire Fruit Festival Tay Landscape Partnership Click here for more info
8-9-Oct-2016 St Andrews – Fife Autumn Festival St Andrews Botanic Garden Click here for more info
9-Oct-2016 Harestanes – Borders Apple Day Borders Organic Gardeners Click here for more info
9-Oct-2016 Comrie – Perthshire Apple Day Comrie Development Trust Click here for more info
12 October 2016 Glasgow Gorbals Apple Day Rose Garden Orchard and Helping Britain Blossom Click here for more info
15-Oct-2016 Coupar-Angus – Angus Apple Pressing Day Forward Coupar Angus and Coupar Angus Food and Growing Projects Click here for more info
15-Oct-2016 Culbokie – Black Isle Apple Juicing at Ferintosh Market Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
15-Oct-2016 Coldstream – Scottish Borders Garden Cottage Open Day Red Shed Nursery Click here for more info
15-Oct-2016 Livingston -West Lothian Apple Day at Bellsquarry Wood Woodlland Trust Click here for more info
15-Oct-2016 Tayport – Fife Ferryport Fruitfest PLANT and Tayport Community Trust Click here for more info
15-Oct-2016 Kirckaldy – Fife Apple Day at Ravenscraig Walled Garden Greener Kirckaldy Click here for more info
22-Oct-2016 Dundee Community Harvest Dundee Urban Orchards and Dundee Botanic Garden Click here for more info
22-Oct-2016 Auldgirth, Dumfries Apple Day Allanton Sanctuary Click here for more info
29-Oct-2016 Whitecross -West Lothian Apple Army – Orchard Celebration Falkirk Community Trust Click here for more info
29-Oct-2016 North Kessock -Black Isle Apple Juicing at North Kessock Market Transition Black Isle Click here for more info
29-Oct-2016 Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway Apple Day Scottish Greens (Dumfries and Galloway) Click here for more info
30-Oct-2016 Edinburgh Family Apple Day at Green Hub, Inverleith Park New Caledonian Woodlands Click here for more info
30-Oct-2016 Buckhaven, Fife Open Day: Haloween and Apple Party CLEAR Buckhaven Click here for more info

Orchard Animateur in position to help you get involved in Orchard Inventory

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Image of Kaska smiling in front of her computerof

We are delighted to announce that Kaska Hempel has joined the Orchard Inventory project as an Orchard Animateur and Support Worker to help encourage and support our local collaborating groups. She is the first point of contact for any new local organisations or local facilitators who would like to get involved in the project this year. Look out for her regular project updates on our blog, Twitter (@Orchard Revival) and Facebook. We would love to help your organisation thrive so please let Kaska know if you have any orchard-related news or events you would like us to share.

We have some wonderful help from our collaborators over the past year and managed to survey over 300 orchards identified through our desktop study (PDF, 3MB) and add many more new orchards to the Inventory. But we still have a lot of white space on our map and still need some more help from local organisations, facilitators and volunteers to fill them in.

Would you or your organisation like to get involved in mapping of existing orchards in your area? We are particularly keen to recruit some new Local Facilitators in:

  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • Aberdeenshire (north including the City)
  • Edinburgh
  • Mid Lothian
  • East Lothian
  • Highland
  • Inverclyde
  • Renfrewshire
  • East Renfrewshire
  • Glasgow
  • East Dunbartonshire
  • West Dunbartonshire
  • Argyll & Bute
  • Highland
  • Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
  • Orkney
  • Shetland
  • Moray
  • Perthshire north of Dunkeld
  • Kinross-shire
  • Fife, west including Dunfermline

Get in touch by filling out an online form (see instructions here) or if you have any questions, email Kaska directly at animateur@scotlandthefruit.org and we can arrange for a chat.

Orchard Gathering 2015

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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.

Orchard Gathering soon upon us

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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

 

Orchard banner

Orchard Gathering 2014 announced

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Orchard banner

 

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.

Orchards the Ongoing Cinderella: Omitted from new SRDP: Act Now!

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Tree-money-logoThe Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) is the Scottish Government’s mechanism for distributing land-based payments from the EU funding pot.  A new programme runs from 2014 – 2020, and its shape and detail are being consulted on until the end of the February.

Leaving orchards out of this programme effectively means that the restoration, replanting, maintenance of our traditional orchards is very unlikely to be funded under the SRDP.  That is a blow to the very many of us that are working towards an orchard revival, because SRDP is the biggest pot of land-based funding by far.

As an orchard community we need to make our voices heard.  The easiest way to do that is to make a formal comment on the Consultation.   It’s not hard – here’s how:

1. To have a look at the documents, go to ‘Section 9: Agri-Environment-Climate Scheme’ (page 50) of the draft proposal:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0044/00440079.pdf

So no mention of orchards here.  The other part that should be relevant is Annex C “Agri-Environment-Climate Scheme OPTIONS. Provisional list for consultation”  (Page 11) of the Annexes:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0044/00440080.pdf

While farmland birds, game cover, habitat for waders, ancient woodland cover, hedgerow restoration amongst many others are important – so are the omitted orchards that are still being lost in Scotland.

2. Go to  https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/eu-rural-development-policy/srdp-2014-20-stage-2/consultation  It looks like a big list –  but you only need to fill in two sections.  The first one is ‘Information about you’, and then,

3. Go to ‘Section 9: Agri-Environment-Climate Scheme’.

Click how dissatisfied you are with the Scheme, and then write some comments.

You might want to say how you value traditional orchards for their cultural heritage, how lovely the Spring blossom looks, how you look forward to the first fruit on the season, how there is a growing interest in using the produce, and training local people in orchard management.

And how their omission from the forthcoming programme of the SRDP will have serious negative consequences for an orchard revival – especially for the larger old heritage orchards with the highest biodiversity.

4. Click on the Finish/Submit button and that’s it.  Cross fingers and hope that the comments are acted on. The closing date is 28th Feb 2014.

Together we can make a change for the better.

Inventory Finds Orchards Galore

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shapeimage_3Work on creating a National Orchard Inventory for Scotland is progressing well.  The GIS Deskstudy has been working its way across the whole country.  We use aerial images, historic mapping, OS data as well as our background knowledge of orchards and that of our collaborating partners.  As of the new year 2014 we have identified over 1000 candidate orchards across Scotland.  In the following second phase, we will be carrying out field verification of these sites over the next couple of years. Contact us if you’re interested in becoming involved in the survey:  inventory@scotlandthefruit.org.uk

The National Orchard Inventory project is being implemented by CW Hayes Associates in partnership with Orchard Research & Enterprise, Borders Forest Trust, and National Trust for Scotland, with support from People’s Trust for Endangered Species.  It is an SNH funded research project.

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#ORinventory Apple Day apple wassail BBC blossom day Carse of Gowrie Christmas Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership Clyde Valley Orchards CW Hayes Associates fife diet forth valley orchards Fruit Festival fruit leather fruit tree wassail gathering heritage Highlands historic orchards inventory Jane Lewis job Local Facilitators National Orchard Inventory for Scotland opportunity orchard Orchard Inventory orchards orchard surveys pear pears and apples Perth remote orchards scotland scotlandthefruit Scottish National Orchard Inventory seasonal recipes South Lanarkshire survey area report using up a glut volunteers wassail wassailing songs Wester Ross WREN

Tags

#ORinventory Apple Day apple wassail BBC blossom day Carse of Gowrie Christmas Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership Clyde Valley Orchards CW Hayes Associates fife diet forth valley orchards Fruit Festival fruit leather fruit tree wassail gathering heritage Highlands historic orchards inventory Jane Lewis job Local Facilitators National Orchard Inventory for Scotland opportunity orchard Orchard Inventory orchards orchard surveys pear pears and apples Perth remote orchards scotland scotlandthefruit Scottish National Orchard Inventory seasonal recipes South Lanarkshire survey area report using up a glut volunteers wassail wassailing songs Wester Ross WREN

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