Planting a community orchard at Tumbledown
Volunteers have been busy planting a range of fruit and nut trees at Tumbledown. As the trees grow, they will create a wonderful community orchard. Volunteers and visitors will be invited to help harvest the fruit and nuts to make our very own Tumbledown produce.
Products will include fresh apple juice, cider and chutney. The group will also consider other recipes which can be produced from the harvest of walnuts, apples, plums, cobnuts and figs.
The orchard will be a fantastic resource in supporting local people to get outside, enjoy social interaction and to improve mental and physical health. It’s hoped that the harvesting and production process can become a community activity, suitable for everyone to get involved with. It can offer isolated or vulnerable groups the chance to gain experience working on the land and learn new skills in a friendly, accessible way.
The sales of produce will help to support the overall project, with any income used to fund overheads, the wages of supervising staff and those involved in the production.
Clive Tuck, Project Manager for Tumbledown commented, “We’re so grateful to the volunteers who have helped with this stage of the project, and to all those who have kindly offered their time, skills and knowledge to the transformation of Tumbledown so far.
“The Community Orchard will be a crucial asset in our progress to achieve all the fantastic benefits this project aims to bring to the community.”