The Memorial Orchard is within the boundary of Hartford and one of the initial aims of the Memorial orchard action group was ‘to provide an amenity for Weaverham, Hartford and neighbouring communities’. At last year’s AGM we therefore decided to change the name of our group from ‘Weaverham Community Memorial Orchard’ to ‘Weaverham and Hartford Community Memorial Orchard’. The new name has been registered with Companies House, the bankers and HMRC with whom we are registered as a charity. The Woodland Trust has been informed. Hartford Parish Council has also been made aware of the new name. The orchard will continue to be known as ‘The Memorial Orchard’. We would really like a volunteer/volunteers from Hartford to join us at our meetings and at some of our work sessions.
As usual we laid a wreath at the base of one of our Wareham Russets on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month last year. As it was not a ‘special’ anniversary it was not a big service to which we invited local groups and schools. It was a simple five minute ceremony attended by a few volunteers and a dog walker who stopped nearby for the two minute silence. For the second year running we were joined by Falklands’ veteran Tom Navin and his wife Victoria who feel happier remembering Tom’s lost colleagues surrounded by nature at the orchard. We are always pleased to see them and anyone else who cares to join us.
Those of you who have visited the orchard in recent months will have noticed that we now have an interpretation board. As you will see when Brian gives his treasurer’s report we received a very generous contribution towards the cost from our local CWaC councillors’ Member Budget Grant scheme. We also received two awards from Freedom Fibre which was a great help towards the cost and Brian represented us at a Freedom Fibre award ceremony last month. We would like to thank Freedom Fibre for the awards. We would also like to thank our local councillors: Charles Fifield, Paul Williams and Gillian Edwards for their generosity and continued support over the years. Charles Fifield and Paul Williams have told their successors about the Memorial Orchard and they have promised their support if and when needed in the future.
Due to our policy of only mowing the orchard ‘undergrowth’ annually the number and variety of our wild flowers increases every year. Consequently the number of pollinating insects seen at the orchard is also increasing. Indeed, many walkers have commented on the number of bees and butterflies feeding on the wild flower nectar.
As our interpretation board shows a plan of the orchard and gives some brief information about the purpose of the orchard and the fruit varieties grown there we are now able to devote half the notice board to information about other things such as the wild flowers. The other half will continue to be used to remember those local villagers who served their country, particularly those who sacrificed their lives, although we still wish to remember others who survived war. Nobody did so without being wounded physically and/or mentally. We try to remember different men every two months. We have only featured one woman on our notice board so far but if you have information about any others who served we would love to hear about them.
We continue to contribute to the Weaverham News and the Hartford News and we also have our website. Our Facebook page has several followers.
A few apple trees which had large fruit were stripped by unknown people in June long before the fruit was ripe enough to eat. The rest of the trees bore very small apples which were too small to pick. The Memorial Orchard is a community orchard and everyone is welcome to eat the fruit but we are not responsible for tummy aches if it is picked too early in the year. We aim to thin the fruit early in 2024 so that the apples will be large when ripe. If any apples are left on the trees in October we would like to hold an apple day. This would, of course, need a good band of volunteers to help with the harvest.
Mike was recently interviewed about the Memorial Orchard on Radio Northwich when he told listeners about our aims and how the orchard has developed as well as encouraging them to visit the orchard.
For some The Memorial Orchard provides a place for quiet contemplation as they remember fallen comrades or past generations of family members who made the ultimate sacrifice. For others it provides a peaceful place to sit and recuperate or to have a picnic. For many it is just part of Thorn Wood and a place to walk the dog. For most it is also a place to enjoy nature and relax.
Our dedicated band of volunteers has continued to turn up doing all the work necessary to keep our trees healthy and the orchard tidy. I am particularly grateful to Geoff Hornby and Rob Lloyd who regularly join members of the action group at the orchard. They really have worked very hard over the past few years and continue to do so.
I would also like to thank our action group members for their hard work during the past year. I am, of course, referring to our secretary Mike Hornby not only for all the work he does on our behalf but also for his great sense of humour, our treasurer Brian Williams who drew up the orchard plan and together with Mike Hornby organises the work we do at the orchard, Jacquie Williams who, amongst many other things is responsible for pruning the trees, Fiona Casson who maintains the bee hotels she made a few years ago and provides us with information about the wild flowers as well as being responsible for our Facebook page, Peter Sayers who mows the footpaths and the grass in the children’s circle of Wareham Russets as well as working hard in other ways at the orchard, Steve Doughton who is responsible for our website and John Freeman who is able to advise us on parish council matters.
I also wish to thank the 1st Weaverham Sea Scouts for allowing us to use their hall for our action group meetings as well as for our AGM this evening.
Lastly I would like to thank you all for coming this evening and for your continued support.
Tina Johnson 24th October 2023