Community Orchards

The David Lewis Centre is 120 years old this year and as part of their celebrations a community orchard was planted by volunteers (including Ollerton with Marthall parish councillors) on the 20th of November.

The idea behind the orchard is to work with local residents and offer a variety of apples, pears, damsons and other fruit for locals to pick. As the trees mature it’s planned that juices and ciders will be produced along with workshops, classes, and events dedicated to gardening, nutrition, and sustainable living.

One of the most interesting aspects of the orchard is the use of “Heirloom” or “Heritage Varieties” of fruit trees. Many of the fruit trees are old local varieties that have become rare over the years as people gravitate towards varieties that they have seen in supermarkets.

The parish council spoke to David Lewis’ head gardener about the project and have decided to create a much smaller but no less important orchard on the playing field at Oaklands Road.

Using money that has been donated to the council from Cheshire Police’s “Proceeds of Crime” fund, the parish council has purchased three apple trees. All three trees are varieties that originated in Cheshire but have become rare in recent years and once the trees have been planted we’ll update parishioners on this exciting project.