Gloucestershire Orchard Group

BLOSSOM EVENTS

1.   North Bristol's Horfield Organic Community Orchard 10th Birthday Blossom time event is on Sunday 27th April 2-4 pm.  Entry via lane opposite 23 Kings Drive, Bishopston, off Kellaway Avenue, from M5, turn off A38 along Horfield Common on the right.  (Donations £2, £1) For further information contact Pauline Markovits on 0117 924 8124 There will be wildlife trails, storytelling and other activities and people can wander round the 100 trees, many of which will be in blossom.

2.   Also, the Herefordshire Big Apple www.bigapple.org.uk holds blossom events (4 & 5 May 2008) at Marcle Ridge, just over the Gloucestershire border from the Dymock area.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Tuesday 12 February 2008 at Churchdown Community Centre, Parton Road, Churchdown in the Purple Room again.  7pm

Directions: From the Elmbridge Court roundabout on the A40 north-east of Gloucester, take the B4063 (signposted to Churchdown). Go straight over the first set of traffic lights (Pirton Corner).  At the next traffic lights (crossroads with the Hare and Hounds pub and St. John’s Church on the corners), turn right up Parton Road.  After about half a mile, you will see Churchdown Parish Council on your left and Churchdown Community Centre on your right.  At that mini roundabout, turn right (still called Parton Road) and you will see the Centre main entrance/car park.  OS grid ref. 884206.

Agenda – please use this as the agenda on the night, to save paper resources:

               Welcome/Apologies

               Chairman’s Report – Dave Kaspar

               Treasurer’s Report – Paul Bloomer

               Election of Officers (Chairman and Treasurer)

Jim Chapman on the proposed Gloucestershire Pomona, field guides and GOG as a charity

Charles Martell will give a brief update on his Gloucestershire fruit research

Question time/AOB

Speakers and Activities:

• Ted Green, internationally known, of the Ancient Tree Forum, will kindly speak on veteran trees, dead wood as a habitat etc.
• Dr. Keith Alexander, Gloucestershire Naturalists Society, will give a brief talk on the noble chafer beetle.

Both our speakers are experts in their field and we are delighted to welcome them.

• Juliet Bailey (GOG committee) will provide another blind apple taste test (provided apples have survived the storage!)

• We hope to have several committee members who sell Gloucestershire varieties of fruit trees and a representative of Natural England, who can advise on the Environmental Stewardship grant Scheme.  You will also have a chance to speak with chairman Dave Kaspar and Helen Brent-Smith about their museum orchard of Gloucestershire varieties, wildlife and organic juicing business and new GOG Orchard Centre!

Do come along and meet us.  You will be very welcome! 

We particularly welcome your produce, which you may sell on the night – eg. juice, cider, perry, cheeses, stationery…           

There will be light refreshments (apple juice & biscuits) and a chance to browse GOG’s library and extensive literature.

Borrowed literature: please return your books this evening so that others may use them.  Thanks.

The AGM is free to members and £2 to non-members (waived if you join on the night!)

Nominations: Nominations for officers (chairman and treasurer) and other items for discussion should be submitted to me, the secretary, at least 10 days prior to the AGM.

SUBSIDIZED TRAINING

• Pruning Workshops (all 10am-1pm)  Please choose one:

Thurs 24 Jan 08                         Sun 27 Jan 08

Sun 3 Feb 08                            Sun 10 Feb 08

Thurs 14 Feb 08                      Thurs 28 Feb 08

Venue: at our Chairman’s (Dave Kaspar) Day’s Cottage Apple Juice, Upton Lane, Brookthorpe, near Gloucester. Charge £15 for GOG members (£25 nonmembers),   To book a place (essential), ring Dave/Helen on 01452 813602 (at sociable times, please/speak clearly if you get the answerphone) and please pay in advance.  Bring boots/clean, sharp secateurs.  This is a great opportunity to talk to Dave about your specific orchard requirements and to network with others.  Light refreshments available.  Park at the house (look for GOG sign).

• Grafting Workshops (all 10am-1pm)  Please choose one:

Thurs 6 March 08                       Sun 9 March 08

Thurs 20 March 08                    Sun 23 March 08                              

 Charge £15 for GOG members (£25 nonmembers). Booking essential (01452 813602) and please pay in advance.  If possible, please bring a clean, sharp knife (and elastoplasts!) Dave will have rootstocks available for a small charge and access to Gloucestershire varieties from his Museum Orchard.  Again, park at the house (look for GOG sign). 

Countywide APPLE DAY events for the public 2007

Download listing of events (PDF, 33KB)

Linked Events and Courses

Sue Gibson will be repeating her popular workshop on Growing and Training Fruit Trees in Small Spaces again this summer. It will take place in her garden in Slimbridge, Glos on Saturday 9th August 2008 from 10.00 am - 4.00 pm. The workshop starts with a session on the principles of fruit growing and continues with a practical session on training apple and pear trees as espaliers and other attractive shapes. Participants will practise pruning the espaliers and cordons in her garden. Early booking is advised, but if the course is over-subscribed as it was last year, a second date will be offered.

Please call Sue Gibson on 01453 890820, e-mail: sue.gibson@tiscali.co.uk; www.iteachgardening.co.uk

Ragmans Lane Farm www.ragmans.co.uk Also run courses

TRADITIONAL ORCHARDS HAVE NATIONAL/UK BAP PRIORITY HABITAT STATUS

Joan Ruddock, governmental minister for Biodiversity, and a team of media, visited GOG chairman Dave Kaspar and Helen Brent-Smith at their traditional orchards at Days Cottage Apple Juice, Brookthorpe, near Gloucester on Tuesday 28 August 2007! She announced that Ministers approve priority species and habitats list to focus future conservation action.

The news release is http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070828b.htm

This is following Natural England’s detailed ecological surveys at half a dozen sites throughout the UK (including Gloucestershire), showing that traditional orchards are a unique habitat for many fauna and flora. Orchards now have National Priority Habitat status, which is excellent news. We are privileged that GOG was in the media for Joan Ruddock’s announcement! Helen was on the Today BBC Radio 4 programme and Days Cottage was on the lunchtime news on BBC and ITV.

Fruit Wanted:

See Where to Sell and Where to Buy

Subsidized Training

We have a pruning workshop in February, a grafting workshop in March, a budding workshop in July and a free fruit identification workshop at Pershore College in October. Open to members only and booking required.

Summer and Autumn events

Budding workshop - members only/booking required

Orchard lichens or other habitats visit in August - members only

Plum Day in August - members only

GOG Social/Share your produce - members only

Pear Day in September at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern (Autumn Show) - large display of perry pears in conjunction with the Three Counties Cider & Perry Association and the Slow Food movement.

Fruit ID workshop members only/booking required

For details on how to join, including the many benefits of being a GOG member, click here.

Orchard Management Advice

Natural England (Chris Wedge) have just produced a series of highly informative Technical Information Notes (TINs) on orchard management, available free for anyone.

http://naturalengland.communisis.com/NaturalEnglandShop/    Key in Orchards under “Search”.

People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) Traditional Orchard Project (across England)

If you own an orchard and would like a small ecological survey, particularly to look for the rare noble chafer beetle, please contact anita@ptes.org

Results of Gloucestershire Apple Tastings

Download (3.27MB)

GOG Wallpaper

Click to download the official GOG Wallpaper.

Identification keys for apples

Click here to download two basic keys to identify commonly grown apples in the UK.

• Key based on Bultitude 1983 [Word file, 188k]
• Key based on groups in Bunyard 1920 [Word file, 212k]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Natural England), Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship (ES) has replaced the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area Schemes.
More details on the Grants page.

Habitat Action Plan

The Habitat Action Plan for old orchards in Gloucestershire has been redrafted and the new version has recently been accepted by all members of the Gloucestershire Biodiversity Action Plan partnership. It lays out the state of the county's orchards, their importance in landscape and historic terms as well as for wildlife, and what must be done to safeguard and improve the future. GOG takes a leading role.

Varietal research

Research into Gloucestershire varieties still continues, and we flag up here some areas of recent correspondence and debate.

Apple press for hire

Available for hire to GOG members. Contact the Secretary, Ann Smith, for more information.

Also for hire: hand crushers, press and stainless steel pasteurizer

Wanted

Hand-operated mill in good condition. Please contact Meyrick Brentnall 01452 396829 (work)/01242 581314 (home) email meyrickb@gloucester.gov.uk