Jan 17 North and West Kent orchards for everyone – by Mark By Tracy

We at MVCP (Medway Valley) are leading a North, West and Mid Kent orchards related project in the boroughs of Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Swale and Maidstone.  The aim is to submit a funding application (HLF likely) to fund a community orchards project. Allied to this is an on-line questionnaire to gain local knowledge from local parishes and groups.

N.B. it is targeted to the above areas, others won’t qualify so we’d like to avoid disheartened groups/parishes replying but not in the area!

North & West Kent Orchards for Everyone Project.

We need your help…..

Kent’s Countryside Partnerships are exploring ways to help restore traditional orchards and create new community fruit-growing open spaces in Kent.

We need your help to:

• Build up local knowledge of existing traditional orchards and community fruit growing open spaces.
• Locate potential new sites for fruit growing community open spaces (publicly owned or privately owned land where the landowner is supportive).
• Let us know the skills and knowledge you could share with the project.
• Let us know how you would like to be involved in the project

The questionnaire will take a couple of minutes of your time and is available from this following link.

Orchards are a special, secret landscape – a treasury of genetic diversity and a repository of culture. They are a wonderful way for communities to share the land and a positive gift to future generations. Once every village had its own orchards, but 60 % of traditional ones have been lost since the 1950’s .  The Orchards for Everyone project will provide opportunities for you to explore, learn about and enjoy the rich wildlife, open space and heritage of our traditional orchards and readdress the decline.

The project will focus on the two main fruit belts from Faversham in the North Kent across Mid Kent to West Kent at Sevenoaks on the Greensand Ridge with a focus on publicly accessible sites (private or publicly owned).

Thank you for your help, it is greatly appreciated – the information that you provide will be used to develop an orchards funding bid to help us deliver the Orchards for Everyone Project.  Please could we have your replies by the 26th February 2010.

The survey is available in alternative formats, please contact Caroline Drewett on caroline.drewett@kent.gov.uk or 01622 683695.

Kent’s Countryside Management Partnerships works for the benefit of wildlife and the local community alongside local councils, Kent County Council and the Environment Agency

You can see what other people do with their community orchards on these links;

Local Mid Kent Downs Orchards for Everyone Project
Wider community orchards

http://www.commonground.org.uk/appleday/a-corc.html

http://www.england-in-particular.info/orchards/o-kent-i.html

Wildlife value of traditional orchards;

http://www.kentbap.org.uk/habitats/view/?hap=158

Tel/Fax 01622 683695

www.medwayvalley.org