Trumpington Community Orchard

Winter is now fully set in at the Orchard with all the trees in the hedgerow having shed their leaves. However, the rosehips, crab-apples and berries continue to provide a larder for the resident small birds. The quince and medlar trees have provided some festive fruit harvests for some local residents and it is nice to see these unusual fruits being enjoyed.

The meadow continues to provide a habitat for some small insect species including a number of beetles. It looks like the observational beehive may have been vacated for the winter and we hope to use this opportunity to replace the comb supports so it remains functional till we manage to source a more versatile construction to provide a focal point for visiting primary school classes. We are pleased that the Orchard continues to provide a valuable educational resource to teach our youngsters how nature changes with the seasons.

The Orchard remains a popular green space with much of the local community and there has thankfully been less antisocial behaviour and vandalism which we hope doesn’t simply follow the weather conditions. With the help of a volunteer team from O2 we have repaired the damaged picnic benches to the best of our ability and hope they withstand the winter weather. The new Orchard signage has been well received and will hopefully attract more visitors and volunteers.

We have also recently extended the herb garden which continues to provide an appreciated source of fresh herbs to local residents in the neighbouring flats who don’t have any growing spaces.

The cherry trees have been thinned out by tree surgeons sent by the city council tree officer. This was to remove some of the moribund trees and to allow better light supply to the small leaved lime, medlar and walnut trees. Chippings from these trees will be used to mulch around the fruit trees next year.

We look forward to our Annual Wassail in January which will again be held with the Community Garden and will report on the festivities in the next Trumpet. The December Orchard maintenance session was attended by seven enthusiastic volunteers and we hope this continues into 2026, with the next session planned for Sunday 14 March. Please come dressed in weatherproof clothing and footwear and we will provide gloves and necessary tools.

Contact: trumpingtonorchard@yahoo.co.uk | www.trumpingtonorchard.org | Susanna: 07722 568020