Little Shelford's community orchard

The Little Shelford Community Orchard and Woodland Project (SCOWP) story so far

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Little Shelford Parish Council suggested in 2019 that part of Blennie's Patch next to the allotments be used for a community project to promote a greener Little Shelford and encourage children to be more aware of their environment, whilst developing an under-used Village resource.

 

We initially planted three rowan, three silver birch and ten apple trees of various varieties as well as new hedges and a copse area of mixed oak, hawthorn, hornbeam and others. Great and Little Shelford 'Forest School' helped to plant part of the copse.

 

The centre of the plot is being developed as a grass meadow to encourage wild flowers and a diverse ecosystem, with log piles and bird and bat boxes in the surrounds.

 

In the 2021/2022 winter season we planted a number of additional fruit trees, expanded the hedgerows and added a number of sizeable standard native trees (funded by the DEFRA UTCF scheme).

 

We welcome new volunteers in the ongoing development of the area: watering trees, haymaking, logging wildlife sightings etc.

 

The project is managed by a sub-committee of the Parish Council.

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Timeline of Progress

• Sept '19: Little Shelford Parish Council approves Project

• Mar '20: Three Rowan Trees Planted

• Sep '20: First Hay Cut by village scythers

• Sept '20: Grants approved Zero Carbon, Tree Council

• Oct '20: Grant approved Woodland Trust

• Nov '20: Village Fundraising

• Dec '20: Hedging, Copse and 9 Apple trees planted

• Jan '21: Blenheim Orange planted in memory of Blennie

• Jan '21: 3 Silver Birches planted

• Dec '21: 7 standard trees and 6 fruit trees planted

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Blennie's Patch

"Blennie's Patch", where the allotments and the SCOWP Orchard can be found, is named after Edward Blennerhassett Powell. Blennie was one of the last direct descendants of the Wale family to live in the Village, his Grandfather, Colonel R.G. Wale having built Shelford Hall in 1850.

 

Norah Cecil Wale Powell (Blennie's Sister), who lived all her life in Little Shelford, gave seven acres of land to the south of the Hall site to the Parish Council; you will know this as the Wale Recreation Ground. On Norah's death in 1975, the remainder of the estate passed to Blennie.

 

In 1980 he afforded the Parish very favourable terms for the acquisition of the land at the end of Garden Fields. The land was appropriately dubbed "Blennie's Patch" in grateful acknowledgement.

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Contact Information: SCOWP can be contacted via Mike Darsley (mdgb59@gmail.com)