A new community orchard for Sherston

31/03/2021

We are very pleased to announce that the first trees of Sherston's new community orchard have been planted. This intiative, in collaboration with Sherston Parish Council and the Village Hall, was one of the first projects planned when Sustainable Sherston launched in 2020.

During a weekend in March no less than 25 families volunteered to plant the trees in the field behind Sherston’s Village Hall. Each family was given a different time slot in order to adhere to government guidelines for social distancing. Tree species planted include apple, plum and pear.

Parish Councillor Martin Fausing Smith said: “Planting trees is good for the environment, good for people’s well-being, and also the fact that it’s an orchard means that it produces food that people can eat so it’s win, win, win.”

“As the trees mature we will also let the grass grow longer and we’re going to have wild flowers underneath them so it’s going to be a more biodiverse area of the village. It will be a nice place to relax and take in the atmosphere so it’s beneficial on many levels.”

The 25 trees that were planted in March is only the first stage. More trees will be planted in the autumn.