Coming up
WORK PARTY — Sat 2nd OCTOBER 10.30am to 1pm
Come and get some gentle exercise – there’s lots to do. Tools provided, wear old clothes and suitable footwear. Most importantly, cake will be provided…
APPLE DAY and AGM— SUN 10TH OCT 4 TO 7PM
AGM 4PM activities 4.30PM onwards
2021 Events
‘Pilgrimage for Nature’ and the Orchard!
If any of you happened to wander up to the Orchard a couple of weeks ago you may have seen some strange goings-on. As part of a larger national project linked to the UN COP26 Conference on Climate Change, we were very excited to receive a National Lottery Grant to create three films, shot in the Orchard, which describe the value of plants and what they can do for us. The films are essentially educational but are aimed at children in a fun way using puppets and amazing costumes. They will be shared on the project website and the characters presented in a stage performance at the Conference. Creating the films has involved local people and businesses which is part of our sustainability mission as well as broadcasting the amazing value of nature to us all. We are planning to arrange an evening to present the films to residents later in the year and there is potential for the Orchard to be involved in the next phase of the project too.
You can hear more about the overall project, ‘Listening to the Land: Pilgrimage for Nature’ here:
https://www.pilgrimagefornature.com/
ORCHARD FAYRE 18th July
Thanks to all who helped out and attended the Orchard Fayre in July. It was a really good turnout in spite of the exceptional heat and it was lovely to see so many community groups represented. Everyone enjoyed the hot dogs, cakes and Pimms and we made a good amount of money towards our funds which is always a bonus!
Pics by NUX Photography www.nuxphotography.com
FAMILY PICNIC 26TH JUNE
A get together in the Orchard with picnics and BBQ – enjoying the lovely weather
POTTERS BAR COMMUNITY RADIO
We are delighted that Potters Bar Community Radio chose us as a subject for their ‘Sounds from the Community’ programme on Thursday 25th March . This was a lovely programme of music, dedications and stories by many of those connected with the Orchard. Many thanks to Mary for organising it all. PB Radio is an amazing project, set up just a year ago and run by a group of dedicated volunteers. Do carry on listening to the stories of other community groups in the area.
2020 EVENTS
APPLE DAY
Sunday 18th October 2020
Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out on this magical afternoon. It was so lovely seeing so many folk enjoying the chance to get together in spite of Covid!. Thanks very much as well to Welwyn Hatfield Environmental Health who advised us and enabled it all to happen and to the RSPB for providing their informative stand. Everyone enjoyed refreshments, apple displays, and simple games in the great outdoors. A truly memorable day in such a dark time.
Fund raising campaign
A huge thank you to all of those who supported our recent GoFundMe campaign. In a matter of a few days we raised £1,199 which was amazing. As we are unable to hold fund raising events or let the yurt this year your generous donations will enable us to meet our costs and carry on managing it for everyone. We were really touched by the messages of support we received. At the end of the day this is your Orchard and we are really happy that it will continue to be there for everyone in the community.
work partIEs – A BIG THANKS!
Many thanks indeed to the volunteers who turned out at our work parties between lockdowns to help out with raking and other tasks. On each occasion we got a lot done and had a really nice time in the process. The hay was raked and moved to the edge of the field, the path into Ash Field was weeded and the wood chip was used to refresh the paths in both fields. The two birch trees in Ash Field were liberated from their tree ties and the grass at the base of the trees was trimmed. The benches and compost toilet are freshly painted and looking very smart and well done to those tough folk who spent the time pulling nettles!
Orchard Video
A really big thank you to Brigitta Scholz Mastroianni (Nux Photography) who, with Karen, has put together a fantastic video for us. I’m sure you will agree that the result is stunning and a very fitting tribute to what we have achieved and all the volunteers who have put in the hours there. Do please share this link with other members of our community. Brigitta is a Northaw resident and we are really thankful that she has given her time to us free of charge to produce such an amazing film. To see the video go to this link
