A fruitful start to 2023 for Crailing Community Orchard

Crailing Community Orchard, near Jedburgh, have just recruited their first Orchard Animateur, Juliet Porter, thanks to £5,000 in funding from the Scottish Government Rural and Island Communities Idea into Action Fund supported by Inspiring Scotland. The Orchard Development Group is one of over 180 community projects around Scotland to benefit from this funding which supports projects that are addressing themes such as Covid recovery, net zero, well being and social justice through their proposals.

Juliet Porter is taking up the short-term role of Orchard Animateur until the end of March 2023 as part of a pilot project to explore new ways to bring more people to the orchard and to make better use of the orchard site and its produce.

‘I'm really excited to be given the opportunity to work alongside volunteers to develop Crailing Community Orchard. Our initial priority will be to improve the capacity for people to enjoy the space, creating pathways and picnic spots. I will be working hard to raise the profile of the orchard as I'd like everyone within our community to feel that the orchard is their space, a place where we can all connect and reconnect with nature.’

New people are always warmly welcomed to the Crailing Community Orchard, which is centred around growing different orchard fruits, training in orchard skills and activities to encourage greater biodiversity in the orchard. No previous experience is required. Activities include seasonal workdays to maintain and improve the orchard including winter and summer pruning, apple picking and seasonal events like a community wassail and apple day. The orchard with its heritage varieties of apples, pears and damsons is a lovely place to spend time in the company of others and there is always time set aside for picnics and food sharing.

On Sunday, the orchard hosted a Wassail, an ancient winter ceremony to bless the fruit trees in the hope of a good harvest, with much clattering of pots and pans to drive away evil spirits and awaken the trees for the coming year; the decorating one of the old trees with toast dipped in hot spicy apple juice, to both thank the tree and entice robins, believed to be guardians of orchards, and a Wassail Song (see video above).

Check the facebook page for more information, to keep up with other orchard events and make contact.