Orchard Network

West Somerset District Council are working with cider makers Matthew Clark on an orchard regeneration scheme, whereby Matthew Clark guarantee to take the cider apples from newly planted orchards over 20 acres for 30 years.

01984 6322291

South Somerset District Council has a tree planting Project Officer, Barbara Collier, who can offer free practical advice on planting orchards and other tree planting. Contact her on Thursdays or Fridays:

01935 462022

Barbara.collier@southsomerset.gov.uk

Exmoor National Park: "Orchards are a distinctive landscape feature on Exmoor, typically found adjacent to sheltered farms and particularly in the Vales of Dunster and Porlock. Many of these orchards have been lost, and many that survive are old and unstable." Grants for orchard conservation used to be available.

01398 323665

Somerset County Council - Somerset were the first county to give grants for orchard conservation and have done much to keep orchards as part of the landscape and to find outlets for the fruit. Over 20,000 trees have been planted since 1987. Sadly the grants have recently stopped by the council successfully applied for Heritage Lottery Money for a two year project on orchard conservation in South Somerset. An orchard newsletter is also available - subscibe via the website.

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 Somerset Countryside Services Group - a number of publications are available including: 'Somerset Cider, the complete story' (Philippa Legg and Hilary Binding) £8.00 inc. p&p; a video on Somerset's Orchards at £10.00 inc. p&p, 'Apple Varieties of Somerset, a guide to the origins of Somerset's apples' (June Small, detail left), free; and 'The Somerset Guide to Orchards and Cider Makers' (James Crowden), free. Other books to look out for include Cider: The Forgotten Miracle (James Crowden); A Somerset Pomona (Liz Copas). James Crowden was Common Ground's Poet Laureate for Apple Day in 1999 - read his laureate poem.

County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY

Reckless Orchard in Bristol and the Wye Valley offer a landscape architecture service and have experience with orchards. The core staff of three have backgrounds in community development, environmental education, urban and community design and ecologically sustainable landscape.

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