FUN, APPLES AND RAIDERS OF THE LOST SPRING (PART 3)

National Apple Day is being celebrated in style at Holywell Orchard in Cam/Dursley on Saturday 23rd October. There will be lots of apple-themed events to remember Cam and Dursley's orchard past, as well as the third attempt to find the fabled lost spring!

National Apple Day is on the 21st October, and is a national day created by the charity Common Ground many years ago which is now celebrated all over the country. The aim of the day is to highlight the massive heritage and tradition of orchards and apple growing that we've lost. Britain used to be a major apple, pear and plum growing country - did you know that over 6,000 different varieties of apple were grown in this country a couple of centuries ago? Yet the number of different apple and pear varieties that we can buy in the shops today can be probably counted on two hands. National Apple Day also wants to stimulate the restoration of old orchards, and encourage people to plant more trees of the old apple varieties, and also ask shops to sell them.

Holywell Orchard in Cam used to be an old orchard from the 1880's to 1960's but there are only 4 old apple and pear trees left now. The apple trees remaining are of the varieties called Stembridge Cluster and Genet Royal, old varieties which aren't grown very much now. The orchard was one of 99 that are shown on old maps of Cam however, there are possibly only 2 or 3 complete orchards that still exist today. Like most of this area, Cam was a major apple and pear growing area and Dursley next door (part of the Holywell Orchard site is in Dursley parish) had a variety of apple that was unique to the parish called Gloucester Royal. In partnership with Stroud District Council, Stroud Valleys Project is developing a community conservation project to realise the site's full wildlife potential, make it a place valued by local residents as a lovely place to visit and spend time, and remember the area's orchard past. The future management plans include restoring part of the site as an orchard using local, traditional varieties of apple and pears. Stroud Valleys Project is an environmental charity which trains and helps communities around the Stroud district to carry out environmental projects which make the places where they live healthier and better to be in, both for themselves and for wildlife.

The event at Holywell Orchard on the 23rd October runs from 10am to 4pm and consists of:

• A special display of old varieties of apple by apple expert Sarah Juniper who lives in Dursley.
• Sarah Juniper will also be on hand to identify those unknown varieties of apple that people have growing in their garden, just bring one or two apples along.
• An apple press that can turn spare apples into juice whilst people wait! All visitors have to do is bring their spare apples and a bottle to take the juice home in.
• A special guided walk around the locality to see some of the old trees remaining from the old orchards (the walk leaves Holywell Orchard at 2pm and returns at 3.30pm)
• Magic and illusion from the Ace of diamonds magician during the morning
• Special pork and apple burgers and sausages at the BBQ at 12.30pm with musical accompaniment by the Spot Pickers, a local Dursley acoustic band
• The chance to build your own birdbox to put in your garden
• Help to clear away brambles and scrub in the continuing hunt to find the lost spring which is somewhere on the site!
• Help with a bird survey of the site during the morning

There's no charge to attend this action packed event but we ask that parents accompany their children and wearing stout shoes and old clothes is recommended. The site is located between Holywell Road, Bramble Drive, and St George's Road though the main entrance is from Maple Close. The event is being sponsored by the Doorstep Greens Lottery Fund and Stroud District Council