How it became a community orchard
In March 2018 a quantity of land in Littlehempston came up for auction when Higher Court Farm, where the Blackler family had farmed for 100 years, was sold off. Villagers past and present managed to club together for a successful bid (£58,000) for an old orchard (2.17 acres) and an adjoining meadow (1.58 acres) in the village centre. The orchard is on a north-facing slope, and the meadow is part of the River Hems flood plain, which was severely curtailed when the main Penzance/Paddington railway line was put through the village on an embankment in 1848. Trustees were appointed to take care of the land, which was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Our Community Orchard is…..
… probably at least a couple of hundred years old, and is one of very few surviving in the parish. There are many old apple trees, most of which are not identifiable. The majority still fruit well, even those that have fallen over. The orchard is managed for wildlife too, and we have left patches of thistles, brambles, teasels and long grass, which are home to many varieties of butterflies. So there is plenty of shelter for rabbits, foxes, and small mammals for the owls. At the top of the orchard there is an old mossy wall and hazel hedge. There are many varieties of birds, and a resident kingfisher patrols the Gatcombe Brook at the bottom of the orchard.
New planting
In winter 2018/19 a programme of new tree planting was started. In choosing new trees, we decided to research our heritage: a village memoir written about life in the 1920s and 30s named locally popular trees such as Pig’s Snout, Paignton Marigold, Sops in Wine, Slack-ma-Girdle and Fair Maid of Devon. The first new trees were donated by villagers, and those with a strong connection to Littlehempston, who wanted to commemorate members of their families; these can be identified by brass plaques at their base. Since then, there have been a further two phases of planting. We bartered the first apple crops for help with the orchard from a local cider-maker, and have had a juicing day for the village, with surplus being given to the village pub.

Orchard management
In the beginning no-one knew much about orchard management, but training and pruning days were held, with expert support, to increase our knowledge. Experts have visited to conduct surveys of lichen and fungi (about 60 kinds), wildflowers (about 50) and beetles (about 50). In 2018 we took part in a bat survey organised by the Bat Conservation Trust, when a recorder was left in the orchard for three nights. We found that we have nine types of bats flying in the area, including Greater Horseshoes.

Community activities
Community activities which have taken place in the orchard and meadow include a Wassail with a Green Man every January, rounders matches, pop concerts, a scarecrow competition, a village moth-trapping evening, a children’s educational day with a DWT representative, installation of bird boxes, picnic benches and seats, planting of an oak tree and plaque to mark the acquisition of the land for the community, work experience sessions for village Duke of Edinburgh Award participants and a hedge-laying training day. The space is freely available for dog owners to let their pets run free.
