Sister Organisations
Peoples Trust for Endangered Species PTES http://ptes.org/ recognise that characteristic dead and decaying wood of fruit trees provides a unique living place for lots of species, particularly insects such as the stunning noble chafer beetle. Orchards are regarded by government, as well as us, as a priority for conservation action.
PTES are preserving traditional orchards by locating them, finding their condition and helping with restoration for wildlife. They provide a guide to wildlife management in traditional orchards. And they encourage anyone to become interested in carrying out wildlife surveys.
There are many Orchard Groups throughout the UK with objects similar to ours. Many are listed at the PTES page https://ptes.org/campaigns/traditional-orchard-project/orchard-network/.
More specifically local orchard groups include:
Colwall Orchard Group http://www.colwallorchardgroup.org/ are sustaining, promoting and celebrating traditional orchards in the parish of Colwall in Herefordshire to the benefit of the whole community. Particularly they seek to improve orchards and derived produce, by encouraging the public’s appreciation, use and understanding for the longer term.
Cider Museum, Hereford, has activities and fascinating display of equipment from earlier cider making practices, and archive of some of the most important national pomological records, including orignal documents such as the Pomona Herefordienss, Herefordshire Pomona and H P Bulmer papers. They also manage The Pippin Orchards that contain an extensive collection of cider varieties (01432 354207; www.cidermuseum.co.uk).
Gloucestershire Orchard Trust remit is “Conserves, promotes and
celebrates traditional orchards in Gloucestershire.” https://glosorchards.org/home/ Their list of local apples https://glosorchards.org/home/fruitvarieties/gloucestershire-apples-listing/#:~:text=Gloucestershire%20Apples%20Listing%20%20%20%20VARIETY%20NAME,for%20Ashmead%20…%20%2013%20more%20rows%20 is particular noteworthy and this is a superb example of how to show apple varieties on the internet. GOT and MAN are at the beginning of a collaboration for mutual support, including sharing inventories, selecting varieties in each other’s collections to include in our own orchards, complementing (and complimenting!) each other’s displays at regional shows.
Hartpury Perry Pear Centre
The orchards here contains about 130 cultivars of perry pears, that most of the known in the UK. https://www.nationalperrypearcentre.org.uk/ The centre houses a very useful library resource and traiing courses are run fr teaching cider and perry making skills. There is also a perry pear collection at the Malvern Showground.
Vale Landscape Heritage Trust http://valetrust.weebly.com/ is a charity that works with volunteers, funders, farmers and Government to protect and conserve some of the special places in and around the Vale of Evesham and Pershore.
Shropshire Orchard Trust http://www.shropshireappletrust.co.uk/index.php offers products, services and advice to established or fledgling groups and to individuals wanting to set up organisations. They work to raise awareness of the importance of traditional orchards with their associated wildlife and the threats posed to the richness of traditional apple culture by increasing reliance on a few modern cultivars.
Midlands Fruit Group https://sites.google.com/site/rhsmidlandfruitgroup/home is an organisation based in the Midlands open to all interested in fruit growing, including apples, pears, cherries and soft fruit. Its aim is to encourage and advance the art, science and practice of fruit growing in all its aspects.
National Botanic Gardens for Wales
https://botanicgarden.wales/ is dedicated to the research and conservation of biodiversity, to sustainability, lifelong learning and the enjoyment of the visitor. The centre is for integrated plant conservation at a local, national and international level, with international recognition for its plant sciences research, and gardens presented and describe to a high but accessible standard. Education and interpretation is presented in accessible forms for all ages and abilities for helping people understand mutual connections with plants, the environment and our collective roles in a sustainable future. The Centre aspires to become an iconic Welsh institution and a leading attraction in the UK offering an inspiring and informative visitor experience that is fairly priced, well maintained and staffed, and is financially sustainable.
East of England Apples & Orchards Project http://www.applesandorchards.org.uk/ is committed to the many local varieties that come from the East of England. These and their orchard habitat need to be preserved for their local significance, genetic diversity, as local food sources and for their landscape and wildlife value. There are also hundreds of ‘lost’ fruit varieties known only from written records, and they ask for help from the public to find them
Northern Fruit Group hhttps://thenorthernfruitgroup.com/ is based in Yorkshire where it promotes knowledge of all types of fruit, especially suitable local varieties, attends public events, runs courses and provides advice to the public, and is setting up registers of orchards and varieties.
SuttonElms http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/APPLE1.HTML provides a fascinating mix of information.
Orchard Forum http://www.nat-orchard-forum.org.uk/ gives important facts about planning, establishing and conserving orchards, as well as a list of magnificent orchards to visit.
Brogdale National Fruit Collection http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/ is one of the largest fruit collections in the world and includes over 3,500 named Apple, Pear, Plum, Cherry, Bush fruit, Vine and Cob Nut cultivars. It is owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is part of an international programme to protect plant genetic resources for the future.
The University of Reading has taken over responsibility for the curation and maintenance of the National Fruit Collection in collaboration with the Farm Advisory Services Team (FAST), who are also based at Brogdale Farm.
They provide searchable databases of fruit naming and characteristics http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/search.php, as well as advice to commercial growers. Public access is organised by Brogdale Collections https://www.brogdalecollections.org/ which puts on a wide range of displays, events, talks and courses; there is also a garden centre.
