06 Monday Sep 2021
Posted in biodiversity, events, insects, News
On Saturday 11th September 2021 from 2 – 4pm in the orchard, we will be searching for as many bugs and minibeasts as we can find. All creatures, once examined and recorded, will be carefully returned to where we found them.
Come along and see what you can find. No experience necessary, and no knowledge of bugs required.
Last time we did this, we found a lot of bugs!
This event is part of Open Cambridge It is a free event, but donations to keep our orchard going are much appreciated.
22 Saturday May 2021
Posted in events, volunteering
Trumpington Community Orchard cannot keep going without volunteer help and support, and we are so pleased that the Tzu Chi Cambridge Collegiate Society enjoyed their volunteering sessions with us, and are looking forward to more. The group have sent us these lovely photos, and one of the Society’s members, Yin, shared her thoughts:
“Contributing to environmental awareness is one of our objectives in forming the Tzu Chi Cambridge Collegiate Society. We are thrilled to start with volunteering in local community gardens. This week, we received a warm welcome from the Trumpington Community Orchard. It was blessed to have a sunny Sunday to put our hands in the soil. We happily meet new friends Susanna and Chris, our lovely local eco-warriors and knowledgeable green lovers. More than volunteering, we learned so much in the Orchard. It was our first time to know such varieties of Cambridgeshire heritage apples. The efforts that the Orchard team put in biodiversity and planting were much appreciated. Susanna also showed us how to recognize commonly seen plants in Cambridge, such as the cute yellow Buttercup, salad burnet, little white Yarrow, and Wood Anemone. It is interesting to see the small bird shed built for the swifts though now it is rented to the sparrows. By the place near Hobson Brook, we also learn about the Brook and Cambridge history. It is amusing to see so many fun things and activities happening in the Trumpington Community Orchard. We were surprised how vivid and lively the Orchard garden is after our volunteering session. We had a lovely time with Susanna getting ourselves close to nature and becoming more aware of our surroundings. We experienced a growth of a healthy mind to respect our environment and shared it with local nature lovers. We hope more friends will join us in the future. Step by step, we will adopt and share an environmentally friendly lifestyle as a community.”
‘The Tzu Chi Cambridge Collegiate Society is an active student society of Cambridge University. The Society is associated with the Tzu Chi Foundation, an international NGO and accredited observer of the United Nations Environment Programme. We share enthusiasm in nature awareness and in learning by doing through local community engagement. We believe that actions, however small, can make a difference and would like to create opportunities for like-minded fellows.’
10 Tuesday Jul 2018
We are celebrating our 10th Birthday on Thursday 30th August 2018
All are welcome to come along and listen to a story or two about apples, orchards and the amazing creatures that live in them
Afternoon
Tea party for children and their carers, starting 2.30pm with cake and apple juice with storytelling starting at 3.30pm for about an hour. Our storyteller is Marion Leeper.
Evening
More details will follow on, keep an eye on our Facebook event page too.
16 Wednesday May 2018
Posted in events, volunteering
Don’t worry about our trees, I don’t mean the toothy, dam building type of beaver. Our orchard visitors were the 1st Trumpington Beaver Scouts (aged 6 – 8) , who came to the Orchard a few weeks ago and made a splendid job of a litter pick.
Just last Sunday (13.5.18) the 1st Trumpington Cub Scouts (aged 8 – 11) joined our regular volunteering session and spent most of their time removing brambles – a very prickly task!
We are really grateful for the enthusiasm, effort and help from these young people and their Leaders. We cannot keep the orchard looking good without the work of volunteers, and we hope that in return they learned a little about the orchard and its plants and insect life.
We welcome other group visits, we’ve hosted the Brownies and local schools as well, so do get in touch if you’d like to play a part in your local orchard’s growth.
13 Friday Apr 2018
Posted in events, seasons, volunteering
OK I admit Spring is rather late this year. But the Orchard survived the ‘Beast from the East’ snow, and here and there blossom is cautiously unfurling. This website needs a bit of a spring clean, not least because of new data protection regulations that are coming into force in May 2018. This means that every organisation, no matter how small, has to ask its supporters to actively ‘opt in’ to receive emails and other contacts. So look out from an email for us soon, and please do take the time to stay in touch because we can’t keep the Orchard going without your help and interest.
Our Monthly Maintenance Mornings (Second Sunday and last Thursday of the month) have been off to a good start and so far we are scything the grass and getting rid of any bramble seedlings that have poked up through the ground. All are welcome to come to these – have a look at our Events page for all the dates and see the sign on the Orchard gate.
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
21 October is National Apple Day, and it’s the time of year when we take our expertise about apples out and about. With our friends from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project, we will be at Apple Day events across the region, helping to identify apples that are brought in, and spreading the word about the amazing varieties you can grow at home.
Here’s a list of all the Apple Days where apple identification is on offer, but there are more events happening so do pop along to your local event.
And, because it’s ‘peak apple’ in October, I am out and about talking at many local Garden Clubs, all of which are happy to welcome visitors if you fancy coming along and learning more about the amazing history of apples and how to look after your trees:
21 September- Scotsdales, Great Shelford – fruit in modern gardens (not just apples!)
10 October – Shelford Gardening Club
11 October – Whittlesford Gardening Club
12 October – Girton Gardening Club
23 October – Wickhambrook Horticultural Society
27 October – Cottenham Garden Club
16 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted in events
Do you want to explore your creativity? Do you love spending time in the orchard? Do you have a playful spirit of fun? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘YES’ then sign up for A is for Apple, a creative arts project at Trumpington Community Orchard.
Led by artist Jamie Harper, this week long residency will invite you to create playful activities with other participants, in a relaxed and informal environment, using a variety of artistic methods including drawing, the arrangement of objects and imaginative role-play.
Over the course of the week, we will explore the things that matter to us, focusing on the orchard as a precious but fragile place of imagination, playfulness and community. Through our shared explorations, we will make creative play activities about who we are, what we care about and what kind of future we want to live in.
Play sessions will take place at the following dates and times:
Tuesday 19th September: 3.30-5.30pm
Wednesday 20th September: 5.30-7.30pm
Friday 21st September: 3.30-5.30pm
Saturday 22nd September: 11am-1pm & 3-5pm
Sunday 23rd September: (Closing Event) 2-6pm
Please note that you don’t need to take part in all sessions. You can come to as many (or as few) as you like! If you are interested in getting involved, or if you want to find out more, please contact Jamie Harper at: jamie@hobotheatre.co.uk
More about Jamie’s work is here
22 Monday Feb 2016
I am delighted to say that, thanks to the Wildlife Trusts of Bedforshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, a new orchard is coming to Trumpington. But the rangers need help to plant the trees on the site at Trumpington Meadows, and turn this area into a beautiful wildlife sanctuary. These pockets of green parks, orchards and community gardens are so important as wildlife corridors, to help with pollination of the local plants (including those in our gardens) and, of course, they are a restful space for local residents to visit.
So come along to the Orchard Day at Trumpington Meadows on Satuday 27 February 10am – 2pm. There will be a range of apple- related activities for all ages, and the opportunity to plant a local variety apple tree. Details are on the poster below (do print and/or share it) and also on the Wildlife Trust Facebook page
07 Monday Sep 2015
Moth Night 2015 – Friday 11 September 8pm. Come to the Orchard at 8pm this Friday, where local expert Charles Turner (from Cambridge Natural History Society) will be luring moths down with a big light and a sheet. See how many different species we can identify this year. Obviously, wear warm clothes, bring a torch, and park with consideration on the local streets. Free event, donations appreciated. We will be finished (or in the pub) by 10pm.
Here’s one we got a close look at last Moth Night. We let it go straight away, of course.
17 Wednesday Jun 2015
Posted in events
Down in the orchard
Hidden from view
The fairies created
Some glittery clues
Under the hedgerow?
Behind a tree?
Fairies hide treasure
So carefully.
We’ve written some hints
To show you the way
To find out the pebbles
Join in, this Sunday!
And if you are careful
And use all your mind
At the end of the puzzling
Some treasure you’ll find
The Midsummer Picnic is happening this Sunday, 21st June, from 12:30 – 3pm. There is story telling and an art activity as well as a treasure hunt around the orchard. Look for full details on our Events page.
Trumpington Community Orchard 