Heroes Commemorative Orchard

The idea

The orchard will cover 3.75 acres with 75 trees to mark the 75th anniversary of Grantham and the district’s role in D-Day and Arnhem, plus 2020 as the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe. It offers an inspirational opportunity to commemorate the past with a living orchard, illustrating aviation and airborne forces heritage alongside green space, fruit growing and healthy living. Every tree will symbolise not only passing of the years but the strength and diversity of a shared spirit. The orchard will be an information and education tool for a time in history immortalised in film and archive; a focal point for people to remember and reflect amidst the peace and beauty of a flourishing orchard. Schools will be involved in planting and harvesting with the opportunity to use the area for outdoor learning. Leased by the National Trust to the district council, it will be a valuable green and productive space in the centre of Grantham, with community harvesting and increased biodiversity.

What we'll deliver

Transform pasture into a beautiful commemorative orchard

Create an aviation and airborne forces memorial to the county

Provide an outdoor educational resource of traditional fruit trees

Why it's a great idea

Aviation heritage is commemorated locally, but there is currently no publicly accessible site for interested parties to congregate and learn more. Orchard interpretation boards will illustrate the United States Army Air Force pre-invasion strike behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day, the role of nearby St Vincent's Hall with both British & American forces, and the activities of First Airborne Division in the build up to Arnhem. Schools will be able to use it as a nature and educational resource and it will offer opportunities to increase the Wyndham Park volunteer pool of 60/80 people and widen available activities. Biodiversity will be increased by fruit trees and wildlife-friendly hedging and fruit from the orchard offers community opportunities for picking and fruit crop uses. It will link with the Woodland Trust local proposals on tree planting, and walking / cycling routes. The site will open up possibilities for adjacent nursery, infant and additional needs schools.

Steps to get it done

Community tree planting (end of February / beginning of March)

Official Launch scheduled for V E Day 8th May 2020

Our Heroes Orchard has the potential to deliver valuable benefits, not only as a living memorial and a delightful new green space in the heart of town but also as a valuable information and educational resource. It represents the latest step in a programme of aviation heritage awareness and activity conducted by South Kesteven District Council working alongside the internationally recognised Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire. It has forged links with key military contacts - echoing the United States Army Air Force Troop Carrier Command presence in 1944 - and the Cambridge Military Cemetery, where US personnel are buried. Lincoln’s International Bomber Command Centre, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford and nearby Newark Air Museum are further links. Aviation activities have prompted keen interest across the community and from further afield, including special interest groups and schools. Overall the orchard will be a commemorative flagship for the town and the district.

Location

By Wyndham Park Forum

The Wyndham Park Forum is a well-established group... Learn More

About

WELCOME Signs and 2 History panels have finally gone into the Heroes Commemorative Orchard, which completes the list of planned installations within this area. The trees are doing well, on the whole, and the dedicated team of Volunteers are back on watering duties as we were all through the heat of 2020. We have got a wildlife camera within the boundaries of the field and have a family of foxes regularly trotting past (they tend to move quite quickly) and on a couple of occasions with an adult fox carrying food looks like a duck) This is the link to the Google Album with selected videos from the camera https://photos.app.goo.gl/BWNDMLqtXVkYarEPA A reminder that we have a Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/HeroesOrchard) and - although I haven't used it recently - a group email for keeping informed as to progress. We do hope that as the country opens up and people get more confident about going out and about , that some of you from further afield will feel able to visit the Orchard. I can only add one photograph to this report but the rest are on teh Facebook page. Many thanks for your support of this venture Elizabeth Bowskill (on behalf of the Wyndham Park Forum/ Heroes Commemorative Orchard team)

Autumn work In our last update I suggested we might be able to involve schools and sponsors in the planting of the saplings from the Woodland Trust, but Lockdown 2 was in place and so we had to take the decision to only use volunteers signed up already and use only a few at a time, socially distanced. Whilst the weather remained warm and pleasant through the earlier autumnal months a few jobs were carried out by the hard-working team of volunteers. The first of these was to start pulling out the thistles and nettles, mainly in the area which we are calling the waterlogged corner. This was a very satisfying and therapeutic job. Then in November, having received 450 saplings from the Woodland Trust, we organised a couple of planting days and a small team of 5 volunteers (plus Snoop the dog!). The trees were planted in more or less double rows between the new fence in the middle of the field. The planting pack was called Wild Harvest and consisted of the following: Hazel, Rowan, Blackthorn, Dog Rose and Crab Apple. We also transplanted two small oak trees which we had discovered in the middle of the field – squirrel buried I imagine since the oak tree was too far away for it to have been a fallen acorn from the tree in the top hedgerow. A couple of weeks later a slightly different team of 5 volunteers (but still including Snoop the dog!) tackled the hedgerow on the Wyndham Park side of the Orchard. These saplings had been planted a couple of years ago, but the long grass, nettles, thistles and ivy had choked the plants, grown up inside the plastic tubes and some of the saplings had not survived. We cleared the area around each plant, and where the gaps of failed plantings were significant , we planted a few of our spares from the other side. Now that the hedgerow has been cleared it should be easier to maintain the area – and we decided a monthly check on the growth of dominant species, removal where necessary – until at least the saplings have a structure and vigorous enough growth to survive without help. It was suggested by one volunteer we might aim to learn hedge-laying techniques in due course – once the hedgerow is of the right size, and I am sure the National Trust would assist with that in some way. There is still work to be done heading into the New Year – but since the December weather was heading for some colder, wetter days we decided to put things on hold until after Christmas. Huge thanks to everyone who helped through out this difficult year. Three benches are on order for the Orchard - expected delivery date sometime in February as they are made to order. The interpretation boards - two welcome signs and some boards which tell the history behind the "Commemorative" element of this orchard, are at the final stage of proofing. Our hopes for planning a GRAND OPENING need to be put on hold until we are sure it is safe to invite people to travel, visit in numbers etc, but in the meantime, if you are local to Grantham and haven't yet been to the Orchard and it is safe for you to do so, then please do take a walk round. It is a peaceful place - with a lovely view from the top of the hill; footwear recommended should be suitable for uneven ground and wet grass, and a bit of mud. And so as it is the 21st December on behalf of all the team involved in the project, we wish you a safe and happy Festive season, and look forward to a better and healthier year in 2021 With best wishes Elizabeth Bowskill Secretary Wyndham Park Forum The image shows Snoop the Dog's encounter with Blue the Parrot during one of our work days!