Church Wood Community Orchard

Church Wood Community Orchard (CWCO) Is located in the beautiful Church Wood Local Nature Reserve in Hollington, St Leonards, East Sussex. The apple orchard was planted in 2021 on land leased from Hastings Borough Council on a 25 year lease.

The aims of the project are as follows:

• To provide fruit for the community

• To develop a local species wild flower meadow for pollinators and other insects.

• To encourage the use of the site for nature related learning opportunities and social engagement.

• To connect people especially children to our wonderful natural environments.

• To generally improve the site for wildlife and people.

The orchard is run wholly by volunteers, who form the committee and do all the physical work required to manage an orchard. Outreach work is done at a local school and CWCO joins with other groups to promote nature learning especially regarding plant and insect biodiversity.
Events are also run by volunteers and include the annual Wassail and Meadow Day. In addition we offer family nature events and schools are welcome to visit.

At least once a year experts survey and record the wildflowers and insects seen at the orchard. As the site has developed both plant and insect diversity have increased.

We welcome more volunteers and visitors. Information can be found on the CWCO Facebook and Instagram pages.

Contact
churchwood.co@mail.com
Mary Dawson rainbowsmary@gmail.com