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Any spare apples for juicing or cider??

Dear Members We have had two seperate request from two different members who are looking for (a) any surplus apples so they can try out some juicing/cider making ( can collect, pick juice and give 10% back to apple owner ( b) Any specific locally grow cider varieties apples which they can buy to make into cider ( can pick and collect). Give me a call or email if you can help if you have a surplus or know someone who has. Cheers and welcome to all our new members!! Latest newsletter to follow from our chairman soon.... watch this space. All the best Andy Howard MSOG Treasurer

On the way up!!

Dear Members, Had the news when i got back from my holiday we have got £500 from COOP to get telescopic ladders !!! yippee! I will be in touch to try and arrange a date when we can all get together to have photo with chq or with ladders for local press. Maybe next workday at stowe after marcus finalises the date.?? Also the orchard group, has been getting loads of Media coverage as I have been sending press realses (21 in all) about a new apple which was found " the Golden Bromham" ( details to follow soon). This was on BBC Radio Northamptonshire and BBC Three counties (Milton keynes) as well as in the print media the Northampton chronicle and Echo and The Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser. We are also having a featured article in Octobers Oxford Times magazine supplement which has been written by Val Bourne. The Wychwood forest fair went well and thanks to Graham and Mo who managed our stand with our new masthead banner in and lost apples display ( in a lovely gazebo they brought with them). They signed up 4 new members got lots of apple enquries and leads. We currently have someone to help at Sulgrave on saturday 11th ( thanks jenny/ Neil) and someone to help at Hugheden on Sunday 9th ( thanks Mel ??). We would also appreciate any help we could get for: Greys court at Henley ( lovely walled garden) on Sat 20th of Sept. Sulgrave manor Sunday 11th Oct Buscote and coleshill (S.OXON) Sat 18th Oct Shenley park Sun 19th oct Hugheden manor Saturday 8th Nov. Dont forget you get free entry to the show and you have the benefit of knowing you are helping to save our top fruit heritage. We will be finalising pruning and grafting training dates soon so watch this space. I am also going down to the talk on "Fruit in Historic Gardens" at Hampton Court Palace on Saturday the 15th of Nov being run Garden History society. It costs £49( includes coffee/lunch/tea -and guest speakers including apple book author,Joan morgan. Giorgio Galetti an historic Garden Consultant from florence italy and Susan campbell from the walled kitchen Garden forum.... I will have 3 space free in the car if anyone wishes to shares petrol / parking costs. send me an email or give us a call if interested as they may still have some tickest left or telephone them direct on 0207 608 2409 www.gardenhistorysociety.org Also finally one of other members Melvyn Jones (who has done some stirling working in recording all the old fruit trees/orchards) in the MK area is running a talk. Milton Keynes' Old Trees and Orchards ~ a talk by Mel Jones ~ CMK Library ( Central Milton Keynes Library) Saturday 13th September 2008 3.30pm - 4.30pm Booking is advisable. If you would like to attend this talk please ring 01908 254160 or email MKLocal@milton-keynes.gov.uk or call in to the Local Studies and Family History Library I would have loved to go but i am at a local food day all day saturday!! hope to see you all at an apple day soon. All the best Andy Howard

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Summer Newletter update- and Mid-Shires Orchard ROADSHOW at Apple days

Dear Members, VOLOUNTEERS FOR MSOG ROADSHOW!! Firstly we are asking for volunteers to man our stands at the forthcoming shows as it is really important that we have a public presence throughout the four counties. We will be having either our own table or space provided by the organisers and we are getting our own banner printed up to promote the group with our new logo (thanks to jenni). Plus all the literature on joining, training courses, local apple varieties, running "mechanised" longest peel competition and a display on the hunt for our 4 counties "lost apples". Anyone helping will only have to Man the stand for a couple of a while as we can get a rota going and me and marcus will also be there to help cover. This means you will get into the event free and you can have a look around and enjoy all the other exhibits. Please email / telephone myself or Marcus as to what days you can make asap. The dates are Wychwood Forest Fair (OXON) SUN 31st Aug (We have our own space here and its an excellent event with loads of exhibits, displays,local food and events) Dudmaston Hall (SHROPS) WED 10th Sep Buscote and Colshill (OXON) SAT 13th Sep Harbury Hall (WORCS) SAT 27th Sep Fenton House (N.LON) SUN 28th Sep Sulgrave Manor (OXON) SAT/SUN 11/ 12 th Oct Buscote and Colshill (OXON) SAT 18th Oct Shenley Park (HERTS) SUN 19th Oct Mary Ardens House (WARKS) SAT/SUN 1/2 Nov (Tbc might be earlier) Hugheden Manor (BUCKS) SAT/SUN 8/9 th Nov LOST APPLES FROM THE NATIONAL APPLE REGISTER I have now spent the past 5 months going through the national apple register and now managed to have identified 143 varities within the 4 counties and as the register includes apples from the late 1880s and standard trees can last for a 150 years it is possible that some of those trees may still be out there!!( including hopefully one called Green Howard) SUMMER WORKDAY Firstly thanks to all the members who helped out on our summer workday at Stowe and then got to benefit from our annual BBQ back at Home Farm, Stowe Our locally sourced sausages and Burgers went down a treat and thanks for all the members and their partners for the input on the salad side, ice etc. Our local sourced cider from Hogans of Alcester,Warks was extremely nice but due to its potencey and the fact that I was driving meant i could only have less than half a bottle and the rest when i got home!!!! We really achieved loads on that day and the orchard has a lot more light getting into the trees with intrusive plant/ bushs/trees been removed. COOP LOCAL COMMUNITY GRANT. I have applied for a local Coop community grant so that we may hopefully be able to purchase two telescopic ladders for work at our home orchard and for working with other groups and other local orchards which need renovation. They will let me know by mid-Aug whether we have been succesful. TREE PRESERVATION OFFICERS They have been contacted in the area so that if any old top fruit tree have been mentioned as wanting to be felled in any planning application MSOG would then be contacted. LOCAL ORCHARD SURVEY We have been contacted by Gavin Bird the Oxfordshire manager of the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Gavin.Bird@Oxfordshire.gov.uk as the centre are trying to map all the old orchards in Oxfordshire and Berkshire so they have some idea of what still remains and what effect it may have on bio-diversity. If you know of any old relic orchards please let Gavin (and us) know where they are. Don't forget an old orchard may still have only a couple of old trees left in it but this could still be very important for bio-diversity Finally thanks for all your support to date

THE MID-SHIRES ORCHARD GROUP NEWLETTER AND EVENTS

Autumn / Spring 2008 - 2009 Message from Marcus and Andy (Chairman & Treasurer, MSOG) News Up-Date Here at the MSOG, we have been planning our events and programme for the next six months and look forward to seeing you all again, for an exciting programme of events, and to see yet more progress in the work of the MSOG. I am hoping that members of the MSOG will plan and organise the next phases of the fruit conservation plan at Stow and further develop their expertise in heritage fruit management as well as to have fun in the process. We have also been able to welcome 4 new members in the last weeks. Plans for 2008/2009 Laurel Terrace Orchard Members of MSOG practiced their pruning and renovation skills on the Laurel Terrace Orchard at Stow Landscape Gardens during early 2008. This neglected orchard had now been largely put into order and the results have been impressive; its appearance has been transformed and new life and fruitfulness is evident all these months on from the restoration programme. There will be an opportunity to see the orchard and taste its fruit at our next work day 4 October. We are planning to complete our initial renovation work on the Laurel Terrace Orchard shortly and to start to plant new trees in the gaps in the orchard and in the ground just out-side in the New Year – an exciting development as these will be the first new fruit trees in Stow for some decades. Home Farm Orchard Our pruning courses will take place in the Home Farm Orchard which will enable us to start some restorative pruning of the trees there. It will offer a different pruning experience, to Laurel Terrace, as the trees have had more maintenance over the years and the accent will be more on thinning and encouraging new fruit wood. The Walled Garden Our next project will be to plant a new orchard in the remains of the walled garden at Dadford. This orchard will eventually cover about a half an acre and will be the reserve orchard for Stow with all of the historic fruit on the estate conserved in it. This will be a major project and we are hoping that members of the orchard group will take the initiative in planning and organising and possibly starting work on the ground for this important initiative, in 2008 -2009. The’ New Inn’ - Our Long-Term Project The management of the Stow estate have now agreed that part of the flag-ship £5m and five year development of former New Inn, at the south of the estate, and which will become the new entrance and visitors centre, will include a recreation of a typical farmer’s orchard of the 19th century. The National Trust are keen that the MSOG take charge of this part of the project and we have agreed that the orchard should include a collection of Buckinghamshire Cherry varieties, so as to establish a museum collection of endangered varieties important for fruit heritage of the area. This new orchard will offer an opportunity for the heritage fruit of Stow to become a very visible part of the visitor experience to Stow NT. Volunteers We would like to thank the volunteers who have completed such impressive team work on the Laurel Terrace. It shows what can be achieved and the team spirit on the work days was very notable. We would also like to thank members who ran the MSOG stall at recent apple and tree events and recruited new members as well as spread the word – well done and thank you.