A new orchard will emerge in Waverley at Godalming’s award-winning Eashing Cemetery with a rich array of fruits expected for future autumn harvests as well as vivid springtime blossom displays.
Members of the local community in nearby Ockford Ridge were invited to come along to help with the tree planting and to have their say on the consultation process regarding plans for the cemetery’s Garden of Remembrance. Trees planted included 12 stonefruit, three cherry, three greengage and six plum.
The perimeter of the site, which won the Gold Award in the large cemetery category in the 2021 South and South East in Bloom competition, will form a trail of 60 saplings in a five-year project managed by Community Orchard Project South East (COPSE) with funding from developers Thakeham which has been working under contract for Waverley Borough Council in the redevelopment of the Ockford Ridge housing estate.
Stone fruits, apples, pears and nuts will be among those that will be grown on the site, helping to further enhance what is already a haven for wildlife, and complemented by the tranquil remembrance garden.
The plan for the trail is that it will be planted over time with valuable input from residents and community groups and would set out to highlight wildlife, points of interest and the history of the burial site, which is managed by the Godalming Joint Burial Committee.
The Remembrance Garden consultation also took place with residents invited to provide their feedback on the designs for that area of the cemetery. This is part of the rewilding programme which will improve the look of the garden, increase bio-diversity and introduce pollinators.
Waverley Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety and Godalming Town Councillor, Anne-Marie Rosoman, said: “Protecting and enhancing our environment has never been more important and this scheme makes a small but vital contribution to making sure we look after our green spaces. Community orchards are a sustainable way of helping to provide natural habitats and by planting today we are helping to look after our tomorrows. We look forward to seeing the orchard maturing in the coming years and the development of the remembrance garden as a place of beauty and reflection.
“For the community of Ockford Ridge along with the on-going housing redevelopment that has been taking place, this is another really positive improvement for the future of the neighbourhood.”
COPSE Project Co-Ordinator Claire Matthes said: “It was a good afternoon and very gratifying to meet so many enthusiastic local residents and representatives of organisations so interested in tree planting and creating more varied habitats for the wildlife that visits the cemetery.
“Eashing Cemetery is already a beautiful green space and the planting and development of this orchard trail has been a unique opportunity for individuals and community groups to come together to help create something really valuable for both wildlife and people, which will grow and develop.”
COPSE is a social enterprise set up to engage with other community organisations and landowners to create and enhance community orchards in Surrey and further afield in the South East. Visit: www.copseorchardproject.org and/or look out for the Facebook page.