
By Michelle Horst
Hornsea District Lions Club has donated £1,600 to Hornsea Community Orchard.
The funds allowed volunteers to purchase a motorised scythe. The orchard gives young and old alike the chance to enjoy locally grown produce. The tranquil green space is free to use but requires constant care from volunteers.
Created in 2010 by the charity Home Grown Hornsea, the community orchard is home to the town’s own range of apples, the Hornsea Herrings. The area has developed into a popular area for family picnics, dog walkers and locals wanting a connection to nature.
The orchard’s dedicated team meets once a month to tend to the wide area of land next to the Trans-Pennine Trail. Several of the volunteers visit weekly to prune, harvest and plant.
Maintaining the overgrown grass areas will now be easier thanks to the support from the Hornsea District Lions Club. The machine is designed for mowing meadows and parks.
Trustees Alan Tharratt and Nigel Walker demonstrated the new purchase to the Lions president, Mick Parry, along with members Joan Gales and Jean Robinson.
Mick said: “We’re pleased to be able to support the orchard. They do so much work here that helps all of Hornsea.”
Nigel said: “This is going to be such a boon. It will make a big difference.”
Found at the rear of Tesco’s car park, the orchard also contains a range of wild flowers, hedgerows and fruit trees.
Bat boxes and hedgehog boxes are among a range of support for the diverse wildlife found in the orchard.
The orchard has a plentiful harvest of jostaberries available now, with cherries, plums, quince, pears, a small but well nurtured nut forest, and annual favourites such as blackcurrants and apples growing throughout the year.
Anyone wishing to volunteer at the orchard can contact the group on Facebook, or email [email protected].