Tag: Community Orchard

  • Marking a community’s deep-rooted love for its trees

    Last weekend our community’s love for its trees was transferred into some very real results which will benefit our village for years to come. Amanda Borrill catches up with Dan Mace, the man at the root of so much of our village’s greenery, to hear more.

    The weekend of 1-2 March was a big one for our village tree population as the community came together to demonstrate, in very practical terms, their value to the people of Histon & Impington.

    Histon & Impington Parish Council donated most of the trees for planting, with a further three gifted by South Cambs District Council. Helping to plant them were a range of village-based groups; ably led by Dan Mace (well known for his work with Community Orchard/HI Trees) and assisted by Daphne Fisher.

    New growth at The Coppice

    Starting things off on Saturday, were residents of The Coppice who were keen to replace some of the diseased trees that had been removed recently, including the magnificent beech that used to grow at the road entrance. The first tree to be planted was a native oak, near the site of the removed beech. “Over the years this should grow into a wonderful tree, at least as impressive as the tree it is replacing”, explained Dan. The residents then moved on to a clearing at the Southern end of The Coppice, created by the removal of more diseased trees, and planted two hazels and a hornbeam.

    Coppice resident Stephanie Norris said, “the residents were sad to see the removal of the diseased beech tree at the entrance to The Coppice, so we were delighted to help plant a new native oak tree as a replacement. We’re looking forward to watching it grow over the coming years.”

    Across the community

    Sunday morning saw Dan, Daphne and Daphne’s family plant a Summer Sun Cherry near the War Memorial. “This English cherry produces large black fruit in July – either local residents or the birds should enjoy the fruit from this tree in the future”, added Dan.
    And, next on the list was Clay Close Lane where the tree planters put in a Norway Spruce and Scots Pine. “It was really great to see local people – both adults and children – taking pride in their green spaces and planting trees for generations to come”, Daphne enthused.

    Last, but most certainly not least, came Manor Field. “The Cubs did a fantastic job at Manor Field”, smiled Dan. “There are no plans to turn Manor Field into a forest, but we are planting a few specimen trees, well-spaced across the field. This is the third year the Cubs have planted trees on Manor Field – this year they planted three native hornbeams and replaced a silver birch that had died last summer.

    Planting for future generations

    “The Cubs are super-enthusiastic, ask loads of great questions and, at about 8-years old, stand a good chance of being able to return to the trees when they’re fully grown in decades to come”, reflected Dan wistfully. “I probably won’t live to see these trees fully grown, but hopefully the Cubs will. Of course, at 8 years old it is hard to imagine being as old as 58, so they settled for returning on their 18th birthdays to enjoy the shade of the trees they’ve planted,” he laughed.

    Cub leader Maria was delighted that there was another opportunity for the Cubs to plant trees, and she and Dan are already starting to think about their planting plans for next year.

    “It was a great weekend”, Dan shared, “and it was amazing to be able to plant a few trees right across the village. Huge thanks go to both our Parish and District Councils for funding these”.

    Gallery of photos from across the weekend. All permissions given. Photos copyright Dan Mace.

    Get in touch

    Tree planting season is over for this year, but Dan is keen to continue to help with further tree planting in 2026. If you know of somewhere that would benefit from some new trees, please do get in touch with Dan directly.

    Email Dan Mace at dan.r.mace@gmail.com. Read more about the Community Orchard here and explore HI Trees here.

    READ ALSO: HI Trees introduce the mulch-o-meter for community tree care day and Planting for Posterity

  • In pursuit of “personal and planetary happiness”

    From economics and eco-homes to soil and ‘Swishing’. Alison Turnbull dropped into a HI Sustainability meeting to find out more about the ethos and activities of this green-focused local group.

    Set up seven years ago in 2018 to respond to climate challenges locally, if its recent meeting is anything to go by, the HI Sustainability Group appears to be going from strength to strength. 16 people, all interested in joining the cause, met up in the snug of The Boot pub; eager to find out what the group had planned, offer suggestions, and find out if there were events or projects that they could join in with. 

    There is currently an active, if small, committee of local residents including, Nicole Barton (chair), Louise Baker, Sue Free and Fran Sutton. Sue explains to me that HI Sustainability’s stated aim is to: “raise local awareness of sustainability and environmental issues including climate change, and to help local individuals, voluntary sector groups and businesses take action on sustainability and environment issues to mitigate their impact on climate change by reducing carbon emissions”. 

    In simple terms this boils down to running projects to increase the community’s “personal and planetary happiness” in the areas of: recycling, transport, food, nature conservation, political influence, energy, education and the local economy.

    Quite the mission in a village the size of Histon and Impington but, in the years it has been active, the group has had a visible presence at every village gathering including, Feast week, the Community Orchard breakfasts, Open Gardens, HI Friends’ Wellbeing Week and many more.

    From humble beginnings

    A HIIS film screening

    HI Sustainability became active in 2018 after some green-minded local folk screened a film Demain, exploring creative solutions around travel, food, education and economics. Around 185 people came along and then another 30 joined a subsequent planning meeting to match up their skills and interests with new initiatives that might help the H&I community live more sustainably.

    A sold-out banquet-style vegan feast followed, then the Village’s first Swish (swapping and sharing used clothing) and a green spaces trail for Wellbeing Week. COVID saw the group take a forced hiatus, only to come back stronger in 2023 with the Eco Fest at the Baptist Church and a popular screening of the film Six Inches of Soil among many other volunteer-led events. The group also occasionally co-hosts events with Cambridge Carbon Footprint which supports some of their activities. 

    Sustainable conversations

    In addition to the group’s regular members’ meetings, their current programme includes a series, called ‘Conversations About’. Most recently, Dan Mace chair of Histon & Impington Community Orchard (HICOP) gave a talk about planting for increased biodiversity. The conversation was an opportunity for Dan to share experience gained through his involvement in the development of the orchard, and for residents to consider ways of growing their own patch of meadow, or just making their lawn more interesting.

    ‘In conversation with’ Dan Mace, as he shares his experiences of the Community Orchard. Photo: Sue Free

    The next ‘Conversation About’ will cover electric vehicles (EVs), and how to charge them amongst other issues. This will be followed in September by a conversation about retrofitting homes. Keep an eye on the HI HUB What’s On pages for details of these and more in due course.

    Go say ‘hi’ at the Farmers Market

    The group is also running a regular stall at the farmers market, at Histon’s Methodist Church. The stall is currently being funded by Histon and Impington Parish Council until July. It’s proving to be a good way of having conversations in a low-key way and sharing ideas of things people are already doing to reduce their carbon footprint. The next farmers market is from 9 am until 12 noon on Saturday 15 February when the Hedgehog Heroes – the group championing the humble hedgehog’s right to roam through our gardens – will be hosting the stall.

    Sue Free explains that they are looking for ways to grow the group, to find ways for people to be more involved without it becoming too onerous. So if that’s something that you think you would like to be a part of, the team would love to hear from you.

    To find out more, visit HISustainability or email Histonsustainablity@gmail.com

    READ ALSO: why-a-hog-superhighway and how-sustainable-living-can-save-money-and-the-planet

  • Tree Pruning

    If you’re interested in learning how to prune fruit trees, then there is a pruning session at the Community Orchard from 10am on Saturday 11th March.

    We’ll teach you all you need to know, and you can have a practice on the trees at the orchard. It’s a good opportunity to learn this skill.

    You’ll need:

    • Secateurs (essential)
    • Pruning saw (only if you have one)
    • Your own drinks and snacks.

    Please message me if you want to take part. danrmace@gmail.com

  • Come wake the trees at the Winter Wassail

    Come wake the trees at the Winter Wassail

    Histon & Impington Community Orchard (HICOP) invites the community to join them for their Winter Wassail.

    Held each year in January or February since shortly after the orchard was first planted in 2013, the tradition of the Wassail goes back several hundred years. Dan Mace, Chair of HICOP, told HI HUB:

    “These days we’re used to Christmas festivities starting early; decorations appear in November or even earlier. But go back a few hundred years and Advent from 1st to 24th December was a time of fasting, which ended with 12 days of feasting from 25th December to 5th January. Nowadays by the time we get to Twelfth Night (5th January), Christmas is a distant memory and we’re back into our routines, but traditionally Twelfth Night was the time to Wassail.

    “So what is a Wassail? Well, it’s a time to visit an orchard and sing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. And there is a tradition to make a noise, a hullaballoo, by banging pots and pans. Of course, cider also plays its part – there is often a toast to the trees and cider is sprinkled over the roots. And where toasts and cider are involved, it’s a time to wish ‘Good Health’ to all participants – in fact Wassail comes from the ancient Norse, ves heill, literally meaning Good Health.

    “Bring lanterns and torches to find your way, grab those pots, pans and spoons to bang to make a hullaballoo and wake the trees. Let’s keep the tradition alive this year at the Community Orchard!”

    The HICOP Wassail will take place on Saturday 25th February at 5pm at the Community Orchard. Toast masters will make the traditional toast to the trees followed by an opportunity to sing along with The Impingtones in some traditional Wassail songs around the HICOP flaming beacon.

    Hot and cold apple juice available. Please take your own mug.

    NB: This is an outdoor event and may be postponed in the event of bad weather. In case of change, information will be shared here on HI HUB and also on local social media.

  • Winter Wassail

    Winter Wassail

    Histon and Impington Community Orchard Project (HICOP) is holding a Winter Wassail on Saturday 25th February from 5pm at the Community Orchard.

    Once again we will gather to wake the trees from their Winter slumber and sing a toast to the apple trees in our Community Orchard.

    Bring lanterns and torches, pots, pans and spoons to bang to wake the trees, and your singing voices to join in with the Impingtones. And ribbons too if you want to gently tie them around the trees.

    Light refreshments available – please bring your own mug if you can.

  • Community Orchard Maintenance

    There is a maintenance session at the Community Orchard on Saturday 6th August at 2pm.

    All welcome. Jobs are:

    1. Ragwort picking. Gardening gloves are essential. A trowel is useful.

    2. Painting benches and tables with wood stain. Bring a paint brush and jar for wood stain.

    3. Weeding and watering. Bring a trowel, fork and/or watering can. We have a water supply.

    4. Litter pick. Litter pickers and bin bags provided.

    Please bring your own drinks / refreshments.

  • Brunch at the Orchard

    Histon and Impington Community Orchard Project (HICOP) are holding an event on Saturday 2nd July from 10am-Midday.

    BBQ breakfast plus wildlife stalls with Community Orchard volunteers on hand to answer questions about the orchard. There will be an interesting range of wildlife stalls so it’s a great opportunity to find out about local wildlife. We have:

    • A moth expert who’ll be able to show you a range of moths local to the village.
    • A falconer showing a static display of traditional and modern falconry – he may have a bird on the glove, or perched.
    • The local Hedgehog Gardens Histon Impington and Orchard Park group who will advise on the steps you can take to help reverse the decline in hedgehog numbers.
    • The Cambridge Natural History Society will tell you about the society and the numerous talks, field studies and excursions they organise.
    • A bee keeper
    • Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire Wildlife Trust.

    The event is free; donations are welcome and there will be a charge for the breakfasts.  If you would like more information about the orchard or would like to help, then please contact us via our website: www.hicop.info/contact

  • Winter Wassail

    Winter Wassailing will take place at the Community Orchard on Saturday 26th February at 5pm.

    Everyone is welcome. Once again people will gather to wake the trees from their winter slumber and sing a toast to the apple trees in the Community Orchard. The Impingtones will be there to lead the singing.

    Please bring your own refreshments.

    Consider bringing musical instruments (drums, whistles, rattles etc) or pots and pans to make noise to help wake the sleeping trees.

    It is recommended that you dress appropriately for the conditions and weather, as it may be muddy. Do bring a torch or a lantern to light the way.

    If the weather is very poor the event may be postponed or cancelled.