Unplugged Big Apple Day as orchard turns 10
Dunkeld and Birnam Unplugged hosts Big Apple Day tomorrow.
This has been a week of community climate action and celebrations in the Highland Perthshire town with live music, workshops, talks and events inspiring people to care for the planet and live more sustainably.
Tomorrow is perhaps the Unplugged event most central to the Dunkeld community - Big Apple Day - and locals will be marking a decade since a community orchard of 180 trees was planted.
At the orchard, just south of Dunkeld Bridge, the fun starts at 11.30am. Everyone is welcome to the open air party, there’s a tea tent and musicians may add a little atmosphere.
Special guests are invited from organisations which were in at the start of the project and at 2pm they will be presented with bespoke wooden mementos crafted by local toymaker Bill Ellis.
One of those getting one will be John Hancox, who founded the community resource in 2008.
A scrap book is being created and organisers hope that people will contribute stories, poems, photos and drawings.
“You only have to see the trees now to see the progress,”said volunteer Katharine Melville.“Last year on our big apple day, people picked 153k kilograms of fruit. People were taking it away for free, jumping out of their cars to take home lovely apples.”
Dunkeld and Birnam Unplugged weekend programme: Friday, September 7 6pm-9pm Swap and Swish at The Taybank, clothing exchange, Ruth from Roobedo will be on hand to help restyle or make small alterations on the night.
9pm Local band,‘Trees Don’t Travel’atTheTaybank Saturday, September 8 11.30am-2.30pm Big Apple Day, the 10th anniversary of the Community Orchard, come along to celebrate, eat cake, harvest fruit, bring a picnic, enjoy home baking, storytelling, join a bug hunt and more kids activities.
2.30pm-4.30pm Open house: drop in to see a greener home – call 07788746127 for details.
4.30pm-7.30pm Climate Cafe at The Taybank, drinks and idea share.
9pm Band‘The Old World News at TheTaybank. Sunday, September 9 11 am Harvest Sunday service at Dunkeld Cathedral
3pm-6pm‘Fantastic news: It is the Sunday Blues’music with Pete Caban and friends at The Taybank. Putting down roots in 2008
Trees Don’t Travel play at the Taybank 9pm on Friday night