• LOCAL HERO
Lesley Greene turned neglected allotments that were at risk of development into a fruitful orchard to be enjoyed by the whole community
How one woman turned neglected allotments into a thriving community orchard
We have 17 different types of apples in Bisley Community Orchard, some with wonderful names like Ashmead’s Kernel and Siddington Russet. There are also perry pears, damsons and a selection of edible hedgerow trees. The site at Chestergate Allotments is a celebration of community spirit and local produce, a fantastic habitat for bees and other wildlife, including orchids, and provides a tranquil place for people to walk or sit. Generations of villagers have used Bisley’s allotments to grow fruit and vegetables to feed their families. Sadly, by the Eighties there were just six plot holders left – of which I was the only woman – collectively using a third of the four-acre site. I’d moved to Bisley in 1984 after meeting my partner Alan Evans, an artist, and one of the first things I did was to get an allotment to tend when I wasn’t busy working as an art consultant. The allotments are owned by The Charity of the Ancient Parish of Bisley and leased by Bisley-with-lypiatt Parish Council. In time I joined the council and became increasingly concerned
that the space was potentially under threat from housing development if it appeared neglected and had no ‘use’ for local people.
I became the allotment warden in 2003. One of the first things I arranged was a working party to clear disused plots and divide some into smaller areas that would be easier for time-pressured people to manage. Two years later we launched Bisley’s Community Composting Scheme, which turns the village’s garden refuse into a fabulous soil improver. The project, the first of its kind in the Stroud district, now involves more than
150 local households.
The community orchard was the third stage of the rebirth of the Chestergate Allotments. It is now cherished by many in our village, with a group of us meeting regularly to tend the trees. Over the past decade, the trees have steadily grown taller and the harvest of apples to share among local people increases year on year. Meanwhile, the allotment plots are becoming increasingly popular, too, with many more now being cared for. Each October, we all get together to celebrate Apple Day, raising a glass to everybody we have worked with over the years. Many of the project’s pioneers still devote a great deal of time and energy to the orchard, but we also remember our parish tree warden Lyn Hemming, who was passionately involved in the orchard until her sudden death at age 49. Were Lyn still with us today, she would be delighted to see that the indigenous Gloucestershire apple saplings she helped plant have come on in leaps and bounds, as has the rare ‘beetroot pear’ that stands as her living memorial.
As well as remembering others, we celebrate the fruits of our labour with juice, cider, cake and even singing. It’s long been my belief that community gardening would one day enjoy a resurgence, especially with the damage we’re doing to the environment by transporting food and drink halfway across the world. It’s wonderful to see it happening in our village. Find out more at bisleyallotments.co.uk/ community-orchard