Moth Trap and Survey July 2026

One of the aims of the Orchard is to create a habitat which encourages a diverse wildlife. On Friday evening of 10th July, Terry, a retired environmentalist and life long naturalist set up a moth trap. The following morning we had over 30 adults and children attending the trap opening. It was amazing to see the huge variety of moths caught in the trap. They were carefully removed and placed into specimen pots for everyone to see the vivid colours and markings on the moths’ wings. The moths were then released into the orchard to continue adding to the variety of wildlife who make their homes in the Orchard.

Many thanks to Terry for organising the event and to Noel and Viv who helped him identify the moths. We recorded 31 species of moth.

Spoon Carving

We ran our first ever spoon carving event on Saturday 4th July. It was a lovely sunny day so we were able to hold this event outside. Seven people attended the event and were shown how to carve a greenwood spoon using hand held woodworking tools. Many thanks to Chris and Simon for organising and leading the event. Everyone really enjoyed themselves, learnt some traditional skills and had their own unique spoon to take home!

New Herbs for the Forest Garden

Orchard members have been tidying the Forest Garden so that we can plant more herbs for ground cover and hopefully discourage weeds from growing. A big thank you to Lynn who kindly grew hundreds of herb plants for us to carpet plant the cleared areas. These will be glorious once they are established and will attract wild life and pollinators.

So far we have planted chamomile, thyme, dill, parsley and carraway with more varieties to come.

No Mow May

We are once again taking part in No Mow May run by the Plantlife Charity. Not mowing your grass is one of the easiest ways of helping the environment. Letting wildflowers grow supports bees, butterflies and pollinators.

This year the pattern mown in the central square shows how many flowers can grow when left unmown. Even just leaving a small unmown patch in your garden can make all the difference.

Blossom Time and Forest Bathing!

Despite the unseasonal cool weather, the orchard has been bathed in pink and white blossom. If you didn’t get a chance to visit there are still the wild flower meadows to see and wander through.

Why not indulge in some forest bathing as well. Bring a blanket or seat, choose a tree and sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the trees and birds!

Celebrating Earth Hour

Members of the Orchard switched off their lights and headed up to the Orchard on a cool, windy evening to celebrate Earth Hour. Millions of people around the world celebrate this every year, highlighting the awareness of climate change. Despite the cold, breezy weather, the sky was very clear and we were able to see stars and planets. An orchard member talked to us about what we could observe and we were able to see Jupiter’s moons via a telescope. Afterwards, coffee and biscuits were much welcomed.

Creating a New Dead Hedge

Orchard members created a new dead hedge during our recent work morning. Dead hedging makes use of the sticks and branches from tree pruning and provides hiding places and nesting habitats for all sorts of creatures, as well as food for insects. They are quick and easy to make and leave little impact on the environment.

Blossom Makes You Smile! Lanchester Orchard Blossom Trail Coming Soon… 

In 2025, The Nation Trust commissioned a YouGov poll to survey people’s response to nature and the outdoors. The poll found that ‘the majority of UK adults, 94%,  feel happy when seeing blossom in bloom on trees or in hedgerows’  (Nation Trust press release March 2025)

This Spring, make yourself smile and pay a visit to the Community Orchard during the blossom season. Take your blanket or chair,  sit under the trees and enjoy!

Watch out for the Blossom Trail notices on Newbiggen Lane.