There are two orchard centres in Gloucestershire, both recently built and both of which offer excellent training:
Gloucestershire Orchard Group (GOG) Orchard & Rural Skills Centre at Brookthorpe, near Gloucester:
This was built in 2008/9 with a generous £20,000 Gloucestershire Environmental Trust/Cory Environmental grant. It is run by GOG chairman Dave Kaspar and partner Helen Brent-Smith at their family farm; Days Cottage, Upton Lane, Brookthorpe, Gloucester GL4 0UT. Here they have their own organic juice, cider and perry business as well as a museum orchard of all the Gloucestershire varieties of apple, rustic yurt and roundhouse for courses and training and both old and young orchards, havens for wildlife. Dave Kaspar also sells heritage fruit trees on a variety of rootstocks. A forest garden is also on site.
The training offered here is a rolling programme of orchard management, pruning (winter), grafting (winter) and budding (summer) to GOG members and members of the public/landowners/local authorities/community groups etc. With access to unique scion wood of Gloucestershire varieties of apple (and some plum/perry pear), this is a tremendous resource, alongside Dave and Helen's vast experience. Courses are drawing participants from all over the UK now, including BTCV and the National Trust.
Here, there are also Blossom Days, Apple Days, Communal Juicing events and, in the future, Wassailing.... Other rural skills are also offered at this Orchard Centre.
For more information see Days Cottage, the Apple Day event and Blossom Day event.
Hartpury Heritage Trust Perry Pear Orchard Centre at Hartpury, near Gloucester:
This was built with Heritage Lottery funding and opened in 2009, by Jim Chapman. Jim has planted an NCCPG status perry pear collection, with all the varieties of perry pear known and has other collections as part of nearby Hartpury Historic Land & Buildings Trust. At this Orchard Centre, he runs acredited courses in cider and perry making with Peter Mitchell, attracting participants from the UK and abroad. Jim will have a perry pear identification service up and running in the summer of 2010. Scion wood from his perry pear collections can be obtained from Jim jjrchapman@btinternet.com or by contacting us or via nurseryman Rob Watkins of Lodge Farm Trees or Dave Kaspar (01452 813602).
For more information on the Perry Pear Orchard Centre, including directions to the public right of way wetland area (with birdhide) and to book a course see http://www.tasteandexplore.com or the official opening.
