Ventnor Town Council’s Community Orchard has reached the stage of tree planting, with children from St Francis Primary Academy planting three different varieties of apple trees at the site at the top of Steephill Down Road.

One, a variety called ‘Scrumptious’, is an early dessert apple with a fragrant honeyed flavour which should produce fruit in time for the summer holidays.

The youngest children from Reception class struggled a little with the digging but enjoyed the experience. They talked about the trees and wildlife that would be attracted, and how they would like to visit the orchard with their friends and families.

A community planting event also took place to plant the remaining trees – a Victoria plum and a crab apple to attract bees to pollinate the fruit trees. A heritage apple variety was also included in the orchard, Ashmeads Kernel, still a popular choice after 300 years.

Ventnor residents, and representatives of Ventnor Friends of Wight Horticulture, joined volunteers at the orchard, keen to get involved with this ongoing project. The local charity supports botany, horticulture and horticultural education in parks and gardens across the Island.