More than one hundred Egremont children joined the Mayor of Copeland, Anne Faichney, in planting an orchard which will become a proud feature of their town, perhaps for them to point out to their own children and grandchildren. Following the lead of the Mayor, who planted a tree at 10.30am on Tuesday 4th March, children from Orgill, Bookwell, St Bridgets and Wyndham Schools all put their hands and feet to work in creating a little piece of Egremont’s history, under the supervision of experienced orchard keeper, Stuart Murfitt, of Whitehaven Garden Centre.
On a little hillock overlooking the traffic approaching the town from Whitehaven, itself overlooked by the magnificent limestone outcrops above the Gillfoot Rugby League and Cricket grounds, they planted one hundred crab apple trees of six different varieties, to celebrate Egremont's historical connection with apples, revived every year by our world famous Crab Fair.
The fruit will later be gathered and used to produce apple based products distinctive to Egremont, to raise the profile of the town, develop the skills of the community and connect Egremont with its historic past. Townspeople, including children from its schools, will be encouraged to remain engaged with the project, learning about the maintenance and pruning of the trees and the use of the apples in the kitchen. It should encourage healthy exercise and healthy eating.
The project cost about £3,000, and was funded as part of the Market Towns Initiative by Northwest Regional Development Initiative, West lakes Renaissance and the European Regional Development Agency.