On Sunday 20 October, a whopping 24 volunteers came together in a sterling effort to control some of the overgrown briar threatening young and old fruit trees in the beautiful Cross O’Cliff Orchard. The orchard, which is Lincoln’s oldest surviving orchard, contains many Lincolnshire varieties of apple, pear and plum trees, many which are not available to buy in the shops.

Lincoln Conservation Group, joined by a group of volunteers from local firm Brook and Mayo, assisted the site’s warden by chopping back the briar, and felling damaged or wayward trees, clearing the brash on a bonfire.

As the sun shone, volunteers young and not-so-young, made such a dint in the briar, the orchard was almost unrecognisable at the day’s end.  Seeing the orchard open up again, the site warden started to consider where he might plant the next fruit trees!

​The orchard positively glowed in the autumnal sunlight – leaves scattered gently across the orchard floor, various fungi clung to crevices in the wood, and a flock of pink-footed geese honked overhead. Oh, and a group of industrious conservation volunteers chopped and sawed to the rhythm of tea and biscuits – a cracking effort everyone, thank you!
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Sophie