Cornwall Orchard Network

CORNWALL ORCHARD NETWORK is a grassroots, member-driven network aimed at connecting orchard enthusiasts, workers, & groups, providing opportunities to learn, share skills and ideas to strengthen collective knowledge on orcharding & tree fruit growing in Cornwall. We are also keen to support orchard livelihoods and organise events to bring people together, aim to visit orchards throughout the year and promote good orchard management. The network and it's activities, is dependant on, and thanks to the commitment of it's volunteer members. 

This is a holding page for the network - if you have skills and time to create a dedicated, autonomous website, please let the network know. 

The next Cornwall Orchard Network Gathering is Spring 2026, to be held on Sat 9th May - we are seeking a suitable venue in East/North Cornwall to take on hosting and leading the Gathering. What would you like it to focus on? 

TALK // Colin Hawke // Thurs 6th Nov, 7pm // at Redruth’s ‘The Ladder’

‘The kindling of the revival of traditional orchards – the story of the Cornwall Orchard Project, with lessons learnt from Brittany’.

Eventbrite link for tickets

Thank you to all those who joined us for the Cornwall Orchard Network TALK by Colin Hawke last Thursday with a full house of 40 attendees.

Thank you especially to Colin for a passionate account of his contribution to the Cornwall Orchard revival starting in the 1990s. It was wonderful to see how this orchard revival developed including a fact finding research trip to Brittany!

Also thanks to all those who contributed to the fabulous discussion afterwards. That the discussion continued well after the talk finished demonstrates the important legacy of this project and the continued enthusiasm for Cornwall’s orchards & our orcharding heritage.

The Cornwall Orchard Project was initiated by Cornwall County Council and led by Colin working alongside numerous experts and enthusiasts at that time including James Evans and Mary Martin who had already been researching and uncovering many Cornish apple varieties on the verge of being lost across the county.

It is clear that this project ensured that our Cornish apple trees, which at that time could not be found in local tree nurseries and were on the verge of being lost forever as the trees died out, were brought back into circulation. Today our much loved Cornish varieties can still be found in orchards across the country, and a few tree nurseries are supplying young Cornish fruit trees once more.

However, older orchards are still thin on the ground with many trees not being replaced as they die out. So they do continue to need your support to protect them. And Cornish variety trees are being grown by a handful of tree nurseries, although grassroots activity helps to fill in the gaps as well as grafting days at  Cotehele - National Trust & Kehelland Trust focused on championing local varieties.

Orchard enthusiasts across the county can help by following the same advice as given in the 90s leaflet in the photo!
🍎Encourage restoration of old orchards
🍎Find out about the orchards in your part of Cornwall
🍎Record orchards that exist & those that have disappeared
🍎Plant local varieties in your garden
🍎Encourage planting of new orchards with local varieties
AND a new one is to get involved in the Cornwall Orchard Network to work together to celebrate and make use of our orchards.

The huge numbers of orchards that are being and have been planted over the past 10 years is really encouraging. 

A big thanks to all those involved in the 90s Cornwall Orchard Project.

#cornwallorchardheritage


Cornwall Orchard Network visit to Plants for a Future

Members of Cornwall Orchard Network visited Plants for a Future (PFAF) near Lostwithiel last Friday for a volunteer session and tour of the site. 

PFAF was planted up by Addy who gave us a tour and Ken Fern with trees and plants over the years commencing in 1989. These include edible trees and plants, species good for supporting pollinators at different times of year, nitrogen fixing species to support good fruiting, species for other uses such as twine and rope making etc with many offering multifunctional uses for the eco system and humans. We were able to taste some of the harvests to be found at this time, including cornus fruits & some tropical tasting haws among others showing how we need to rely on more than just apples - the diversity of species will help not only ourselves, but wildlife too. 

The Plants for a Future site is maintained by volunteers, some who commit regularly others who are part of the WWOOFING scheme of gardening volunteers. Get in contact with them for more information:https://plantsforafuture.theferns.info/ 

Or check out the database of plants and trees here that the research from this site has led to: https://pfaf.org/user/

Traditional Orchards & Biodiversity

Records of invertebrates or other wildlife surveys from traditional orchards in Cornwall appear to be scarce. As a result, with the knowledge and passion of invertebrate experts, ecologists and experts with other specialisms who are keen to fill this gap of knowledge, we have organised two surveying sessions in the past year. Invites to these visits to traditional orchards get sent round the Cornwall Orchard Network email list which you can join by sending an email to *** or sending a request to resilientorchardscornwall@gmail.com.

If you have an older traditional orchard that might be an interesting site to survey, please could you get in touch and we'll see what we can do. 

Here are the notes below from Keith Alexander, invertebrate specialist who guided our visits and surveys along with Paul Gainey, and Pauline Penna (Cornwall Fungi Coordinator) who attended the first visit. These sessions could not happen without the passion of the above named people, so a huge thank you to them. Getting orchard workers together with ecologists to learn what lives within the orchard is hugely rewarding and educational.

Cornwall Orchard Network Gatherings 2024 & 2025

The Cornwall Orchard Network is a member of UK Orchard Network and aims to ensure someone from the Cornwall attends the quarterly UK orchard meetings to stay up to date with national orchard related news, best practice, shared resources, funding and skill shares.

Minutes from the first meet up held on Sat 11th May and the presentation notes on the subject of ‘Traditional Orchards, Wildlife and Biodiversity’ from Derek Green at Budding Nature CIC and Andrew Ormerod.

Some Community Orchards, other orchards & orchard groups in Cornwall:
Caradon Orchard Group
Chyan Community Orchard nr Penryn
Fentenfenna Farm, nr Newquay
Gillyflower Farm Orchard Fowey Valley
Haye Farm
Helston’s King Edward’s Recreation Ground
Kehellend Horticultural Trust nr Camborne
Kestle Barton, Manaccan, Helston
Love Lane, Penzance
Mountpleasant Eco Park – Community allotments and orchard nr Porthtowan
Newquay Community Orchard
Tremough Orchard, Penryn Campus, Falmouth University
Paul Community Orchard, Paul
Penzance Growing Links
St Ives Community Orchard
Tehidy Orchard at Tehidy Country Park
Trefusis Community Orchard, Trefusis Park, Redruth
Trenoweth Community Orchard, Redruth
Treverbyn Hall Community Orchard

Other interesting orchard sites & Projects:
The Forest Garden, Falmouth
Towans Forest Garden, Hayle
Some Interesting Apples & the Wilding Mother Orchard

National Trust Orchards:
Terice
Cotehele
Penrose
Trellisik
Glendurgan