INITIATIVES  (AS AT NOVEMBER 2011)

1. We have located and captured just about all the varieties of cider apples that we are likely to find in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and Eire. These number in excess of 400 and those few not

"Welcome"

A Frenchie

A Tidnor Tump

Hen Coop

Mindful that our Vergers Tallevende give us a much bigger dimension, and aware that our French cousins will not want to be branded as Anglo-Saxon, with the help of Eric Bottomley, we came up with our “apple-in-a-press”:

This has met with considerable approval and we have a big CORPORATE FLAG (6’ x 4’) depicting our logo, which we proudly fly from time to time at our entrance gates (the flagpole we found on eBay, of course).

PLEASE HELP US FLY THE FLAG

already planted as half standards in our MUSEUM ORCHARD at Tidnor are on their way and the collection should be at full strength by April 2012.

2. Our French Collection in our VERGERS TALLEVENDE in Calvados, Normandy, now exceeds 200 different varieties and we have very many more on our target lists. Building such a collection is an

expensive and time-consuming operation and this stretches our resources considerably. Nevertheless we have plans not only to extend the collection but improve the infrastructure of the land itself.

3. We have been filling the gaps in our FRENCH ORCHARD at Tidnor with some duplicates of the main collection in France, whilst in the adjoining BOTTOM ORCHARD we have been gapping with rare duplicates from the MUSEUM ORCHARD Collection. This is ongoing.

4. We now have our own cider maker in the shape of Simon Abbiss. TIDNOR WOOD ORCHARDS CYDER has made its debut and has already earned some significant acclaim. It is our intention to give Simon Abbiss all the help that we can to grow and develop his business.

5. We are indebted to local cider makers HENRY WESTON & SONS LIMITED who allowed us to join their ORGANIC scheme and who purchase all our fruit on contract – allowing us to divert some for our own uses. We support this local company whenever we can and will continue to do so.

6. We now have a nest of useful agricultural buildings at Tidnor, the latest addition being a TRACTOR SHED in 2011. The design of these buildings has been widely acclaimed. To enable Tidnor Wood Orchards to reach their full potential

we consider that the addition of a TIED COTTAGE is near enough essential and we are making moves towards that objective.

7. In support of our being an ORGANIC REGIME and a NATURE RESERVE we have commissioned Felicity Burge to maintain our designated WILD FLOWER area and overspill areas for the year ahead. We have various ongoing initiatives with the FLORA & FAUNA of our orchards.

8. Our TREE SPONSORSHIP scheme has been somewhat neglected these past two years. This position should be reversed.

9. 2011 saw Tidnor Wood Orchards playing a small but significant role in LOCAL COMMUNITY ENTERPRISES by encouraging free use of our orchard experience to local charities. It is our intention to extend these opportunities as much as day to day orchard operations will allow.

10. It is our intention that Tidnor Wood Orchards should be SELF-SUSTAINING by dint of commercial enterprise rather than any reliance on grants and subsidies or other public money. Our business model is to attract entrepreneurs to use our assets and resources to create their own enterprises that will generate income for us as well as

 themselves (and augment our core income from the sale of cider apples). Cider making is one such venture. There are others in the pipeline.

11. We are carbon negative - our 2,800 or so trees see to that. We are framing a policy aimed at ENERGY EFFICIENCY that might include the production of our own bio-fuel as well as solar and wind options.

12. Underlying all our activities at Tidnor Wood Orchards is the understanding that the orchards deserve to be protected for the USE AND BENEFIT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS. This is a HUGE ambition.