Some sad news about vandalism in the orchard in the park this week. Here’s an update from Sarah Chant, at EACH and Friends of Coney Hall Park.
Sadly, I am writing to report two recent incidents of vandalism in our community orchard.
Just before Christmas, somebody saw fit to rip off a plaque from the tree paid for by the Labour Party and throw it in to one of our compost bins. Friends of the Park and EACH are not aligned to any political party. We believe that addressing the biodiversity crisis is a cross-party issue and so we work happily together regardless of our political differences. This incident perhaps illustrates the climate of division we are having to counteract in our communities. We have a number of memorial trees and commemorative trees and if members of any local political party or organisation would like to contribute to our orchard and our aim to increase biodiversity in Coney Hall, they are very welcome to do so.
We are very grateful to the local Labour Party for paying for the tree and we will restore the plaque as soon as possible.
The second incident happened this weekend. For some reason better known to themselves, somebody has snapped off two branches from one of our apple trees. One of those branches is the leading branch which grows ahead of the others and determines the height of the tree. The vandalism is really sad and disheartening.
We appeal to members of our community to be vigilant when walking in the orchard. If you see any suspicious or anti-social behaviour, please contact the police and / or me on: 07914 946414. If you think you can take a photo without compromising your safety, that would be useful as evidence.
In addition to the vandalism, the problem of dogs defaecating in the orchard meadow continues to be an unpleasant obstacle for us to negotiate when working in the area. Please pick up after your dog. There are numerous dustbins in the park. This plea extends to the rest of the park. It is not nice for us or for your children and local football players to have to avoid standing or rolling in dog mess.
Lastly, for the last two years, someone has stripped the fruit from the trees before the fruit is even ripe. This is a selfish act. Yes, it’s a community orchard but the trees need time to mature before we have enough fruit to share around us all.
On a lighter note, the trees are starting to mature and so the fruit will be abundant enough for us to share it around the community and perhaps send some to be made into cider and fruit drinks. Now that we have a number of established trees, we are hoping to give respect to them by hosting a traditional British Wassailing event so watch this space!
These orchard trees have been funded by local people and their care is overseen by a group of dedicated volunteers. If you would like to help maintain this lovely corner of the park with its fruit trees, butterfly bank and nature trail, please do not hesitate to contact me: sarahlouisechant@icloud.com
As Sarah said, these trees are funded by local people. It’s local children and families that play in the park. Vandalism here isn’t something that affects someone else, somewhere else – it affects all of us. If you can help spread the word and stop it, you’ll be helping to make Coney Hall a better place for everyone.
Coney Hall Village Residents' Association (CHVRA) 