Year in the Orchard

Herefordshire's Year in the Orchard was 2011, but so much of the information on these pages is relevant to any year that the Herefordshire Orchard Topic Group and Herefordshire Council have decided to keep the information pages active. Please browse through them as they are full of interesting orchard and fruity information, orchard related links and walking opportunities.

Herefordshire Orchard Topic Group would like to thank all those involved in making Herefordshire's first Year in the Orchard the huge success it was.

Welcome to the home of Herefordshire's Year in the Orchard (HYO). Your opportunity to explore Herefordshire's orchards and help celebrate their heritage.

Orchards are special places for lots of reasons, and we have more orchards in Herefordshire than any other county and a rich orchard heritage. We would like you to celebrate this with us in 2011, Herefordshire's Year in the Orchard. You can join in the many events organised throughout the year (and more are being added all the time). Why not also take a quiet walk on a footpath through an orchard to see what you can see and feel.

The menu on the left gives you access to more information about why 2011 is the county's first Year in the Orchard; the people, places and works that have inspired it; details of the events and activities taking place; how you can register your event and lots of useful orchard related links and contacts.

Start exploring Herefordshire's orchard heritage now!

If having browsed this website you have any unanswered questions, queries or suggestions please contact: orchards@herefordshire.gov.uk

Herefordshire's Year in the Orchard is proud to have the support of Lady Darnley (Lord Lieutenant for Herefordshire) and Elizabeth Banks (President of the Royal Horticultural Society) as its Patrons.

Lord and Lady Darnley have farmed in Herefordshire for more than 20 years and are both keen advocates of the County's heritage and landscape.

With her husband Lawrence Banks, who is a Vice President of the RHS, Elizabeth Banks manages the Hergest Estate and Hergest Croft Gardens. She is the first ever woman RHS President in its 207 year history. Coincidentally the last Herefordian to be President of the RHS was Thomas Andrew Knight 200 years ago, when he published the Pomona Herefordiensis an anniversary that Herefordshire's Year in the Orchard was established to help celebrate!