Baughurst Community Orchard

Site Details

The What3Words location of the centre of the site is ///think.firework.imported. It shows the site and the location of over 45m of hedging and the initial 22 trees.

Planting Complete

Planting was carried out on 8th February 2025 when over 50 members of the community, including some very interested children, came along to plan the trees and hedging whips. The team started their work at 11:00am helped along by supplies of cakes and hot drinks from the neighbours.

The planting of the Community Orchard is here.

Progress made to the Community Orchard in 2025 is here.

Details of the tree varieties used in the Community orchard and their locations are here.

Interpretation Board added

The team have been working with Hampshire Forest Partnership for a while to have an Interpretation Board added to the Baughurst Community Orchard. The sign was eventually delivered on 9th September and was installed on Saturday 20th September by Chris, Paul and Colin (and Chris’s younger brother John).

The location for the sign had already been agreed by the orchard team and the group set about digging out the two 72cm-deep holes for the supports for the sign, which was installed by 5:30pm despite the poor weather conditions. We do hope that the Interpretation Board is a useful marker for the community and adds some more life to the ever developing orchard.

Our thanks to the installation team and to Hampshire Forest Partnership for supporting the project.

Moth Trapping Evening – 13th September 2025

Around 20 people gathered in the community orchard on Friday 13th September for a fascinating moth trapping evening. Anne kept everyone warm with hot chocolate, while Andy, our local moth expert, shared his specialist knowledge and guided the group through the process using his equipment.

Both children and adults were captivated by Andy’s enthusiasm and expertise, making it a memorable evening for all. A total of 12 different moth species were identified on the night, including:

The event was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about local wildlife, connect with the community, and enjoy nature together.

Easter Egg Hunt 18 April 2025

The Easter weekend would not be complete without an Easter Egg hunt for the children. Chris and Nikki Evans set up and ran the first Good Friday Easter Egg hunt at the Baughurst Community Orchard, Long Grove where various fruit trees were planted in February 2025 on a parish donated plot of land.

Just after 10am, families with children came, paid £1 entry fee per child and got the clue sheet. Nine clues were dotted around the Woodlands estate for the answer to the clues.

In all, over 100 parents and children took part. Some brought their dogs along. The children were each rewarded with an Easter Eggs for their efforts.

“It was such a wholesome way to start the Easter weekend. Our kids really got into the clues, and it was lovely watching them piece everything together.”

“We were so impressed by how well it was organised – and all for £1!. Really appreciated having something local, low-cost and fun over Easter. “ “Honestly, we didn’t expect it to be that much fun – but it was brilliant. The kids loved it, we got some fresh air, and even the dog got a good walk out of it.”

“It brought people together and gave the children something different to do. It might have been the first, but it definitely shouldn’t be the last!”

Based on the positive feedback,  the organisers are looking to make this an annual Good Friday event.