Thanks to those of you who have been supporting us recently, those who contribute to our bank account and those who have been helping out on site. Jacob continues to do an amazing job of looking after the plants, animals and helpers. I dont think the garden has ever looked so tidy!
We are still working on our health and safety framework and protocols and hope to open to the public again soon.
In the meantime a few regulars are helping out on Wednesday and Friday mornings and we have a new WWOOFer called Rajni starting next week. If you’d like to come and lend a regular hand, informally as a friend, let me know.
New Aikido Club
10 years ago on this coming Monday, I started up a Ki Aikido Club in Buckfastleigh. To celebrate this I’ve decided to open another club in Totnes in the place where I studied under Sensei John Stoner from 2003 until 2011. It will be an emotional and exciting return to my roots and I’m hoping a few new students might come through the door.
After the upheaval of the last year or so I feel this is a good time to start a new club, when people might be looking for a new path to follow. For me Aikido has been the trellis up which I’ve been able to grow and learn over the last 18 years. I dont know how I would have survived without it and I’m very keen to pass on what I’ve learned to a new generation of students.
The classes will be in St. John’s Church, Bridgetown on Wednesday evenings. You can find more details here. I will continue to teach in Buckfastleigh on Monday evening and we always welcome new students there too.
Sensei John Stoner teaching in St. John’s Church, circa 2006.
We are looking for someone who’d like to work part time at Velwell Orchard over the summer in return for food, somewhere to stay, and learning some new skills and knowledge. You will need your own tent or camper van. We eat meat, but we can cater for vegetarians and we are gluten free. If you’re interested in learning more please get in touch.
I’m running a couple of scythe courses in July at Velwell Orchard. One for beginners, which will be over two days, and one for improvers which will just be on one day and is designed for those who have done a course before but would like some tips on mowing, honing and peening.
Sincere apologies for taking so long to get around to this update! The past year has been so busy… but more of that below. Here’s a little recap of 2020, a rather unusual year… and a little taster of things to come in 2021.
2020 – A massive year of change
In the height of summer
Last year will be remembered by many for the distruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We have been very fortunate here at Velwell Orchard to have weathered this storm well and we are emerging from it stronger than ever. We have really missed our regular volunteers, the sounds of children screaming! The satisfied groans of tummies full of pizza! The noisy coffee breaks! The long chats over the weeding!
Jacob came to stay with us in March, at the start of the lockdown, and gradually has taken on more and more responsibility. He is now pretty much running the operations while I have been working full time. Kate and I are really grateful to him for this and also for his work as brother and uncle!
Sasha has also been a massive help to us this year, she has now been working with us for two years and her skills have improved to such an extent that she can easily lay hedges and make gates on her own. She’s also a pretty dab hand at scything and her log stacks have gained worldwide acclaim.
We have not been able to run our usual lively and sociable volunteer days but Jacob has had some regular help from some individuals which has been hugely appreciated. Derek has continued to visit weekly where possible, helping with errands, distributing vegetables, and generally ensuring that we maintain our connection to the local community.
We are so grateful for this support and from the financial support we have received. I am always amazed at how generous folks can be, many people donating money despite hardly every receiving any produce. I’m glad to say that the Velwell Orchard bank account has a healthy balance at present that affords us some security going into the coming year.
2021 – How will it unfold?
At present, Sasha and I continue to work full time and Jacob is running the garden. We have decided not to restart our volunteer days until the restrictions have been fully lifted in the summer. In the meantime, we are looking for one or two people who can offer regular voluntary help in the garden on a friday morning. They will need to be able to commit to regular weekly hours, and be willing to abide by current coronavirus restrictions. If you are interested please let me know or get in touch with Jacob directly.
We hope to restart our weekly volunteer days sometime in the summer, in time for the harvest, apple pressing and general merrymaking. This will hopefully coincide with restarting the Buckfastleigh Aikido Club for adults and, later in September, also for children.
A vision for the future…
Moving forward into 2022 and beyond, we hope to be able to spend more time at Velwell Orchard, purchase a new polytunnel, plant more trees, rebuild the field kitchen and many more things. We want to open the place up to the community again, as a source of biodynamic fruit and vegetables, but also as a place to come and learn and enjoy. I’ve been working this land now for well over 20 years and I firmly beleive we are only just at the beginning of unlocking its potential. We’re looking forward to being able to share this place again with you all soon.
Learn how to make Biochar from hedge brash using our Oregon Kiln. We’ll go through the whole process from lighting to quenching and explain the different methods for activating and using this product. The techniques are applicable from small gardens up to large farms.
You’ll go home with 50 litres of Biochar which you can activate and use on your garden.
5 spaces are available in total and full payment must be made to confirm your place.
You will need to bring your own refreshment and a pair of thick gloves. Welding gloves are good. Avoid wearing anything plastic that could melt from sparks and wear old clothes.
This November I’ll be teaching three hedge laying courses at Velwell Orchard. Only 5 spaces available on each course so book now to avoid missing out. You can find details here: https://properedges.com/courses/
We remain closed to the public until the spring but we are looking for a few helpers to join our small Friday work team here at Velwell Orchard over the coming weeks.
The work involves picking, harvesting, weeding, mulching, tidying and generally keeping the place tidy and proper under the guidance of Jacob.
Helpers must be willing to observe hand washing and distancing protocols.
If you think you can spare a few hours on a regular basis please let us know.
We are looking for a dedicated helper who can lend a hand on a regular basis picking vegetables on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00am until 10:30am for the rest of August and September.
We also need an extra helper to join our existing team on a Friday, from 9am onwards to help gardening jobs.
Both positions are unpaid but you will go home with lots of fruit and vegetables.
Due to the pandemic, Velwell Orchard remains closed to the public for the rest of the year so we are relying on this small team of helpers to keep things ticking along. If you can help please get in touch.
