Join us for a new Autumn / Winter Series of Garden Skills Workshops! Taking place within our Community Garden at TOSH, these afternoons a made up of both garden growing skills, and creative workshops, to feed us and nature.
Sunday 19th January, 2pm-3pm - Live Music Winter Wassailing
Join us for an introduction to Wassailing - an annual tradition of blessing orchards to ensure a good harvest for the year to come. Pop along to The Orchard Garden and experience the Anglo-Saxon celebration of Wassailing, with hot apple punch and music and song from local musicians DiPPYBaMba.
Embrace the opportunity to join in and dance in a safe and welcoming space, or simply sit back and absorb the merriment as it unfolds around you!
In the event of bad weather we will go ahead indoors at TOSH.
About the musicians
Describing themselves as 'a mystical melting of tribal sound journeying and powerful sonic messages from the soul', Dippy Bamba have performed their original songs in local music venues as well as festivals across the wider South West region!
See our full Autumn programme:
22nd September - Wildflower mow, seed collecting and plant printing.
Help Melinda mow the wildflowers and grasses in the orchard and collect the seeds to share and make your own meadow. Create beautiful nature prints from the flowers and grasses with Rosie. With Melinda McCheyne and Rosie Edwards.
27th October - Bulb Planting
Join us as we plant Spring bulbs in The Orchard Garden, and celebrate the Autumn harvest! Help us plant bulbs in our community garden, and take some home to plant in your own green space for a beautiful Spring display. Celebrate the transition into Autumn by learning how to weave traditional harvest corn dollies to take home.
17th November - Autumn Crafts & Storytelling Around the Fire Pit
Join us as we put The Orchard Garden to bed for the Winter, with autumnal activities and storytelling around the fire pit.
Make a natural candle holder to use on your walk around the garden. Discover some new recipes for hot mulled punch (non alcoholic), and enjoy a drink around the fire pit whilst listening to our autumnal story. We have commissioned artist and storyteller Banana in the Moon to create a bespoke tale for this special evening.
Age 14+, any under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
19th January, 2pm-3pm - Wassailing, join in new year blessings for the Orchard
About The Orchard Garden
The Orchard Garden was built during the 2015 refurbishment of TOSH. For years the garden contained just four fruit trees, with spring bulbs and wildflowers growing up each Summer. The garden was plain and underused, but had lots of potential.
With thanks to two years funding from the People’s Health Trust, with money raised through Health Lottery South West, we have consulted with our community and commissioned a new garden design by our Landscape Architect.
Our theme is 'Food for Us, Food for Nature' and it will be a sanctuary to learn, grow, work, rest and harvest in.
We have been using our garden to run monthly workshops, learning growing and creative skills to save money and grow fresh food at home. In Summer 2023, we invited our community to help us start building the garden. Using reclaimed bricks donated by our community, we have built pathways with minimal concrete to have a low impact on nature. We then begun to add new fruit trees, fruit bushes and climbers - plus flower bulbs for feeding the insects in Spring. In 2024, we added new seating and meeting areas, herbs and a play corner, as well as beautiful community-made tiles.
Get Involved!
We always have plenty to do and learn together - join us for one session - or all.
Tickets are available for a £5 per person donation. Donations help us to maintain the garden and to continue to offer these sessions. Under 5s do not need tickets.
Free Community Tickets are available to support those who need it most (e.g those with low income, asylum seekers, refugees, vulnerable migrants).
Please note that these are limited. If you do sign up for a Community Ticket and can no longer attend, please cancel or let us know, enabling someone else to join.
This project has been made possible with funding from the People’s Health Trust using money raised by Health Lottery South West. We have also received donations from JPMorgan, Wessex Water and more.
