Apple Day and Orchards on the BBC

First the Wonder of Dogs and now the wonder of orchards. BBC Radio Oxford have been taken with the history of apples in our village and done two live recordings in just a few days. Alison did a live link with the Gardening Café direct from the Apple Day at the Red Lion on Sunday 13th October and a group of villagers were interviewed on the Phil Gayle Breakfast Show on Wednesday 16th October.

In this show, the reporter interviewed Alison Bloomfield, from Brightwell Manor, Rhod Baker from his orchard on the Croft Path, Mrs Liz Hunt, Head Teacher of Brightwell School along with 5 children, and Jason Debney at the Red Lion. The idea of the interviews was to cover several aspects of why Brightwell cum Sotwell is unique amongst villages in Oxfordshire. Whereas some villages might have lots of fruit trees, this village is lucky enough to have, not only over 400 apple trees, but also 73 heritage varieties in people's gardens and abandoned orchards.

The next Brightwell Village Orchard Group event to look forward to will be Wassail in January. We will be making plans for the lantern procession, traditional drinks, pots and pans and drums to drive away the evil spirits and toast dipped in cider to bless the harvest. Keep an eye on this blog to see how things are progressing.