Twenty-three of the people who completed ‘keep in touch’ forms at the Transition Town Wellington (TTW) Pop-Up Shop at the end of last month signed up to find out more about the group’s fruit harvesting and juicing project.

Owners of fruit trees who would like help in harvesting, people able to help harvest, and retailers and caterers keen to offer local apples/pears and juice can still sign up via the contact form at www.ttw.org.uk and go along to the monthly TTW food group meetings.

In addition to the longstanding TTW community juicing at Swains Lane Nature Reserve in autumn 2019, TTW volunteers harvested trees in the playground with a parent, teacher and children from Beech Grove Primary School with the juice sold at its Christmas Fete.

The group was also grateful to be offered excess and unused fruit by the Dolphin Inn, and by homeowners in villages including Langford Budville and Kittisford, with the juice sold to aid Stawley Primary School PTFA.

The team pressed and pasteurised the juice at Brendon Orchards in Wiveliscombe.

Funds raised from the sale of TTW juice in The Blue Pantry in Fore Street, Wellington, is being spent on buying wildflower seeds and fruit bushes and trees to be planted around Wellington by the TTW team, mainly possible due to a Wellington Town Council grant.

For autumn 2020, the team have already been offered a further orchard in Greenham as well as gardens of apple trees in Wellington.