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Whyke Community Orchard (WCO)

This bijou orchard has heritage Sussex apple, cherry and several plum trees on a rectangular 300 square meter plot. The land is leased from the local housing association who helped us buy the fruit trees when we started in 2013. 

Apples in blossom

Along one edge is a public footpath, or twitten in Sussex vernacular. Two edges are bounded by wooden fencing with gardens beyond and the fourth side is a new housing development which looks out onto our verdant orchard.

Cluster of pink buds

Internally, the trees are planted into tree pits at 5m centres with companion planting, set into mown grass with a snaking path between the trees. The east side of the orchard has about 200 trees in a hedge, the other side has a wild bed where pollinators and predators are encouraged, like the ladybirds that eat our greenfly which overwinter in the nettles.

 Volunteer work parties meet once every two weeks on a Wednesday, please see Transition Chichester’s calendar for more details. Or contact Jenny by email to check times and what we will be doing fortnightly to maintain the orchard.

Conservation volunteers

We are establishing which plants grow in our wild area and how many animal species we can find. We are recording these on iRecord so that the wildlife is logged, as it’s likely these species will also be in local back gardens too.

Slow worm in the compost
Bumblebee on a chive flower

We hold events during the Festival of Chichester (see Calendar), held June to July annually. Previous years events have included a bumblebee identification workshop and a demonstration of making elderflower champagne, by our local herbalist.

Elder grows in our edible hedge
Apples on the tree

Find us at PO19 8FT

Please email jenny.music@lycos.com for more details.

Come by bus to the WCO.

The number 600 comes down Kingsham Road/Ave on its way to and from the bus station to Pagham and Bognor. Get off at the Sterling Road stop. The orchard is about 400 yards away, no more than 5 minutes walk. Look for the Co-op funeral parlour as the nearest landmark to the twitten, on the opposite side of the Kingsham Road. Walk south along the twitten to the second growing space on the left. Use the postcode PO19 8FT for satnavs and phones.

Or the number 51 bus stops on the Whyke Road at Willowbed Drive which is 800 yards distance through the twitten by the crossing on west side of Whyke Road going though to Eastland Road. Come round the road to the Whyke Oval recreation area. Head to the NW of corner of the Oval past the shops on the corner of Hay Rd/ Hardman Rd, into Exton Road. Walk to the gap between 28 and 30 Exton Road leading to Shone Court.

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Events

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