The Blunt Family Trust
Orchard Audit
On a beautifully warm and sunny late September morning, two of the trustees and our Orchard/ Nature Walk groundsman, Kelvin Judd met up with Bob Lever who is a retired Orchard restoration specialist. He kindly gave up his time to help inspect the trees and to give us some very useful tips on the future, maintenance and planning of the Orchard.
Bob was very impressed by the work that had already been done and described it as “a little oasis” in Upwell. He recommended some pruning of the older trees to start this Autumn to preserve their longevity and to prevent falling of dead branches. This will be an ongoing process over the years to come along with replacement planting and inevitably some felling of trees where necessary. Over the Autumn and Winter months you will notice some work being undertaken. This is essential for the Orchard to flourish but also to keep it safe for the public.
Our aim is to preserve as many of the old trees we can and we are also looking at getting the species identified and in time labelled. We are very happy to see the Orchard being so well visited and enjoyed. Please could we remind you that some of the trees are very old. During the forthcoming months when it becomes more windy some of the older weaker branches may fall so please be mindful of this if you visit during windy weather and be careful.
We discovered several fungi on the trees and are in the process of identifying as many as posssible. They are not thought to be harmful to the trees. The Ivy clad tree is a wonderful and valuable habitat for birds and provides late pollen for insects. This is not unsafe and will remain in place to continue to contribute to the biodiversity of the Orchard.
Please continue to enjoy this lovely amenity respecting the environment, the wildlife, the age of the trees and the ongoing work the Blunt’s Family Charity are undertaking to keep this amenity an enjoyable safe place for all to enjoy.
Nicky Wilkinson (Trustee)
September 2023
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There's a new tree
in the Orchard
On 10th October 2023, pupils and staff from Upwell Academy joined members of the Blunt Family Trust to help plant a Magnolia tree. This tree has been planted to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee as well as the Coronation of King Charles III.
Each of the pupils followed by their parents and grandparents took turns to add some soil to the planting hole. The ceremony was brought to a wonderful finale when the pupils sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.
Thank you to the pupils, teachers, parents and grandparents who came along to help us mark this special occasion. We hope the tree will flourish in its new home and provide a regal splash of colour in Spring. A commemorative plaque is being prepared to identify the tree and will be in place soon.
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Nicky Wilkinson (Trustee)
October 2023
On the Orchard Floor
There isn't just a collection of beautiful fruit trees to be seen in the Orchard, look down rather than up and there are some exquisite Fungi to be seen too.
The pictures below were in just one small area in a corner of the Orchard. The Shaggy Inkcaps, Coprinus Comatus, are easily identified, but the other brown hued group have proved harder to identify so we've just settled on enjoying the spectacle of their abundance.
However, a word of warning, please do not pick and consume any Fungi growing on the Orchard floor or on the trees, even experts are extremely cautious.
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John Richardon (Trustee)
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21st October 2023
Annual General Meeting
The Blunt Family Trust Annual General Meeting will be held in Upwell Village Hall on Wednesday 18th September 2024 commencing at 7pm. Anyone from the village of Upwell is welcome to attend.
Warning
Some of the trees in the Orchard are very old. Please do not climb, shake or pull on the branches
to pick fruit. This could result in damage to the trees or personal injury.
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Please treat Blunt's Orchard and its trees with respect.
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Nicky Wilkinson (Trustee)
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August 2024
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Chairman's Report
We only received fourteen applications in the year April 2023 to April 2024 and the biggest application was only for just over £4000. We did pay one larger grant that was applied for in the previous financial year and we turned down three larger inappropriate applications.
I find this level of application quite disappointing, it is less than previous years and I am going to ask you and the Trustees for ideas on how we can improve our contribution to the people and organisations in Upwell in the coming year. It is on the agenda later in this meeting and our next Trustees meeting.
The common feature of this year's grants has been helping out with transport costs for our young people to get to the various places of education they are attending away from the village. This almost certainly reflects the cost of living problems that many people have been experiencing with people looking for help with more basic issues. We have also supported Upwell Town FC again with some grants towards training coaches.
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The largest grant we gave out this year was £20.000 to St Peter's Church, the original application was made I February 2023 and it took the Church over a year to raise the full amount for the job.The amount we gave matched a similar grant we had made to the Methodist Church last year. For grants over £5000 we do ask the applicants to match funds. The rationale behind this is to only support projects that are viable and have a good case supporting them. We'd be interested to hear your views on this policy later.
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The Orchard Nature Walk has again taken up a lot of attention this year. We have had some experts in old orchards visiting us and Nicky Wilkinson (Trustee) has done a course to help her work in the orchard, she is going to give a talk based on her investigations later in the meeting. The plan to identify all the trees last year was delayed but this afternoon a Mr Martin Skipper from the East of England Apples and Orchard Project visited the orchard to help identify the different varieties. We plan to put labels up for the public in due course.
We have had some vandalism problems again, notably recently some boys set fire to some of the trees, fortunately it was seen quickly and the Fire Brigade dealt with it.
We will shortly be having the Annual Accounts presented. This year as well as the money we placed in long term investment two years ago we have opened three interest bearing savings accounts with different notice periods. This has meant the Trust's money has been growing while still being available for grants. So for the first time we have had income this year other than from the estate or the occasional donation.
To remind you all, applications forms are available on our website: theblunttrust.com and you can follow us on our blog: www.theblunttrusts.info
Paul Williams (Chairman)
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September 2024
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