ONE OF Scotland’s top pomologists was in the Carse of Gowrie on Saturday to run an orchard pruning workshop at Port Allen.

John Butterworth travelled to Errol from his specialist fruit nursery in Ayrshire to help orchard keepers in the Carse.

He said, “It’s a real pleasure to be back on the Carse of Gowrie at this fantastic old orchard at Port Allen. Orchards like this are such a rich part of the area’s heritage—so it’s great to see local people taking an interest in them again.”

The event was organised by Tayside Biodiversity Partnership as part of their recognition of the biodiversity value of traditional orchards.

In a survey of the Carse of Gowrie in 2007, it was identified as one of the key areas in Scotland for historic orchards.

Biodiversity Partnership co-ordinator, Catherine Lloyd, said, “Old orchards have a tremendous value for wildlife as well as producing good local fruit.

“We are concerned that many of the ancient orchards of the Carse have already been lost due to neglect or clearance. The small number of orchards left are really worth safeguarding for future generations.”

The pruning workshop was one of a series of events focusing on a revival of the orchards of the carse. The next event will be a community and school orchard workshop in Errol on February 23.