Apple pressing, storytelling, music, dance, art-making, community stalls, talks, and more – it’s almost time for Dundee Urban Orchard’s first community harvest.
Since 2013, the project has worked with community groups and cultural organisations to plant 25 orchards across the city.
The community harvest is the culmination of work undertaken over the past three years and it is the first of what the group hopes will become an annual event.
Event organiser Jonathan Baxter said: “The event is a fantastic way to bring everyone together to mark the success of the past few years.
“Many of the orchard groups will be contributing, as will dancers, musicians, storytellers, and even Dundee’s Qi Gong practitioners! Everyone is welcome.”
People are welcome to bring their own apples for pressing to the fun, free event.
Find out more about orchards, biodiversity and related projects in Dundee by talking to volunteers and staff at the information stalls scattered throughout the Botanic Garden.
There will be representatives from the Dudhope Multicultural Centre, Bharatiya Ashram, The MAXwell Centre, Ninewells Community Garden, Dundee Science Centre, Tayside Biodiversity, British Science Association,One World Centre, and Gowrie Care.
Visitors can also meet Meet Margaret and Andrew Lear of Plants with Purpose & Appletreeman – suppliers of Dundee Urban Orchard’s heritage variety fruit trees. Find out more about their work and see what edible plants and apple trees they have on their stall.
The Botanic Garden Coffee Shop will be serving an apple themed menu throughout the day.
Meanwhile, musician and songwriter Jo Foster will be wandering the gardens, playing songs and inviting visitors to contribute towards an Orchard City song tree. Feel free to approach the troubadour on her travels, hear a song and find out more!
Timetabled events:
11.15-11.30am
Dance by the Bharatiya Ashram Arts Project
(Main Lawn)
11.30-11.45am
Talk by Alasdair Hood (curator of the University Of Dundee Botanic Garden)
The Importance of Local Food Growing to Support Sustainability
(Education Room)
11.30am-12.15pm
Storytelling and story gathering by Owen Pilgrim
The Dragons of the Orchard
(Log Cabin)
12-12.30pm
Music by Haystack Monolith (see Merrill Overturf)
Tales of love, deception and tractors – cheap guitar – rich vocabulary – not scared of heights – lo-fi sci-fi – lots of love
(The Temperate Glasshouse)
12.15-12.50pm
Qi Gong with Gordon Connor – participation encouraged
Qi Gong dates back nearly 5000 years and is a Chinese gentle exercise system of coordinated movement, breathing and meditation used for health, spirituality and martial art training.
(Main Lawn)
12.30-1.15pm
Storytelling and story gathering by Owen Pilgrim
The Dragons of the Orchard.
(Log Cabin)
1-1.15pm
Talk by Catherine Lloyd (coordinator of Tayside Biodiversity Partnership)
The Importance of Urban Orchards for Wildlife and the Community
(Education Room)
1-2pm
Talk and guided tours of the Macro Micro Studio led by Dr Neil Burford
Learn more about Scotland’s first passive house and its movement towards net-zero energy use
(Macro Micro Studio)
1.20-2pm
Music by Sonny Carntyne
A Fife and Dundee based group whose music spans acoustic, alt folk, pop, and echo rock. Playing a special, minimal set, Sonny Carntyne bring their unique blend of Scottish music sensibility to the Orchard City.
(Main Marquee)
1.30-2pm
Storytelling and story gathering by Owen Pilgrim
The Dragons of the Orchard.
(Log Cabin)
2-2.15pm
Dragon procession – with the Bharatiya Ashram Arts Project dancers
(From the Glasshouses to the Main Marquee)
2.20-2.50pm
Dance by Joan Cleville and Solene Weinachter (see Joan Clevillé Dance) – with dancers from The Space Dundee, Gowrie Care Drama Group, and you if you want to!
(Main Lawn)
3pm
Tree planting – participation encouraged
(Botanic Garden Orchard)
The free event runs from 11am to 3pm on October 22.
For more information, see dundeeurbanorchard.net/.