After a lot of hard work on the part of the Lot 7 trustees, the registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) has been confirmed by the Charities Commission. This means that gift aid can be claimed on the donations made towards the purchase of the land, which will be used to support annual maintenance costs and conservation projects on the land.
And something cheerful to look forward to in the New Year. The second Littlehempston Wassail will take place on Saturday 25th January and, like last year, will involve singing, crowning of the King and Queen by The Green Man (identity heavily under wraps) and finishing with the procession to the orchard, with lots of banging and noise to wake up the apple trees, give them protection and to ensure a bountiful harvest later in the year! A wassail set menu will be available in the Tally Ho afterwards. One not to miss!
And later in the year, we look forward to more cider. Tim Walker of Orchard Link harvested our apple crop again this year in exchange for his advice and expertise on looking after our trees in the orchard. Some of you may have already tasted the delicious Littlehempston cider either at the Tally Ho or while Beating the Bounds – the Tally donated a whole keg, which went down very well with the walkers (pictured here – read the small print).
And finally, do you know of anyone who is taking the Duke of Edinburgh award? Please bear in mind that work on our land could count towards this – we currently have Otto working in the meadow and orchard as part of the community service element of his DoE award. Thanks, Otto, and all those who have helped care for our land.