Hillmorton Vale Residents Association – Community Orchard July 2025

I know it’s a bit of a belated article by about 5 months, but it’s finally time to publish.

This is a plot of land located in Hillmorton, Rugby, Warwickshire and is owned by Warwickshire County Council and leased to Hillmorton Vale Residents Association. It was formerly land before it was knocked down, which used to have Hillmorton School located on it, and this area was the playing field.

They rely solely on resident donations to ensure the upkeep of the grounds and ongoing accessibility and enjoyment for the public.

If you are a regular visitor to the field and wish to contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of the field via a contribution or by volunteering some time, then please get in touch. Their website is at https://hillmortonvale.co.uk/. Have a read, as there is some good info.

The land is very heavy clay, and as such, it gets very waterlogged during the winter, where, unfortunately, they have to close the gates. It’s in the best interest of the grass, as trodden-on turf does not recover very well. But it is south-facing, so it gets intense sun during the summer months.

An area of 8 trees was planted a few years ago, but they have succumbed to the droughts and have gradually died off.

The rest of the orchard area is growing very well. A mixture of Apples and Pears with a walnut, sweet chestnut, and Hazel.

The grass around the orchard and the rest of the park is well looked after and regularly mown. Essential for dog walkers and children, and for those summer picnics.

This higher quality is mainly due to the active membership and participation of the committee and local residents. This can be quite lacking in a lot of other community orchards that I have visited, which tend to have a plant forget attitude. Probably due to local council initiatives (just to tick the boxes), which do not take the locals with them.

The only downsides are that none of the trees are labelled with their variety. Also, there can be an element of low-level antisocial behaviour, which is unfortunately quite normal.

When I was visiting, I was approached by a local, wanted to know what I was doing. After having a chat and alleviating any fears that I was not a property developer. It became clear there was much fear and concern among the local residents about the possible building of new housing estates and losing such a precious parcel of parkland.