Lanchester Community Orchard and Margary Flatts Allotments Association

Lanchester Community Orchard is one of the working groups of the Lanchester Partnership. The Orchard was started in 2011, when a field at the top of Newbiggen Lane was leased for 25 years. A group of enthusiastic Lanchester residents then set about designing, plotting and planting the orchard with the aid of a locally provided grant from the County Durham Community Foundation. The community orchard is maintained and run entirely by the orchard members volunteering their time and skills.

The orchard today is thriving with over 200 fruit trees, fruit bushes and nut trees; providing fruit from April through to October.  It is integrated with the Margery Flatts Allotment Association, with 30 allotments. At its centre a large square social area surrounded by fruit trees trained along fences. This central area provides a meeting place for members and their families. To date events include: wassailing, mindfulness walks, open days, star-gazing, campfires and harvest celebrations. The community orchard and allotment association are closely linked, many people are members of both groups.