A NUMBER of years ago pupils from St James Primary School in Elstead, went out on a quest to find apple trees dating over 60 years old – this was the start of their Community Heritage Apple Tree project that would come to fruition six years later.

In 2011 the year three children at St James Primary posted a note in their village news letter and spoke at the local gardening club asking residents to contact them if they had any apple trees over 60 years old.

After a great response from the villagers, numerous apples were donated for the important ‘taste test’. In 2012 the children visited the donors to take cuttings from their trees, which they grafted onto rootstocks that had been planted earlier that year in their nursery-bed at school.

Jim Arbury from RHS Wisley visited the school to teach the children the art of ‘budding’ and they learnt how to prepare, attach and wrap the apple tree buds onto the rootstock.

They had a great success rate, losing only a couple of trees. Then the children waited, and watered, and weeded and in 2015 moved on from St James, handing the apple tree baton over to younger children in school.

In the meantime, the school Green Dream Team led by Campbell McArthur, wrote to landowners and villagers asking for recipient sites, with the aim of creating a Community Apple Tree Corridor through Elstead village.

They were very excited to receive a letter back from Pat Murphy, chairman of the parish council, asking for three of their trees to be planted on Burford Lodge Rec.

So, six years after that first note in the village news letter, the Green Dream Team planted the first of their trees – a ‘Sunset’ and ‘Belle de Boskoop’, donated by Janet and Phillip Wardle and an ‘Egremont Russet’ donated by Susan and the late Denis Holmes.

The children have several more trees to plant so if there is anyone willing to adopt one and plant it on or adjacent to land that the public has access to, so that they can take the apples, then contact the Green Dream Team via the school office on 01252 703248.

“The project has been a huge success on many levels. The children have not only learnt budding and growing skills that will stay with them forever, but they planned their activities around the growing season, learnt about plant reproduction, heathy eating and their village history,” said parent Beverley Cook, who leads the project alongside retired teacher Kathy Miller and the original ‘Johnny Appleseed’ children.

A big thanks goes to Beverley Cook, Kathy Miller, Campbell McArthur and Beverley Lister Associates Ltd (project sponsor). And also to Jim Arbury from RHS Wisley, the parish council for adopting the trees and providing the land, and Janet and Phillip Wardle, and Susan Holmes for donating the trees.