Delighted to have our 50 Fruit Trees Planted
Our plan has come to fruition...
The Project
Over the past three weeks I have been meeting with different groups around the village and we have been planting mini orchards on behalf of Collinstown Action Group. We began with St. Mary's School where Paddy Dempsey, Damian Duffy and Richard Hogan, parents of the children in the school, planted apple and pear trees. Outside the school, on the green area the Men's Shed members Joe Potter, Gene O'Donnell, Johnny Fitzpatrick and Bernard Devine planted apple, pear and plumb trees. Krzysztof Pawluk, helped by Richard Hogan, planted apple pear and plumb trees on the green area in Gleann Alainn. Kenneth Moran and Gillian Hill planted beautiful cherry trees in Cois Leine. Frankie O'Neill worked with Richard to plant two apple trees in Clondareen. Breda Murtagh Scott Murray and Ger Crawley planted a lovely orchard with apple, pear and plumb trees on the lawn at the entrance to Beechpark.
We had a good turnout to help plant our biggest orchard at Lough Lene Gaels. The orchard will be along the new, extended walking track at the pitch. Richard Hogan along with Mary Duffy from Collinstown Action Group, Tara Cooney from Collinstown Tidy Towns, Tessa Kennedy a member of the Lough Lene Gaels PLACE Healthy Clubs Group and Joe Potter, Johnny Fitzpatrick, Frank O'Rourke and Bernard Devine from Collinstown Men's Shed came together to plant the 18 trees and show support for the Collinstown Community Orchard Project. We planted apple, pear, plumb and cherry trees near the score board and near Sarah's Wall along what will be the new walking track. All who walk the lovely new track will be able to watch as the fruits grow and ripen and when the time comes they will have a snack for the return leg of their walk.
The All Important Thank You's
Collinstown Action Group would like to thank Westmeath County Council for their funding for this project through the Community Environment Action Fund. We would like to say a special thank you to Richard Hogan. We purchased the trees from Richard and he has really gone above and beyond with his support for this project, voluntarily helping plant each of the orchards and even sourcing old bicycle tyres to make the ties. Thank you to Joe Potter who, wearing his three hats - Tidy Towns, Men's Shed and Lough Lene Gales was key to helping organise sites for the trees and volunteers to plant them.
When we thought of this project and applied for the funding the hope was that the community would come behind it. We hoped that each orchard would be planted by the people that live in the estates and are involved in the different clubs. We were delighted with the response we got and with the volunteers that came out and planted their orchards. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way and we hope that you and your neighbours enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Now we will begin working on getting signs for each of our orchards and bark mulch for around the trees.
I look forward to the harvest!
Mary Duffy
