POWER LINK - A team of green-fingered volunteers has been sparked into life by some much needed funds. Having spent two years trying to raise the necessary money to get connected to the National Grid, Colwall Orchard Group received two-thirds of its target in the form of grants. Some £4,500 came from the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’s sustainable development fund and a similar amount was provided by the European Union and Defra through the Vital Herefordshire Leader programme. As a result members have been able to install an electricity line to the old apple packing shed at the community orchard at Colwall Village Garden after raising the final third themselves.

Tim Dixon, chairman of the group, said: “This may seem a small step but is vital to the group as we need electricity to restore the apple packing shed and to run our volunteer and training activities at the community orchard.

Once the apple packing shed has been restored we hope to install solar panels to improve our sustainability. The panels will generate electricity for our own use and to feed back into the grid to provide some income to support our conservation of traditional orchards in Colwall.”

For information, go to colwallorchardgroup.org or call Helen Stace on 01684 540569.

FRIENDS OF THE DYMOCK POETS - Conference on Saturday 10am-4.30pm, Colwall Village Hall. Max cost of talks £25, about Edward Thomas, Robert Frost, John Drinkwater, history of FDP and of Birmingham Rep.

Tea, coffee, biscuits available; bring your own sandwiches. Contact 01453 763585.