BUDE Friends of the Earth has launched a Crowdfunder appeal to raise the £1,100 needed to create a Community Orchard on the flat piece of land by the Neetside Community Centre.

The Crowdfunder will run for four weeks, ending on Tuesday, November 28, at 7pm.

Crowdfunder is a website where groups or individuals can publish details of projects that they’d like funding for. Visitors to the Crowdfunder website can browse the projects and pledge donations of £1 or more to any that they would like to support. Crowdfunder encourages projects to offer ‘rewards’ for donations of a certain amount to get supporters to pledge more.

Details of the Bude Community Orchard proposal can be found at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bude-community-orchard

Bude Friends of the Earth, treasurer, Simon Browning, said: “At the time of writing the Bude Community Orchard appeal is going well, the total stands at £395, so we are over 35% of the way to the total with 22 days still to go. It is usual for projects to plateau after a few days though, so it’s important to keep up the momentum until the target is reached.

“The most popular ‘reward’ so far has been the opportunity to sponsor a tree for a donation of £25, there are 20 of these offered to start with. Once we have accurately measured the site and confirmed how many trees will be planted, we’d like to award some further tree sponsorships via a draw. All donors and anyone that helps with planting will be entered into the draw, so that people that can’t afford a £25 donation will still have the chance to sponsor a tree.”

If the Bude Community Orchard Crowdfunder raises more than the £1,100 total, then Bude Friends of the Earth plan to develop the orchard further.

They’d like to add seating — perhaps commissioning benches made from driftwood to tie in with Bude’s seaside heritage and active community of beach-cleaners. A temporary event shelter would also be useful to provide cover during tree planting and future events held there.

Anyone that would like to donate to the Community Orchard project but doesn’t feel comfortable donating via Crowdfunder can still do so with cash, cheque or bank transfer — contact Rob Meredith at [email protected]

Following concerns over the fertility of soil at the site, Bude Friends of the Earth dug two test pits to see what we’d be dealing with when it comes to tree planting time.

Mr Browning added: “What we found was very encouraging. There’s a stony layer then some decent soil underneath. Digging the tree holes will be hard work, but with some enrichment, the trees should be fine.”