On the eastern side of the village near the railway line, another special place has been created in Clara Vale.

The community orchard was established in 2000 as a Millenium project, a plan hatched and led by a group of senior citizens.

There are at at least 15 varieties of apple, chosen for their suitablity for the location and soil quality.

Each tree has a numbered post, linking it to a house in the village and is rented for a single figure annual rent by a resident, or ‘tree tenant’, as a way of raising funds. Over half the households in the village have adopted at least one tree, and some have more. Tenants enjoy harvesting their trees from late summer onwards, depending on when their apples ripen.

Every year, there is at least one ‘Pruning Day’, when tree tenants maintain their trees. Later in the year as the trees bear fruit, Apple Day is held in the Village Hall, a themed event when trees are ‘adopted’ and rents paid.

In recent years further trees have been added and today the Orchard is a well established and peaceful place to visit, very pretty when the trees are in blossom or in fruit. The Conservation Group takes responsibility for the maintenance of the Orchard site, although the required commitment is not so great as that of the Reserve.