Bratton comes together for Bank Holiday celebration at community orchard

Villagers in Bratton gathered at Reeves Orchard to celebrate the May Bank Holiday with a ‘Blossom Day Bash’ picnic, organised by local volunteers. 

The orchard was transformed into a magical space, with fairy doors, ladders and tiny bunting decorating the trees — all created by pupils from Bratton Primary School. 

“An abundance of beautiful fairy doors, fairy ladders and tiny fairy bunting adorning the trees were the creations of Bratton Primary School, adding a magical feel to the day,” said resident Karen Lewis-Jones. 

“Appropriately, students also created a number of ‘God’s Eyes’, borrowing from a tradition of the indigenous peoples of western Mexico. The woven designs, created on crossed sticks, symbolise the power of seeing and understanding the unseen.” 

Volunteers, led by Steve Crosby, mowed whimsical ‘crop circles’ into the orchard grass, giving families space to lay out picnic blankets and enjoy the day. Throughout the week, classes from Bratton Primary also visited the orchard to explore the fairy doors and take part in a nature trail. 

Resident Bryan Parkinson crafted wooden cut-outs of orchard creatures, which were then painted by the Monday Munch and Make ladies to form part of the trail, organised by Steve. 

“It was a joy to see the children’s excited faces when they chose their prizes,” said resident Mia Rigley. “I really enjoyed watching them hunting for the different creatures.” 

Parish Council chair Keith Raywood praised the efforts of the volunteers, saying, “The grass was mown beautifully and gave everyone somewhere to sit with their friends and families while protecting the wildflowers.” 

Orchard volunteer April Tarling added, “I loved watching how much enjoyment it gave all the children.” 

“I found all the creatures in the end,” said Sian Morgan. “They were all placed in their habitats and some of them blended in so much they were almost camouflaged!” 

Reeves Orchard, located in a steep valley opposite the parish church, is owned by Bratton Parish Council and managed with the support of a growing group of local volunteers. The orchard and allotments were originally planted in 1936 on land owned by the Reeves family, who ran the village ironworks and foundry. The land was later gifted to the parish by Miss Kathleen Reeves.