Food Forest plans for Harrogate to be unveiled at Long Lands Common

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The exciting new initiative will be on the agenda at Long Lands Common's annual general meeting and Picnic Day in the open air at the Long Lands Common site on Saturday, June 25.

Starting at 11am with AGM at noon which will include a presentation of the Food Forest Project Concept and online consultation instructions followed by a members' Q&A on the project.

Juts one part of a list of aspirations for the future of Long Lands Common, the concept of a Food Forest includes creating a layered design system that is very low maintenance and completely sustainable which can be left to grow into a wild area of fruit and nut trees, berry and currant shrubs, fruiting vines and lushes ground herbs for the whole community to enjoy.

Also on site on the day will be display areas showing some of the history of the Long Lands Common project so far, as well as some of the exciting recent progress the project has been making.

The AGM and Picnic Day will include a fundraising raffle and interested members are asked to donate suitable items to the raffle such as homemade foods and drinks.

Dogs are welcome but must be kept on leads, and on the signposted mowed paths. This is in line with the results of the dog policy membership consultation undertaken at last year's AGM.

Last summer saw hundreds of people gathered for the first Long Lands Common Open Day after the phenomenal success of a community share-holding campaign that raised nearly £400,000 in less than six months to buy the land in the hay fields between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The entire community project grew partly out of the campaign to stop a relief road in the Nidd Gorge area.

Once a Community Benefit Society was set up, the Long Lands Common team set a target of £300,000 in shares to buy the 30-acre site on land between Bilton Lane and Bogs Lane on the border of the Nidderdale Greenway.

Located not far from Nidd Gorge, the long-term aim is to transform this slice of Harrogate greenbelt farmland into a public woodland, accessible to all, with thousands of trees providing a rich habitat for a wide variety of wildlife.

LONG LANDS COMMON AGM & PICNIC

TIMETABLE FOR THE DAY

11am – Gates open for arrival

Midday – AGM Start

1pm – AGM Finish

2pm – Raffle Draw

To give organisers an idea of likely numbers at the Opening Day, please register your intent to attend, here: https://www.longlandscommon.org/agmday

Toilet facilities will be available on the day, including a disabled toilet.

Long Lands Common members looking to attend are asked do their best to travel to Long Lands Common by a method other than a car.

Anyone who requires disability access for a car, please contact [email protected].

For more information, visit www.longlandscommon.org

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