The Kingfisher Award Scheme 2010

Neil Macdonald, from The Orchard Pig, West Bradley, was one of the judges at this year’s Kingfisher Award Scheme Prize Day, held on 15 July at Home Farm, Curry Rivel, Somerset.


The Kingfisher Award Scheme was launched in Devon in 1992 at the instigation of the late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and his friends.  This is the third year it has been running in Somerset.


The Scheme links children from Primary Schools with the natural environment through a Field Day, where they visit a farm to explore a wildlife theme.  This year the theme was ‘Orchards’ and the children visited one of the orchards at The National Trust’s Barrington Court.


What they learned on the Field Day about animals and insects and wildlife was then explored in a Project they continued at their schools.


Finally the Projects were judged and awards given.  150 children attended the Award Day and enjoyed a picnic together with entertainment provided by a Storyteller, barn owls and bees. 


The winning school keeps the Kingfisher Award, a beautiful hand-carved kingfisher, for a year, and each child receives a certificate and a badge.  


This year the winner, Sedgemoor Manor Junior School, was also invited to bring the entire year group to the orchard managed by The Orchard Pig at West Bradley.


Runners-up, High Ham Primary School, received a cheque for the school and an apple tree to plant.


Neil Macdonald said “We simply could not believe the quality of the work the children produced.  The standard was exceptional and as judges we had our work cut out making a choice.”


Sedgemoor Manor Junior School created huge painted insects for their Project.  They sprawled across the floor and were an object of fascination to everybody.  


Said Jim Gillard, Head of Year 3, “Lots of the children don’t get out into the countryside much.  We wanted them to see what is on their doorstep.”


The children also enticed the judges with their home made smoothies, made from yoghourt and orchard fruits.


The judges were Dennis Silk, ex-teacher and Somerset cricketer, Neil Macdonald from The Orchard Pig, Henry Lang, farmer, Kate Merry from The National Trust,  and Michael Brown, founding partner of Brown & Forrest Smokery.


Michael Brown said “It really opens the children’s eyes to so many aspects of wildlife.  This is learning by discovery. Now, whenever they see long grass, they will know what’s underneath it!”

Open Farm Sunday

It was a lovely day for our Open Farm Sunday event and the people who came enjoyed tractor and trailer rides around the orchard and tours of the bottling plant.

Our elderflower pickers had been out since early morning picking the flowers that go into our special Apple Juice infused with Elderflowers.  We put the blossoms into net bags and sink them into our thousand litre vats of apple juice to infuse overnight.

One enthusiastic helper was Fergus Macdonald, age six, seen here helping to put the elderflowers into the big vats.

The fresh aromatic juice is a bestseller for our sister company The Orchard Pig and is a huge success with adults and children alike.

Open Farm Sunday 13 June

Come and meet us!
We are going to be opening the orchards as part of Open Farm Sunday on 13 June 2010.
Open Farm Sunday is an annual event that gives everyone the opportunity to meet the people who grow their food and care for the countryside. Organised by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), it takes place across the country on one Sunday in June.
Come and tour our orchards, find out about how we grow our fruit and how we make it into award winning apple juice and cider.
We'll be open from 10.00 - 4.00 and we very much look forward to meeting you!

The Kingfisher Award scheme

The Kingfisher Award Scheme (KAS) has been involving Primary Schools in their local environment since it was first launched in Devon at the instigation of the late poet laureate Ted Hughes and friends in 1992.  The Somerset project is run by Michael Brown and his wife Utta.


The objective is to provide children with an opportunity to go onto farms to explore the natural world and and discover the relationship between food, farming and wildlife.


Children come with their entire class for one session in early June. This year the sessions will be held at the National Trust's Barrington Court property from Tuesday 4 June to Friday 11 June. The children explore a variety of topics on the subject of orchards and wildlife and then return to their schools to create a project over the following weeks.


Neil Macdonald from Orchard Groundforce will be a tutor on the sessions this year, helping children to build high rise skyscrapers for insects such as beetles and bees, like the one above.


In July a grand final and picnic takes place and the projects are judged, with a prize being awarded to the winning class.

Michael Brown is one of the founders of the Brown & Forrest smokery near Langport, and is seen here with Neil Macdonald inspecting a graft on a tree in the orchard at West Bradley.