IN 1970 there were more than 62,000 hectares of commercial orchards in the UK. That's more than 240 square miles, and orchards large and small were a significant feature of our landscape.
Although Surrey was never a major commercial fruit-growing area, small orchards were present on farms, the estates of large houses, around towns and villages.
Many have left their mark on maps, in place names and in "local" fruit varieties (particularly apples).
By the end of the century nearly two-thirds of the commercial orchards had been lost, squeezed out by "cheap" imported fruit.
Meanwhile, pressure on land for housing and development around our towns and villages led to the loss of thousands of small local orchards.
The community orchard movement is an attempt to reverse this loss.
Since the 1990s, hundreds of new small orchards have been planted and vulnerable old orchards have been saved by groups of volunteers.
These community orchards, open to everyone, provide wildlife refuges and open-air classrooms for children and adults to learn about ecology, fruit tree care and propagation.
They also provide local sources of fruit, including varieties which are never grown commercially.
The good news is Dorking has its very own community orchard, established about three years ago by Transition Dorking on a site at the foot of the North Downs.
More than 100 new fruit trees have been planted, and they should start to produce a crop in the next year or so.
Nick Wright, chairman of the Dorking Community Orchard CIC, said: "The orchard is now starting to look like the real thing, with apples, pears, plums and other fruit trees all doing well.
"We were helped by the wet summer, which has been good for tree growth, but we are hoping that 2013 will produce our first significant crop and that Dorking fruit will be available on the High Street this autumn.
"It is a beautiful place to be at any time of year, and we welcome new volunteers to come and join in."
Visit dorkingcommunityorch ard.wordpress.com or e-mail orchard friend@gmail.com for more details about the project.
