Alton will be the apple of the King’s eye as the town council has planted an orchard in his honour.

The new Hawthorn Community Orchard is the first Community Orchard project to have been planted using funding from the Hampshire Forest partnership’s and Kings Coronation Living Heritage Fund.

On Wednesday last week, volunteers from across the community including representatives from Hawthorns Allotment site and children from St Lawrence School joined Amery councillor Annette Eyre to help plant the new fruit trees.

Everyone learned how to plant a fruit tree and the council hopes that the orchard will be enjoyed by future generations and will leave a lasting legacy in leaves. 

The council stated: “Community orchards and gardens are an excellent opportunity for schools and the community to learn new skills such as wildlife identification, horticultural skills, and maintenance of the trees.”