The Group promotes and encourages the use of local community apples to produce juice, reducing waste and educating the community by providing opportunities to use and store a valuable local natural resource. The John Motion Orchard, bequeathed to Leigh Parish Council in 2021, has been made available under licence to the Apple Press Group to provide instruction on tree pruning, orchard management and hedgerow management and to develop understanding of the countryside and the importance of preserving local and rare varieties of apple trees. During the Financial Year 2025/26 the group’s activities have benefited the community in the following ways Local residents were invited to bring their stocks of apples, which otherwise would have gone to waste, to the 9th annual Apple Press Day (APD) where over 1,000 litres of apple juice was pressed. The residue pulp was delivered to a local farm for animal feed. The Apple Press Day provides, free of charge, local suppliers the opportunity to sell local produce. The group ran a course on Apple Pruning led by an expert from the RHS, a Grafting Course allowing local people to grow more trees and hosted a scything workshop. The community were invited to a Blossom Day walk in the orchard attended by 30 parishioners Benches have been installed to permit local residents to spend quality time in the orchard Apples not used on the APD were delivered to Dorking Food Bank for distribution to local people. APG organise a Wassail celebration in the orchard, over 70 parishioners including children attended. The group applied to Surrey County Council ‘Your Fund’, with the support of a County Councillor for a Restricted Grant to fund the building of a shelter in the John Motion Orchard. The shelter is an integral part of the LAG’s activities in developing the orchard for the benefit of parishioners in the Parish of Leigh and providing facilities for educational purposes. The total cost of the shelter was £19,780.00, SCC provided a Restricted Grant of £17,980.00, specifically for the purchase and installation of the shelter. The balance was provided by LAG members’ own resources in terms of time and effort supporting the supplier, Built by Artizans, during the build phase. The Grant has been spent in accordance with the SCC Agreement solely on the structure that was completed on the 14th July 2026.

The company’s stake holders are The Leigh Parish Council and the Parishioners of Leigh and residents of the local area. The Directors and members of the Company all live in the Parish and maintain and develop the orchard as prescribed by the donor and the Parish Council. The APG report 6 times a year to the community on the process and activities of the project through the local newsletter delivered to every property in the parish and welcome feedback. The APG sought guidance from the local school on how best the orchard can be developed to encourage young people to enjoy and learn from experiencing the orchard. As a result we sought funding to introduce an open structure with seating

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration