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Apple Day & the Orchard Dedication

Apple Day was held on the nearest Saturday to the official Apple Day (21st October), and we were blessed with beautiful weather for a very special occasion: the official dedication of the orchard and unveiling of its commemorative plaque.

The plaque was handcrafted by The Bexhill Men’s Shed, made from old gardening tools from one of the allotmenteers grandfathers. The wood itself carries its own history, reclaimed from church pews from St John’s Church, London Road, Bexhill.

The plaque was officially unveiled by Councillor Conner Winter (St Mark’s Ward), who has also been a tremendous supporter of the allotments - including playing a key role in preventing the introduction of parking charges for the car park.

Why Orchards Matter

Over 2,000 varieties of apples can be grown in Sussex alone
Since the 1950s, more than half of Britain’s orchards have been abandoned

Our orchard is a small but meaningful step towards preserving local fruit heritage, biodiversity, and community growing spaces.

The Composting Toilet

Thanks to a grant from Bexhill Town Council, a composting toilet was purchased, built, and completed by Spring 2025, and was officially opened on Apple Day by Town Clerk Joey Daeva.

This facility was a real necessity for allotmenteers. Previously, we relied on hired chemical toilets, which were:

Unsightly
Expensive
Not environmentally friendly

The new toilet allows plot holders to spend longer days on site, especially during the warmer months.

About the Toilet

The toilet is a Woo Woo GT, made in Finland. It is:

Completely off-grid
Waterless
Designed to safely compost waste on site

The composting process relies on four key ingredients:

Carbon – wood shavings, paper
Nitrogen – human waste
Air – to keep the compost aerobic
Moisture – to support composting

Once removed, the compost is left for a minimum of 12 months to fully mature. At this stage, it can be safely used around trees and shrubs (but not crops).

For use on edible plants, an additional hot composting process is required (maintaining 55°C to eliminate pathogens), followed by a further 12 months. This process is still being researched.