Orchard Meadow

There has been a desire for a public Open Space in Tolpuddle for many years. The need for it was identified in the 1996 Village Appraisal. However, it was only with the construction of the bypass that there was an opportunity to create an Open Space in the village, which was previously divided by the main A35 trunk road. The land designated for the Open Space is historically important for the village. It is in the centre of the village and is recorded on the 1842 Tithe map as an orchard and as the site of the village pump.

In late 2007 Puddletown Area Parish Council tasked a small group of volunteers with developing the land and the site was leased to the Council on a 999-year lease in the middle of 2008. Martin Cooke agreed to chair this group and in addition contributed a significant amount of volunteer consultancy time to managing the project. In September 2008 this group formed the Tolpuddle Open Space Community Association (TOSCA) of which he is Chairman.

TOSCA were committed to providing a high quality Public Open Space that is accessible all year round to individuals of any age and ability. The site opened to the public in early September 2009 with its official opening on the 11th. Since then the site has been incredibly well used and is proving to be very well liked by visitors of all ages.

TOSCA has been successful in securing funding from a wide variety of sources including Community Spaces, Viridor Credits, West Dorset District Council, Dorset County Council, Wessex Rivers and Salmon Trust and the Dorset Youth Capital Fund totalling over £100,000. For more information see www.tolpuddle-open-space.org.uk