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Our (members only) winter pruning workshop will kick off the 2026 programme and will be at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust's site at Gosling Sike, Houghton.

The workshop will run between 10.30 am to 3 pm. Please gather in the small meeting room on the site. We will then go to the orchard where there are a range of trees of different ages.

Bring your own lunch, warm and waterproof clothing and strong footwear. Cake to share is always welcome! We will have use of the small meeting room to eat lunch and to retreat to if the weather is momentarily inclement - please remove outdoor shoes on entering - but please be aware that it might be a bit noisy as there will be drummers next door.

There will be an opportunity to try out some of the NCOG pruning equipment but please bring your own secateurs and pruning saw if you have them (no powered saws!). We will try to spend a bit of time talking about tools and tool maintenance as well as the art of pruning. Please also bring garden or other protective gloves as the antiseptic spray is quite aggressive.

Booking is essential so that we can contact you in the event of any changes in plan - please sign in to "My NCOG" and book.

DIRECTIONS:

For more information about Gosling Sike, please see here: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/gosling-sike

Houghton Road
Houghton
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA3 0LD

OS Map Reference
OS 1:50,000. Sheet No. 85
Grid reference: NY 410 588

Getting there
By car:
From M6 junction 44, take the A689 east. After 1km/0.5 miles, turn right onto Houghton Road. Drive through Houghton and Gosling Sike is approximately 200m/215 yds further on the right, after The Croft farmhouse.

From Carlisle centre take the A7 north. Turn right on the B6264. Follow the road for just over 1km/0.5 miles and turn left on to Houghton Road (by the pub), sign-posted to Houghton. Gosling Sike is on the left-hand side, just after the turn off for the housing estate on the right. Car parking is available at Gosling Sike.

A Pod Point Electric Vehicle charging station is on-site and visitors are welcome to use it..

By bicycle:
Gosling Sike is 2km/1.25 miles from National Route 72 Hadrian's Cycleway.

By public transport:
A main line train service goes to Carlisle. Buses run from Carlisle to Houghton and stop near the entrance.

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Date: Saturday February 28th. Time: 10:30 - 3:30. Location: Thursby Parish Hall.

Our annual (members only) grafting workshop will be held at Thursby Parish Hall. There will be a demonstration of the techniques involved in grafting scion wood onto rootstocks and one-to-one assistance.

Please bring a suitable knife (Stanley knife or equivalent with a new sharp blade), secateurs and gloves. Please do not bring a long-bladed knife. Some chopping boards should be available, but if you have a small board please bring it (or a wad of newspaper can be used). There will be a wide variety of scion wood available on the day. If you want to graft a specific tree variety please let Mark know by email as soon as possible so that we can try and make the appropriate scion wood available. Each rootstock you use will cost approximately £2.50. There will be no other charge for NCOG members. You will need to pot up your completed grafts when you get home after the workshop.

Booking is essential so that we can manage the numbers - please use the link provided below or go to 'My NCOG'. You can book for the morning (10:30-13:00), afternoon (13:00 - 15:30) or both. If you are staying for lunch, please bring your own food (a little cake to share never goes amiss). We will start and finish promptly so please arrive before the stated time otherwise you will miss the instruction session. We have the hall booked from 10am.

Bring a carrier bag or suitable non-plastic wrapping to keep the roots moist.

The majority of rootstock that we have is MM106, but we also have MM111 and M26. If you know what rootstock you want (and, perhaps, how many) please add a note on your booking form. We may need to ration rootstock dep[ending on supplies and numbers of attendees; usually there is enough for 5 each.

Click this link for directions.

Not a NCOG member? If we have spare capacity then we may open the event to the public, but we cannot guarantee it. It is therefore recommended that you join beforehand. Please email info@ncorchards.co.uk if you have any questions.

This event is bookable - see details and book