Dear Parishioners,
The parish council owns two pieces of land – Manders Orchard located next to the cricket ground in Dunkerton and the copse located to the east of Dunkerton village churchyard – that are both sitting idle. The parish council wishes to engage in consulting with parishioners on suggestions and ideas of how both these pieces of land can be brought into productive community use.
If you have any ideas or suggestions as to how either or both these pieces of land could be brought into use for the benefit of the residents of the parish then please send them to the clerk on clerk.dunkerton@googlemail.com or on 01761 411305.
Closure date for submissions is 31st March 2024.
Thank you
Kathryn Manchee, Parish Clerk
Dunkerton · Tunley · Withyditch 
From memory, the copse was planted to commemorate the Millennium and I feel it should be left as a habitat for any passing wildlife.
I was against the purchase of Manders Orchard when it was bought, as most of us do not have the time to cope with tending it, as well as with our own gardens. I would suggest the best thing to do with it is to sell it, although arranging for it to be made into a roundabout would help ease the traffic problem, which I realise will not happen.
It’s a shame that we so often feel we have to “use” land! It would be good to allow more land to be natural habitat. A combination of wild grasses and trees could also help reduce the risks and damage of flooding.