11 July 2026 Shalford Community Orchard

In 2025 Rotary in Guildford volunteered to help the Shalford Community Orchard project
maintain the 32 fruit trees planted adjacent to the Shalford Church. This year has been particularly challenging with drought conditions so on the 11 July we had a day hand watering the trees to ensure they survive the first 3 years. We will continue at intervals to continue this work with the aim of:

  • Creating an orchard for the community, a place to enjoy and learn
  • To enhance biodiversity
  • To provide a source of free locally grown produce
  • To run blossom and apple days and similar celebratory events

    The Orchard is outside the Cemetery gates, opposite the Infant School and Queen
    Victoria Pub beside the busy A281 road.
    The open site is accessible all day, every day, to everyone. The land is owned and
    managed by Guildford Borough Council (GBC) as part of Shalford Common.

    Planting took place over two sessions in December 2024 and January 2025.
    Tree varieties include apple, pear, cherry, plum, damson, apricot, almond, walnut and
    also a mulberry, the gift of GBC. A schedule of varieties is available on request.
    The aim is to grow some heritage varieties of apple, some local to Surrey, whilst also
    exploring how less common species such as apricots will perform in our changing
    climate.

7th July Mock interviews at Kings College, Guildford

On the 7th July some 13 members of The Rotary Club of Guildford Wey held mock interviews with pupils from year 11 of Kings College. This is done to help pupils with cv writing and the interview process where one can be confronted with sometimes quite obscure questions.

Pictured L-R are Rotarians Trish Walllis,Alan Wallis, Tony Gorham, Maggie Griffith (of Corporate Rotary Members Barchester Healthcare), Mimi Marriot.

6th June 2026 Guildford in Bloom’s Bloomin Picnic.

Such a lot of work by the Guildford in Bloom committee (GIB), Sallie Barker, Sian Davies and many others, to set up the event in the  Castle grounds on Saturday the 6th June and Rotary Guildford Wey were only too delighted to assist with marshalling on the day.

Unfortunately it turned out to be not quite the Summer’s day the organisers were hoping for ! A grey start turned into a very soggy afternoon so due credit to the musical performers attending in the afternoon and to the Guildford Fringe for organising the entertainment.

An early dry spell allowed our Mayor, Jane Tyson, to open the event and also gave the opportunity for the Mayor and past Mayor Sallie Barker to visit our HexB project which was the brainchild of our Rotary member Andrew Day. The installation has been very well received by members of the public and local councillors who were very impressed and seen nothing like it – all said well-done Rotary for our contribution to the town.

We welcomed people at the entrance, encouraged people to go to see our HexB tiles, helped the flower stilts girl with her visit to Tunsgate, ran various errands, ran the raffle card reader and so helped collect most of the money on the day, plus generally chatting to people from the various organisations and the public.  We also helped with some of the packing up at the close down such as with gazebos for Guildford Fringe and GIB

Managing to brighten the day a little was the lovely flower girl on stilts !

At the opening L-R:

Guildford Mayor Jane Tyson, GIB Committee member Shirley West, GIB Chairman Sallie Barker & Sima Rostami Club Captain of the Castle Green Bowling Club

1-5 June 2026 Presentation of cheques for ‘Schools Got Talent’

Following on from this year’s successful GLive ‘Schools Got Talent’ production on the 10th March, we were very pleased to be able to pass cheques to our four schools that entertained us. The monies were for each individual school’s ticket sales. Overall a total of ÂŁ3,145 was distributed to the schools

26th May 2026 Bee Reading week

A little light on children to read to today but it is 32c so perhaps a town centre is not the place to be. We did have some visitors though.

We are at the Bee Aware Week at the Tunsgate Quarter also on Thursday 27th May for the Bee Brave Story for the young and to meet our Brave Bees. Afterwards visit our HexB homes for solitary bees in the Castle Grounds opposite the Tunsgate.

Tunsgate Quarter

Zero Carbon Guildford

https://rotaryinguildford.org/hexb-tiles/

17th May 2026 The Big Charity Walk

We would like to thanks all those Charities that took part in our Big Charity Walk on Sunday 17th May. Our Mayor Jane Tyson set the walk off from Shalford Park, walked with her family and stayed to welcome back the 10 mile walkers and some of those who went at a more leisurely pace. Weather was kind to us also. Overall the Day earned over ÂŁ5,000 for the participating Charities. Thanks also to our Corporate Member Silverbirch House Care Home – Barchester Healthcare.

For more pictures click here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4wsXn3J7EDMZgEV39.

Jigsaw Trust;#St Johns Ambulance Guildford;# Hard of Hearing;@guildford Guildford Mayoralty; #Age uk Surrey; Learning Space; # MS Society; #Charlie‘s Promise; GASP Motor Project;#RASASCG Guildford; #Burpham Association Supporting Independant Living; #Eczema uk; #NDCS.UK for deaf children;#Lets Read; #Oakleys;

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