As Pomona, The Wirral Apple Juice and Cider Network, we have some strengths, some problems, but we are close to a turning point in our life as a group. We do have solutions that allow us to continue sharing ideas, activities and a great deal of conviviality:

first the strengths – What are we doing well:

We have promoted cider and fresh apple juice as tasty and good to share, reducing the waste of surplus apples.

We’ve probably saved a few apple trees from being grubbed up and encouraged a few more to be planted.

We do conviviality, jollity & sociability rather well: We are making a lot of music, dancing & good plain enjoyment: at Wassails, Maypoles, Secret Garden Days, Barn Dances, Ceilis, Farmers’ Markets, Food and Drink Fairs

(and the next Cider Ceili is on 20th December at West Kirby Arts Centre!!) .

We have two small presses, one medium barrel press and one giant Press (the original “Regicider.”) We have one Vigo scratter* (the green wheel one) and the original oak/desktop scratter, now refurbished. We have a steamer/steriliser/juice extractor, which together with the Vigo Press, were provided by Wirral Environmental Network (WEN) as part of a sustainability project. All these are in good condition. Apart from the WEN allocations, the rest of the machinery, pans, buckets, barrels and sundries belong to the Grand Association or individual members, but are fully available for Pomona & members and SAFE future loans. We have parts for a scratter and a medium press and WEN also has a loan scratter and a loan press (small.)

We’re demonstrating our machinery at Farmers’ Markets, Apple Days, Parks, Nature Reserves, Schools, Woodlands and Orchards and helping more people to make cider and cider machinery themselves. We’re passing on a lot of skills, ideas, recipes, traditions, stories, music, dancing and a taste for fresh juice and reduced waste from surplus apples.

My guess is that we passed on the tastes of apple juice, cider, Pommeau, Lambig, Calvados & cider vinegar to around 500 -1000 people each year. (At least 95% of them lived to tell the tale/reported no ill-effects)

We provide apple juice, food and drinks at other events

(the next one is on 13th December for the Bel Canto Singers for their Christmas Music performance, featuring a new Wassail written especially for the singers. On 5th January, we’ll have the singers joining our Wassail round the Apple Trees in the Walled Garden at Dibbinsdale)

We have “satellite” cider-pressing groups in Little Neston (Lees Lane Ponds’ Friends) Hooton (the Village Hall Apple Day) Upton, Birkenhead Antiques Triangle, New Ferry & Newton, with whom we’ll happily share machinery and ideas. All of them make juice and cider to give away or sell. Some make apple wine, apple gin and apple-wine brandy.

That’s not left us much cider to sell but we’ve earned or had donations of <£100 and helped raise some donations for Wirral Tree Wardens

We are covering the costs of our Cidery which houses machinery, full and empty bottles (and a four-way Harris Loom which needs a new home)

We have a cash surplus to float our next two cider ceilidhes and we make enough from them to cover costs of the Cidery and repair materials for a while.

We have some excellent cider vinegar to sell and some decent cider to drink

We have some excellent blends of cider with damson, quince, rosehips & elderflower, but in small quantities for the ceilis, not for public sale to non-members. (These natural and healthy blends are not classed as cider, unlike some of the stuff, legally on sale, which has chemicals, sugar, glucose, pear waste, water, animal gelatin, colouring and taste additives.) The dead rat in cider is a myth, mostly.

But what is not going so well?

Of the original machinery designers and makers, (the Grand Association) there’s only me (Dave) & Geoff left. This year Geoff’s repaired 3 scratters and two presses. One of the other, medium-sized, presses was mangled beyond redemption by a misguided running repair followed by excessive force and overtightening. It may be recycled, but not into anything useful – perhaps into a charm bracelet!

We are making only a little cider, not enough to market independently. Bottling is expensive.

We have insufficient helpers for the seven-days a week fruit collecting, pressing, scratting and casking over the crucial Autumn period to justify keeping the cidery or to enable us to expand.

We – the”core” team, (Geoff, Amanda, Rosie, Paul, Steve, Steven, Robert, Tony & I ) have less and less time available, whenever we look.  Some of our members are very sadly missed as they have either been overwhelmed by health, work or family issues or by increased travel times as they moved away from Wirral to the wasteland areas beyond the map of civilisation.

We have insufficient funds to buy a machine scratter (£800 – £1600) and a hydraulic press (£5000- £10,000) and bottling plant (£13,000.) We need to make a virtue of hand operated gear, small scale & very intensive in using volunteer labour.

The cidery costs us £30 per month, is subsidised by the ceilis and the hard work of volunteers: organisers, cooks, tin-rattlers, tasters, blenders, caskers, bottlers, scratter-fettlers, musicians, fetchers, carriers and the pockets of  the principal founders of Pomona.

This is unsustainable beyond mid -2020.

But there IS at least one happy solution that will help us continue to make convivial activities and to flourish as a Cider-Makers’ Network, rather than as a single producer.

And other solutions are being suggested that are well-worth considering

We could choose to keep going as we are, but we’ll need more active members and a dedicated block of time, energy and commitment from a wider group than just the core.

OR

We can focus our energies as a cider-making network – getting individuals and community groups to register themselves as independent cider makers (and sellers) and lend/swap machinery and expertise. That is, we get less concerned with making the juice and cider ourselves and more with facilitating a lot of independent producers

We can continue with open days, Maypoles and ceilis, but need to know if we’ve your active support? Are we alone in focussing on the convivial and social aspects of our cider?

We need YOUR  help to clear out the cidery in Groveside, West Kirby, reducing our outgoings, and moving the cider presses and bottles to free storage, and recycle the junk we’ve accumulated. (we’ve moved most already but it’s about 3 hours work for 8 people to finish the job)

We can form a partnership deal with a local farmer and orchard owner to help with their (commercial) pressings and harvesting and share our expertise, enthusiasm & gain access to upgraded equipment.

We can then, with them, offer a Free call-in-and-press-your-own-apples service as well as putting our presses on site for Apple Days, Allotments, Schools & Food festivals for community and neighbourhood groups.

Right now, we have about 2 tons of waste apples to collect up, sort and process, plus some time needed in the Cidery. That’s why, with other demands on my time, I’m thinking that we need a bit of help, or a change of direction

So ask yourself this – are you free for any 2 half-days in the next 2 weeks to come and help?

I welcome your thoughts on what more we can do together.