Sun shines on Warden Abbey Vineyard's annual planting day

Based between Old Warden and Cardington, the "hidden gem" is run by Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BedsRCC) to provide a community and educational resource – and "carry on the tradition of making medal-winning wines".

The two planting days, held on May 14 and 17, brought together donors, volunteers and groups who all enjoyed working together to plant and name-tag new vines.

And of course, after each successful day of planting, the donors and volunteers celebrated with a well-earned glass of white wine!

Vineyard manager Jane Markham said: “Our 'Donate a Vine' scheme plays a very important part in regenerating the vineyard and keeping the community project going. So it’s fantastic to have so many volunteers helping us, and particularly to welcome those new donors who’ve come to plant their vines.”

Warden Abbey’s vines are now over 30 years old, and as the vines age, vine numbers and productivity decline.

The planting days are therefore "extremely important", as they help vineyard become financially viable in the long-term and continue its work as a community resource.

One customer said: "We bought a bottle of wine and noticed that you could donate money and plant a vine, so we bought one for ourselves and we also bought one for a friend, so two of these vines are going to be ours now.”

Thanks to the generous support of the donors, the first new vines for almost 30 years were planted at Warden Abbey in 2015, when over 200 new vines were bought.

In 2018 Warden Abbey Vineyard began to harvest from these vines for the first time.

If you’d like to donate a vine for yourself, as a gift to someone special or to mark a special occasion, you can do so through the vineyard’s website: https://wardenvineyard.org.uk/

The £10 cost pays for a new vine to be bought and planted. It also puts the donor’s name on the vineyard’s Roll of Donors, and gives them the opportunity to plant their vine in the spring.

Throughout the spring and summer, the vineyard is also hosting a range of tours and events including flying day picnics, paella evenings and a September open day.