Appeal to help buy late town icon's orchards

Tara Joy said she wants to preserve Wilfrid Peddle's orchards

A group in Somerset is appealing for help to be able to preserve orchards belonging to a late town icon known as 'Egg Man'.

Glastonbury farmer Wilfred Peddle, who made a living selling eggs from the back of his Morris Minor van, died in June 2025 at the age of 74.

The orchards he used to own will be auctioned off on 25 September, but a Community Interest Company (CIC) in the town hopes to purchase them.

Tara Joy, a director of the CIC, said: "These orchards here have are part of what makes Glastonbury rich. We as a group feel that it's absolutely essential to protect them."

Ms Joy added: "We need to raise as much money as we possibly can.

"We are hoping that we will be fortunate and be able to win that auction and when we do, we'd like to designate it as a memorial orchard, planting trees in memory of births, deaths, local special events and as a community place where conservation and education and local well-being can be protected and strong for the community."

She said her biggest fear would be the land being brought by a developer and built on.

Serena Roney-Dougal calls the orchard "special" land

Fellow director Serena Roney-Dougal said the land was looked after by Mr Peddle, and the generations before him, in a "traditional" way.

She added: "This is really precious land. It's an old cider orchard that was planted at the end of the First World War - by Wilf's grandfather.

"The apple orchards of Avalon, which is where we are standing, are renowned throughout the country and and the conservation society have been replanting apple orchards because they are such a precious part of our heritage."