Orchard tour rounds off food and drink festival
14 October 2008
Glorious sunshine brought a steady stream of visitors to an orchard near Charfield on Sunday (October 12).
Visitors included families and couples who brought picnic baskets to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the orchard which they were then encouraged to fill with apples and pears to take away with them.
Farm owners Ian and Tania Greenfield opened the orchard to the public as part of South Gloucestershire Council's month-long food and drink festival, Taste.
The event brought this year's festival to a close. Visitors were treated to a demonstration of apple pressing and a farm shop provided the perfect opportunity to snap up some homemade apple juice.
The couple are in the process of returning the orchard to its traditional state by removing scrub and allowing light on to the orchard floor to encourage regrowth.
Last year Muntjac deer got in to the orchard and stripped the bark on two of the trees, causing them to die.
But South Gloucestershire Council provided a grant, along with English Nature, to fence the orchard and prevent further tree loss.
Commenting after the open day, Ian said: "It was a pleasure once again to open the orchard to the community and share the wonderful amenity we enjoy the year around.
"It was important for us too that the event supported Operation Agri, which this year is helping farming families in Uganda, and we were very grateful for the kind and generous donations our guests made to that worthy cause."
Val Harding, festival coordinator, added: "This year's festival was amazing with more than 9,000 people attending a total of 27 separate events, confirming that people are very interested in seeing where their local food comes from and in supporting our local producers.
"There was a renewed sense of community during the open events which was uplifting to see."
To find out more about the orchard or to get involved in conservation projects at the farm please call 01453 845212.
ENDS