Celebrate the Clyde Valley orchards and local produce at the 7^th annual Fruit Day on Saturday 1 October at Overton Farm, Crossford, between 9am and 1.30pm.

Enjoy fresh local produce from Overton Farmers’ Market alongside the local craft tent, live music, a variety of children’s activities including the launch of Overton Kids Bee Happy Sand Art, Recycle a Welly Competition and the start of exciting activities by CAVLP Heritage through their new Local Landscape Heroes project.

The Clyde Valley Orchards Cooperative will be pressing fresh, local apples throughout the day, letting visitors see the whole apple-to-bottle process, drawing on a long tradition of fruit growing and market gardening in the Clyde Valley, once known as the Fruit Basket of Scotland. The juice will be on sale during the day.

Entries to this year’s ‘Recycle a Welly’ are invited. The competition is open to all families, nurseries and primary schools and everyone is encouraged to be as creative as possible. A free class trip to Overton Farm is just one of the fantastic prizes to be won; sponsored by the Overton Farm. Entry forms can be obtained by emailing info@overtonfarmshop.co.uk.

The day will involve interactive local food demonstrations, a chance to sample some special healthy recipes and children’s activities from the likes of RSPB Scotland. Strathaven Jazz Band aim to have everyone dancing round the stalls with their live music sets and there will be lots of fun and hands on activities for children.

Fruit Day is being organised by Overton Farm, the Rural Development Trust and Clyde Valley Orchards Cooperative Ltd. It is supported by Heritage Lottery Fund supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership and the South Lanarkshire Council.

Orchards are an important part of the local heritage and in their heyday in the 19th century the Clyde Valley was Scotland’s leading commercial fruit producing area. The orchards are a beautiful feature of our landscape and provide an important resource at a time when local produce is increasingly valued by consumers. The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) is promoting the restoration of the orchards and have supported the planting of almost 1000 new apple, plum and pear trees over the last two years.

The Clyde Valley Orchard Cooperative would like to hear from any orchard owners in the Valley with excess apple crops.  Crops provided for juice pressing will help raise funds for local Clyde Valley community initiatives.  Orchard owners can make contact with CVOC by emailing info@clydevalleyorchards.co.uk.

For more information on Fruit Day please contact Maggie 07889442584 or email info@overtonfarmshop.co.uk.

Sarah O’Sullivan, Communications Assistant at Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership sarah.osullivan@clydeandavonvalley.com 01555 663 430 / 07432 465 903