Schoolchildren enjoyed the fruits of the land as they explored the Great Yorkshire Showground’s collection of Yorkshire heritage apples.
Harrogate pupils enjoy Apple Day celebrations at Great Yorkshire Showground Pupils from a Harrogate primary school enjoyed fruits of the land at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground as part of Apple Day celebrations. North Rigton Primary School visited the Showground this week to tour its best kept secret - its orchard of regional apple tree varieties. Apple juicing sessions were led by the Sellers family from East Yorkshire’s popular Side Oven Bakery, as well as workshops to prepare baking apples for a treat to eat at home. The educational event is run in conjunction with the Fruit Works Co-operative, a social enterprise helping communities in Bradford and Leeds to plant and maintain fruit trees. Karen Ellis, teacher from North Rigton Church of England Primary School, said:
“It’s been a spectacular day and a perfect opportunity because it links to our We Are Scientists project where we have been learning about healthy eating and having a healthy body. “I would definitely recommend Apple Day to other schools.”The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, as a registered charity that is committed to promoting and celebrating British food production, holds this annual event to inspire young imaginations about healthy eating and the connection between the food we eat and the countryside all around us. Allister Nixon, Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society said:
“Our Apple Day celebration is a lovely way of giving young schoolchildren a fun hands-on experience which allows them to explore food, nature and healthy eating in the great outdoors. “Yorkshire is a very diverse county for food production and our orchard here at the Great Yorkshire Showground is a wonderful opportunity for sharing just one part of this story. “It is so important that future generations grow up with an understanding of where their food comes from and how the countryside is managed to support our diets.”More than 7,500 varieties of apple are grown worldwide. The Showground’s orchard is a showcase of varieties grown in Yorkshire, comprising of the 16 different varieties which make up the Yorkshire Heritage Collection, including Flower of the Town, Ribston Pippin and Dog’s Snout. For more details about educational opportunities offered by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, visit yas.co.uk/education Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.