Help add some sparkle to Killerton’s cider

Killerton’s annual apple harvest is fast approaching and the National Trust property is calling out for volunteers large and small to help with their ‘Big Pick Up’ weekends. This year looks to be a bumper crop and the trees are heavy with fruit which shows the summer rain was good for something after all!

Killerton needs your help to collect the fallen apples that make its award winning cider and apple juice. If you can help then join the ‘Big Pick Up’ weekends in Sparrow Park Orchard, Killerton on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October or on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.

Armed with a trusty wheelbarrow, volunteers can head into Sparrow Park Orchard to collect up plenty of seasonal apple bounty and help search for the fallen fruit. Prizes will be awaiting those who collect the most apples. All the apples harvested will be squashed with our 200 year-old press into apple juice. Volunteer’s energy and efforts will add the sparkle that makes Killerton’s cider award-wining. The action starts at 2pm and ends at 4pm with prizes to be won through the afternoon.

The National Trust grows over fifty different varieties of apples in its traditional orchards at Killerton. It relies on volunteers and community groups to collect the apples, but it leaves around half the apples on the trees or the ground every year to provide an important food source for a range of wildlife as winter approaches. The orchards are managed first and foremost as a habitat, with all the cider and apple juice a by-product of a traditional approach.

National Trust Ranger, Dave Jolley, is looking forward to the ‘Big Pick Up’ weekends, he said: ‘The Big Pick Up is a chance for families to spend some good quality time together in a very special place, a traditional orchard. Helping the Ranger team harvest this year’s apple crop for cider making is important because the proceeds of cider sales are spent on the management of this protected habitat. Whether you pick just a few or a whole bag of apples, your help is greatly appreciated and will be rewarded with a chance to sample the fruits of your labour.’

Even if cider is not your tipple of choice, the Big Pick Up weekends are a fantastic opportunity to explore a traditional orchard environment and have a fun family day out. Don’t forget to come back on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October for Killerton Cider and Apple Festival. Treat yourself to a bottle of cider, relax to live music in the orchard, try apple pressing, taste some of the great food produced on the Killerton estate and enjoy our children’s activities and orchard trail.

Call 01392 881345, or go to www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killertonapples to find our more. We will see you there.