AN excellent crop of apples was seen this year at the annual Bere Ferrers Apple Fest held in and around St Andrew's Church Hall recently.

Richard Burningham from the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership was the special guests who opened the ninth apple fest.

Interest in the art of apple production has been growing year on year and the Tavy and Tamar Apple Group has helped by supporting the initiative, organising courses, events, instruction days, apple pressing demonstrations and attending primary school apple days.

Grafting demonstrations were given by Adrian from Endsleigh Garden's Nursery, Dartmoor Border Morris entertained with music, dances and colourful costumes and the children enjoyed apple based games, including decorating apples and the longest peel.

The apple pie competitions proved popular and the apple group spent an energetic afternoon pressing an avalanche of apples.

The hall was decorated with bunting and vintage apple varieties from the Tamar/Tavy Valley, such as Lady's Fingers, Cornish Pine, and Belle de Boskoop.

Richard Vulliamy and Frances Howard were particularly pleased to identify apples brought by local resident Tamasin Battell as 'Cornish Mother' and 'American Mother'.

The pole lathe demonstration attracted interest as did displays by the Devon Rural Skills Trust, Buckland Food Growers, Ross Dyter's information on bees and Endsleigh Garden Nursery's apple tree advice.

Thanks were expressed to the Tavy and Tamar Apple Group and their volunteers, in particular Brian Lamb and Bev Slaughter.

Competition winners: Apple Pie 5-8 years, 1, Niamh Mugridge-Guest, 2, Joe Setterington; Apple pie 9-11, 1, Harriott Smith; Apple pie adult, 1, Will York, 2, Isaac Kelly; Poetry competition, 1, Roger White; Longest apple peel child, 1, Thea Bourton; Longest apple peel adult, 1, Margaret Willmott.