A RICH heritage of strawberry growing in the Tamar Valley will be celebrated at the first Tamar Strawberry Festival taking place this weekend.

The event, organised by Tamar Grow Local, will celebrate the importance of the strawberry in the valley over the years and acknowledge the important place strawberries have played in everyone's lives for at least 2,000 years.

During the late 19th century, and for more than 100 years, the Tamar Valley was one of the main centres of strawberry production for the whole of the UK, with virtually every available piece of sheltered south facing land in the valley being planted with strawberries.

With the opening of the railway in 1890, ton after ton of strawberries were sent to Covent Garden, where they commanded premium prices, being the first in the UK to ripen.

It was such a huge industry that even the punnets were made locally, during the winter months.

Jon Selman, of Tamar Grow Local, a 'not for profit' community co-operative, said: 'We would especially like to hear from anybody whose relatives were involved in the industry in its heyday, or from anyone who is still growing any of the old varieties — such as Princess, Caroline, Phoebe or Royal Sovereign.

'This will help us to put together a more comprehensive picture of what life used to be like in the valley, and help us to start preserving some of those old strawberry varieties.'

The festival will feature a special strawberry train on the Tamar Valley Line between Gunnislake and Plymouth, a strawberry banquet at Food Dreckly in Tavistock and special events featuring some local strawberry producers, at Cotehele, Lifton Strawberry Fields and Luke's Farm, Tamerton Foliot.

The gourmet strawberry banquet takes place tomorrow (Friday) and costs £19.95 — booking essential, call 07814 236826.

The strawberry train runs between Gunnislake and Plymouth on Saturday and will feature a strawberry fair at Plymouth Station between 10.30am and 3pm.

A strawberry feast is also being held at Lifton Strawberry Fields on Saturday and Sunday.

Cotehele Estate will feature producers' stalls, cream teas and family fun events in the mill meadow on Sunday afternoon between 12.30pm and 5pm. Anyone arriving in tennis whites can enter free.

Anyone who wants more information about the local strawberry industry, events taking place during the strawberry festival, or who has information or memories to contribute should contact 01822 834848 or go to http://www.tamargrowlocal.org">www.tamargrowlocal.org