Families from all over flooded into the wonderful Rouken Glen Park and participated in our Apple Day.

"It was great just seeing young kids really tucking into fresh apples" said Glyn Jones team leader for Go Greener ECO Schools.

"What a fantastic day. It was our intention to promote the health benefits of apples for kids and adults too and I think we did it" said Lorna Wallace - Apple Day organiser.

 

"It has been a great success and we want to do this every year" said Keith - Go Greener Webmaster.

 

 

There were:-

• Stalls for cakes, toffee apples and sweeties
• Apple BBQ
• John Hancox's Apple Press
• Apple treasure hunt
• Stalls on history of the apple and native species
• Dooking for apples
• Loads of apple recipes
• Kids competitions
• Shop local and grow your own speaker
• Face painter
• Jam and chutney stall
• Apple tree stall or advice on growing
• Kids’ crafts

Applauding the apple

It was an apple given to Greek goddess of love Aphrodite by Paris of Troy that ultimately sparked off the Trojan War and it was also an apple that fell on Isaac Newton’s head inspiring him to contemplate the core of his theory on gravity.

So to celebrate the favourite fruit of school teachers throughout the land local environmental group Go Greener held an Apple Day at Rouken Glen Park’s pavilion from 12 noon to 4pm on Sunday 13 September 2009. The event was part of East Renfrewshire’s first food festival.

Stalls served up toffee apples and apple cakes and for the youngsters there was dookin’ for apples, face painting, treasure hunt, crafts and competitions.

You could pick up apple based recipes and taste samples of native apple species. John Hancox from the Community Orchard was there with his apple press to demonstrate how to make apple juice.

The Community Orchard is one of Go Greener’s projects and is developing a community orchard in part of Rouken Glen Park’s walled garden.

Environment convener Councillor Eddie Phillips, who is chair of Go Greener, said: “This would be taking the walled garden back to its original purpose which was to provide fruit and veg for the big house which once stood in the park.

The orchard would be maintained by the community and would provide a community resource for education, training, relaxation and fun.”