Growing to love apples at Holyrood

Published on Saturday 1 November 2008 10:32

MORE than 100 traditional varieties of Scottish apples were on display at the Scottish Parliament when Lothians Green MSP Robin Harper hosted the first Holyrood Apple Day.

The event was part of the Scottish Children's Orchard Apple Tour which takes examples of Scotland's apples around the country to raise awareness, encourage young people to eat healthy Scottish fruit and help them to plant fruit trees.

Mr Harper said: "It's increasingly obvious that children's participation is vital for our efforts to build a more sustainable future.

"Projects are under way across Scotland to improve children's diet and to help them learn about and understand where their food comes from, but there can be no better way to achieve this than by instilling a love of fresh, local fruit, by getting them involved in helping to restore our heritage of orchards."

John Hancox, director of the Children's Orchard, the group behind the tour, said fruit growing in Scotland had to be taken more seriously.

He said: "We currently have the ridiculous situation where fruit is imported from around the world, including apples, while our remaining orchards remain unpicked."