What Is The Yorkshire Apple Day Event For Bradford Schoolchildren?

Forget stuffy classrooms and textbooks for a moment. On the 9th of October, something pretty special happened at the Great Yorkshire Showground. A group of schoolchildren got to leave their desks behind and dive headfirst into the world of fruit growing. They weren't just learning about apples; they were picking them, tasting them, and even turning them into juice.

This wasn't your average school trip. It was Apple Day, a celebration of Yorkshire's amazing fruit heritage, designed to give kids a real taste of the countryside. And it seems they had a brilliant time.

A taste of Yorkshire's forgotten fruit

Ever walked through a supermarket and seen the same few types of apple on the shelves? Well, the kids who visited the Great Yorkshire Showground got to see something completely different. They spent the day in the showground's orchard, which is basically a garden dedicated entirely to growing fruit trees. Here, they discovered that Yorkshire has a massive history of fruit growing, with around 3,000 different apple varieties grown in the county.

That's a lot of apples. The orchard at the showground in North Yorkshire is home to 16 of these special types. Schoolchildren from schools like Bradford Academy and Hipperholme Grammar School got to pick and taste apples with brilliant names you'd never find in a big shop, like 'Flower of the Town' and 'Nancy Jackson'. It's one thing to be told that food comes from the ground, but it's another thing entirely to pick an apple straight from a tree and bite into it. This hands-on experience provided a fantastic bit of education about the sheer variety of nature that exists right here in the Yorkshire and The Humber region.

From apple pressing to baking

The fun didn't stop in the orchard. The day was packed with activities that showed the journey of an apple from a branch to a tasty snack. The kids took part in apple pressing workshops, which is a really cool process. Imagine taking a load of fresh apples, crushing them up in a special press, and watching fresh, cloudy juice trickle out. It's a bit like a science experiment and a cooking lesson all rolled into one. These juicing workshops were a huge hit.

But it wasn't all about juice. The children also got busy with some baking prep. They prepared their own apples, stuffing them with oats and raisins to create a healthy and delicious snack to bake when they got home. It's a simple activity, but it's a powerful way to teach kids about healthy food choices and how easy it can be to make something tasty from scratch. It connects them directly to the food they eat, moving beyond just seeing it in packets.

The bigger picture for farming and nature

So, who put all this together? The whole event was hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the same charity that organises the famous Great Yorkshire Show. Their job is all about supporting farming and helping people, especially youngsters, understand more about where their food comes from. They believe that connecting with the countryside is incredibly important. Allister Nixon, who is the CEO of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, explained the thinking behind the day perfectly.

He said: "Our Apple Day celebrations give children a memorable experience and connects them with nature, how the countryside is managed and healthy food choices." And that really sums it up. It's about creating a fun memory that also carries a big message about nature, our food, and the hard work that goes into farming. The event is a brilliant example of how education can happen outside the four walls of traditional schools.

Teamwork makes the apple dream work

Putting on an event like Apple Day takes a bit of teamwork. The Yorkshire Agricultural Society didn't do it alone. They worked with some fantastic local organisations that share their passion for community and fruit growing. One of these was the Fruit Works Co-operative. This group is a social enterprise, which is a type of business that aims to do good things for people and the planet.

They help communities in Bradford and Leeds to plant and look after their own fruit trees, bringing a splash of green and a source of fresh fruit to urban areas. The hands-on juicing workshops were delivered by the Sellers family from Side Oven Bakery, who are experts in this sort of thing. By bringing together a charity, a social enterprise, and a local family business, the event showed the schoolchildren what can be achieved when people work together. It was a day that celebrated not just the humble apple, but the entire community built around farming, education, and caring for the local environment across Yorkshire.