THE Grosvenor Garden Centre in Chester will once again be helping to grow communities by joining forces with Eaton Estate and surrounding villages to celebrate the British apple.

Marking its 21st birthday, the national Apple Days initiative has struck a chord with Grosvenor over the past few years with 2009 seeing an Apple Weekend at the garden centre which encompassed villagers and schools from Aldford, Eccleston and Saighton – all taking part in a great Apple Weekend celebration.

Villagers and customers will be asked to take along their apples which will be turned into bottles of juice to sell at fêtes and other events to raise funds for the community.

Last year the villages invested the funds into an apple press, a new sound system for the village church and improving a community play area.

Working within the community is always at the forefront of the garden centre’s focus with many events taking place throughout each year and the Apple Weekend will once again develop Grosvenor’s strong links with the community at a time when the home-grown British apple is falling from our trees.

Managing director Iain Wylie said: “The British apple has a great following in Chester and the local area with apple trees the most popular fruit trees in our gardens.

“Such a versatile and nutritious fruit deserves to be highlighted at this time of year when we are all wondering which new recipes we can try with our bumper crop of home-grown apples.”

There are thought to be more than 7,000 varieties of apple grown worldwide with about 3,000 grown here.

At Grosvenor’s Apple Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, October 9-10, visitors will be able to take along their home-grown apples for Les Armstrong, head gardener at Eaton Estate, to identify.

He’ll also be happy to answer any horticultural questions.

There will also be hands-on activities, with a real apple press in action and customers can taste the juice – hot off the press.

There will also be live cooking demonstrations, competitions, children’s nature activities, storytellers with traditional tales, music, food tasting and much more.