Pressing need for free apples

Free apples are desperately needed to help make old-fashioned cider at this weekend's steam and vintage rally in Wolverhampton.

A new arena at this year's extravaganza in West Park, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, will feature work scenes from the past with a blacksmith, hay thrasher, wood chopper and cider press.

All these demonstrations will have people running them throughout the day, but cider pressing is proving difficult because organiser Malcolm Gwinnett simply cannot get his hands on 25 free boxes of apples.

He is now calling on fruit and veg stalls, supermarkets and wholesalers to come forward and help.

He said today: "This collection of old-fashioned work scenes will offer something different for people to see.

"They can walk through the arena and sit down on hay bales to watch what's going on.

"This will be the biggest show we have ever put on, nearly double the size of last year's, and we are trying to make it as wonderful as possible but when it comes to apples I need some help.

"They could come from anywhere like supermarkets, fruit and veg stalls and wholesalers but we need about 25 boxes to make this cider pressing demonstration possible."

Mr Gwinnett said that he has canvassed a number of local fruit suppliers and the best they can offer is £10 a box.

But paying for the apples is not possible because the annual free event is staged by by the council and the budget will not stretch to this extra expense.

He added: "We are not looking for fresh saleable produce – rotten apples will do and anyone who donates some boxes will get plenty of publicity with plugs across the PA system all day long.

"This is a big family event and we are simply looking for anyone with apples to donate as many as they can and we will come and pick them up."

Thousands of people are expected to flood through the gates at West Park over the weekend to see a host of beautifully-restored traction engines, motorcycles, and stationary engines on display.

A mile-long parade of all the vintage vehicles will snake through the city centre after leaving West Park at noon on the Saturday.

A Mr T-lookalike will be rolling into the park in a tank and there will be battle re-enactments on the lake complete with miniature battleships. Visitors can also get a glimpse of the only surviving Second World War Valentine tank, and crowds will also be entertained with a Battle of Britain memorial flight. For the first time vintage prams and a fleet of vehicles assembled by AA patrol workers from across the country will be on display, and there will also be performances by theatre groups.

* Anyone with apples to donate is asked to contact Councillor Gwinnett urgently on 07957 774975.