Are your orchard trees bearing fruit? Do you wonder what to do with your surplus each year?

Orchard Link is a scheme that has been developed by the NW branch of the Northern Fruit Group to link orchard owners with Cumbrian businesses who require supplies of local apples. Much orchard fruit goes unpicked each year, yet there are local processors who need apples to make juice, preserves and other value added products.

Examples of local processors include:

* The Apple Orchard Juice Company Ltd based at Kendal. They are looking for suppliers who will receive bottles of apple juice in return for picked apples.

* Wild and Fruitful based at Cuddy Longing neat Wigton who produce a range of jams, chutneys, fruit cheeses and jellies using local apples and other fruit.

* Louise Elsworth who is based at High Harrington near Workington and is developing a range of ciders, cider vinegars and liquid pectin using apples from her own orchard and from local suppliers.

If you think you will have significant quantities of apples that you would be interested in selling or donating to local processors, please call Veronica Waller of the LEADER + Programme on 01524 784865 for contact details and for more information.