THIS year’s much-anticipated ‘Community Apple Pressing Day’ will take place in a new venue, at Melksham cricket and tennis clubhouse to the rear of Melksham House on 17th September from 2-4pm.
Melksham Community Area Partnership, who organise the event say, “Be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. The apples will all need to be washed, chopped and pressed – it’s very much a community effort.”
Bring along apples from your garden plus a few empty bottles or containers, and take some delicious freshly pressed apple juice home with you that’s ready to drink.
It’s the taste of a Wiltshire summer in a bottle.
Phil McMullen, the Melksham Community Area Partnership coordinator says, “As a very rough guide, a gallon of apple juice requires about 36 apples (obviously this very much depends on the size and the juiciness of the apples) so there’s no need to feel you have to bring along an entire orchard’s worth; just a couple of carrier bags full will do if that’s all you have. They can either be freshly picked or windfalls – once they go into the shredder it makes very little difference in any case.
“We’ll supply everything you need except the apples, the bottles and the elbow grease; and we’ll even have spare apples and bottles to hand, so even if you don’t have a crop of your own to press, you’re nevertheless welcome to come along and join in the fun.”
If you already have an apple press of your own, feel free to bring that along too and help your neighbours turn their apples into juice.
Melksham Cricket Club can be found beyond the bowls club at Melksham House, off the Market Place. Also refreshments will be available on the day.
The Melksham Community Area Partnership is an independent organisation established to collect the views of the community in order to influence decisions concerning the community area, which includes Atworth, Broughton Gifford, Bulkington, Great Hinton, Keevil, Melksham Without, Poulshot, Seend, Semington, Steeple Ashton and Melksham itself.
For information contact Phil by emailing melksham cap@gmail.com
