Children can learn about the harvest in the classroom, but how much better to see in the open air.

A party of 90 pupils from Headington Junior School in Oxford were shown row upon row of fruit trees at Kingston Bagpuize Apple Centre and heard how the apples, pears and plums in the orchard were grown.

Oxford Mail photographer Peter Floyd pictured them above being shown around the centre by Graham Wren in September 1986.

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Afterwards, they increased their agricultural knowledge by visiting Shifford Manor Farm before attending a special thanksgiving service at the tiny parish church.

Headmistress Ann Boon said afterwards: “The children normally bring food and vegetables to school at harvest time to distribute to the elderly, but I felt it would make it much more real for them if they could see how our food is produced.

“They were fascinated by the mountain of 40 tons of grain on the barn floor waiting to be milled and the size of the farm. machinery.

“They were also mesmerised by the vast amount of fruit on the trees.”

The school clearly picked the right day for the outing. Although Mr Wren had mud on his boots, the children were able to tour the centre with the autumn weather on their side.

Many schools and churches stage harvest festival celebrations in September or October.

Sometimes churches are decorated with fruit and food to mark the celebrations, while church goers are encouraged to donate useful groceries to their local foodbank.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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