New appeal for volunteers in Peterborough to bring in elderflower harvest for drinks maker

An urgent appeal has gone out from a leading drinks maker which is looking for volunteers in Peterborough to help with the elderflower harvest.

The call comes from Belvoir Fruit Farms, which has a window of just six weeks to pick the elderflower that is the key ingredient of its signature drink.

The annual harvest takes place from Belvoir’s own 60 acre organic plantation and the wild hedgerows found across the Peterborough area.

Pev Manners, managing director of Belvoir Fruit Farms, near Melton Mowbray, said: “Each year we have an incredible response from people around Leicestershire and our bordering counties.

"Whether you’re an annual picker or a first-time volunteer, we’re really encouraging the local community to get involved so we can gather the volume of elderflowers needed for our much-loved drinks.”

The harvest season runs from the end of May for five to six weeks and, to ensure product freshness, pickers will be encouraged to pick and drop-off on the same day.

As in previous years, pickers will be paid in cash once the elderflowers have been weighed and verified.

The drop off point for the elderflowers is Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre, at Thornhaugh.

Mr Manners said: “Pickers can be reassured that with our own sustainable farming methods and Countryside Stewardship practices, we give at least as much back to the land as we harvest.”

This year’s harvest also ties into the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with two limited edition ‘Best of British’ bottles designed to house Belvoir’s classic Elderflower Cordial and Sparkling Elderflower.