Volunteer earned £5,000 picking elderflowers for drinks maker as new appeal for collectors made in Peterborough
A volunteer picker earned £5,000 collecting the elderflowers vital to the sales success of a national soft drinks maker, it has been revealed.
Now volunteers in Peterborough are being urged to turn out again into the surrounding countryside to pick the elderflower harvest for drinks manufacturer Belvoir Farm..
Each picker will be paid £3.75 per kilo of elderflowers collected.
Pev Manners, the owner of Belvoir Farm, said: "We rely on a network of local pickers to gather the blossoms we need at their seasonal peak.
"In return, participants are paid by weight – this year £3.75 per kilo.” That is an increase of 25 pence per kilo on last year..
He said: “This means a productive afternoon can translate into a worthwhile payout.
“The most we paid a single picker last year was £5,000 - a lot of flowers but a nice bonus.”
Details of the hard working picker have not been released by the company.
The elderflowers are the key ingredient in Belvoir Farm’s signature elderflower cordial that is sold in UK supermarkets and overseas.
The plea for volunteers follows a record-breaking wet winter plus a recent spell of hot weather has meant an earlier start to its annual elderflower harvest.
Traditionally, the harvest of the wild hedgerows found across the Peterborough area starts in June but work started two weeks ago and more volunteers are now needed to secure the elderflowers needed by the soft drinks maker.
Mr Manners said: “We had a wet start to the year, but the past two months have been dry and sunny, which has brought the flowers forward, so we hope our wonderful community will come out in force once again and start picking a little earlier than usual.
“It’s this dedication from the hundreds of people who come on board each year to help us pick and earn some extra cash that’s kept our cordial going for over 40 years and it’s still made to my mum’s recipe that she created at the kitchen table all those years ago.”
The company states that as interest grows in the popular community event, so does the importance of responsible harvesting.
Participants are always asked to abide by the Countryside Code.
Key principles include ensuring you have permission if you are picking on private land, to respect the land and avoid damage to the trees or surrounding habitat so that elder trees continue to thrive for future seasons.
Advice to volunteers
All flowers must be fresh, so the company is asking for pickers to deliver on the day they pick, as they’ll go brown very quickly and become unsuitable to use.
The flowers can be dropped off at the weighing-in station at Sacrewell Farm & Countryside Centre, Peterborough from Mondays to Saturdays between 2pm and 5pm.
Taking part doesn’t require specialist skills or equipment.
A sturdy bag, comfortable footwear and practical clothing are enough to get going plus gloves and long sleeves for protection.
You can also pick from Belvoir Farm’s own 60acre organic elderflower plantation at Barkestone Lane, Bottesford. NG13 0DH.