APPLE juice, apple crumble cake, apple pulp, green apples, red apples, apples as far as the eye could see.

A simple fruit perhaps, but on Saturday it was apples that drew a steady stream of families and friends to Queen’s Park for a day of pressing and juicing and all round outdoor fun.

Now in its fourth year, the Secret Garden Apple Day is a collaborative effort between the team responsible for the garden, the Swindon Climate Action Network (SCAN) and Incredible Edible.

Last year’s event was a washout due to bad weather and as the organisers drew back their curtains on Saturday they feared the worst again.

Undeterred, they pressed on, and by mid-morning their patience paid off as the sun came out over one of Swindon’s most attractive, but least acknowledged, green spaces.

The Bang to Rites drumming group performed, Lorraine Stanton from Our Farmhouse Kitchen served up delightful cakes and locally sourced hot food, and the faces of children lit up as they saw their apples go from being whole, to chopped up, scrunched and pressed to emerge as juice.

Taking it turns, they were able to take hold of the arm of the pressing machine and turn it until they saw the juice start to flow.

Viv Dipper, treasurer for SCAN who provide the presses, said: “It really makes the event when you have children who are just at the right age getting interested and having a go.”

Getting the children directly involved was not only fun but also contributed to the other aim of the day which was to encourage people to think more about sustainability and where our food comes from.

Running with the theme of sustainability, even the pulp didn’t go to waste. It was picked up by a local farmer the following day and fed to some no doubt delighted pigs.

Paul Dixon, chairman of the Secret Garden committee, said he was pleased with how the event had gone despite the damp start.

The Secret Garden project was first started as a way of bringing people together around nature and with another successful Apple Day in the bag, it continues to do just that.