ELY celebrated a bumper apple harvest on Saturday as the annual Apple Day celebrations got underway. The longest apple peel competition, apple and spoon races and tastings of cider, apple juice and even apple sausages were among the attractions for visit

ELY celebrated a bumper apple harvest on Saturday as the annual Apple Day celebrations got underway.

The longest apple peel competition, apple and spoon races and tastings of cider, apple juice and even apple sausages were among the attractions for visitors.

Members of the Churches Together in Ely sold more than 100 toffee apples to finance a Send a Cow project - which helps producers in developing countries to have a source of income.

Tracey Harding, event manager, said the event was getting increasing numbers of visitors each year.

Sponsored by Watergull Orchards, who offered free apples on the day, the event saw many locally- based organisations come together. Churches Together ran the Apple Café, Norfolk Orchards offered an apple identification service, and Ely Lions had a fundraising apple shy.

Prize for the Best Dressed Stall went to Transition Ely, a recently formed environmental consciousness group. "They had done research into Cambridgeshire apples going back 200 years," said Mrs Harding, "and then knitted an apple in the right shape and colour - the amount of hard work and research that went into it was amazing.