2 Jan 2018
Fruit Routes Harvest Celebration saw biggest turnout yet, despite stormy weather
The annual Fruit Routes Harvest Celebration returned to the University in autumn and, despite the weather being a little on the grey side, it saw its biggest turnout yet.
Staff, students and members of the community enjoyed a day of free activities, walks and food on campus in celebration of a very productive harvest of apples.
Among the fun, there was a feast, apple pressing, the annual campus Bake Off and a lunchtime walk of the Fruit Route.
Thanks to Storm Brian, the annual event, supported by Loughborough Students’ Landscaping and Gardening Society and Transition Loughborough, had to be held indoors for the first time but Sustainability Manager at Loughborough University Jo Shields said the day was still a success and attended by more than 200 people.
Artist Anne-Marie Culhane, founder of the Fruit Routes project, said: “It was another fabulous harvest event. Participants ranged in age and originated from many different countries, so conversations and exchange of knowledge was very rich.
“Thanks to the many people who contributed to the day - and the harvest leading up to it - and to those who look after the route all year round.”
The Harvest Celebration concluded a three-day-long programme of events marking the annual harvest and celebrating Fruit Routes.
Programme highlights included an early bird run, where joggers explored and foraged for fruit, and the launch of Bathaus - a unique campus cottage, commissioned by LU Arts and designed by Studio Weave, that houses a colony of bats.
Fruit Routes is an artist-led initiative aiming to ‘create an edible campus’ by planting fruit trees, increasing foraging opportunities and sharing knowledge with the wider community through engaging events.
For more information on the project or how to get involved, visit the Fruit Routes blog or the Sustainability page.