FAMILIES enjoyed the fruits of their labours as Langford Orchard Group in Bicester hosted its annual apple day and marked its fifth anniversary.

For years a host of volunteers have worked hard to look after one of Bicester's much-loved green spaces and create a buzzing local attraction.

Their hard was on display for all to see last Sunday as scores of families crowded the community orchard near Sanderling Close in Langford for apple-themed fun and games.

Among those getting stuck in to apple picking, pressing and tasting hand-made fresh apple juice was town mayor Les Sibley.

He said: "We had a bit of fun bringing up the topic of scrumping, which seems to be a term of days gone by.

"It is one of those things that is unheard of nowadays so we had a bit of fun with it speaking to people about scrumping and having a go at picking the apples.

"It was something we always used to do as a kid and a couple of people reminisced with me about it too."

The term refers to pinching fruit from an orchard or garden.

The mayor said he believed the day attracted at least 500 visitors at least and had a busy flow of people right throughout the day.

Mr Sibley said: "It was an absolutely superb day and the pressed apple juice was really beautiful and fresh.

"It was a very successful day and very interesting, everyone was enjoying themselves, including lots of young people.

"It just shows how important it is to support and protect these types of open spaces, which are important to the community.

"It is a great example of why we need to protect these local green oases in Bicester."

The day included a host of family activities including apple picking and pressing, a plant swap, produce exchange stall, cakes, crafts and a nature hunt.

It was staged by the Langford Orchard Group, which is a group of volunteers who took over looking after the orchard in 2012 when Bicester Town Council gave permission for the group to use the space for community activities.

Supporting the event was Bicester Green Gym, Bicester Green, Grassroots Bicester and the Save Gavray Meadows Campaign.