BROMSGROVE and Redditch Welcome Refugees (BRWR) has been continuing tradition by squeezing its latest vintage of fund-raising apple juice.
The project is now in its sixth year and involves the ancient tradition of gleaning, described in the Hebrew Bible as people collecting any produce left behind once a farmer has completed the commercial harvest.
Sales of ‘Refujuice’ provides around £2,000 for BRWR each year, which helps pay for practical and financial support for refugees in and around the two towns.
Two tons of apples were gleaned at Bentleys Castle Fruit Farm in Gloucestershire, with the harvest then taken to Pershore College to be pulped, pressed, pasteurised and bottled.
Among the gleaners was Ukrainian refugee Veronika Ivankova, who fled to the UK with her Russian husband from Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv.
Earlier this year, Veronika helped fellow Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw.
She said: “This apple gleaning was super exciting for me – the day was filled with bright emotions, positive and to be honest, unforgettable.
“I was a refugee in a few countries this year, and I know how helpful even small things are.
“I want to make small things for other people and be the person who makes someone else’s life a little bit better.”
Maz Salmou, who four years ago became the first Syrian refugee to come to Bromsgrove, also helped.
He did not speak English when he arrived, but was supported by BRWR and is now creating a documentary film about Refujuice as part of his MA course at Birmingham City University.
He said: “The project is brilliant. Refujuice is great and I hope it can be expanded in the future to help more people and reduce the amount of waste in food.
“I do enjoy doing it, and it’s really good to give something back to the group and to the whole community.”
There are 1,500 bottles of Refujuice on sale for £9 each or £35 for a case of 12.
Visit brwr.uk for more information or email [email protected] to order.
