See our slideshow of Clyde Valley Fruit Day photos

Scarecrows, dozens of them, were lined up along the fence at the entrance, proof of the creativity of the area’s youngsters, bringing a smile to the faces of visitors, and presenting a challenge for Provost Eileen Logan who had the task of picking winners.

Eileen also showed her skill at baking bagels inside the marquee, where cookery demonstrations took place.

Stalls were packed with locally-grown fruit and vegetables for sale, but star of the show was the new Clyde Valley Apple Juice, sweet and a joy in its own right, but also a tribute to how far the valley’s orchards have been restored in recent years.

The juice - grown, bottled and processed locally by the new Clyde Valley Co-operative Ltd (CVOC) was being launched, and visitors were able to watch the pressings which turned the apples to pulp, to juice and then to bottled drink, with tasters available all day.

“A number of different apple varieties have been used to produce the harvest this year, the three most common being Bramley, Monarch and Granadier,” explains Duncan Arthur of CVOC. “The juice is golden in colour, and naturally sweetened.”

CVOC aims to harvest three tonnes of apples to produce 1500 litres of juice from 12 different local orchards including one recently replanted community orchard at Kirkfieldbank.

Local orchard owners are also encouraged to make any excess apple crops available for pressing.

All money raised from sales will be put back in to Clyde Valley community initiatives.

Currently, two bottles of Clyde Valley apple juice may taste different – some sweeter, some slightly bitter – depending on which varieties of apples have been used.

As CVOC expands it hopes to focus on single variety juice.

Scarecrows too had the apple theme this year.