SUMMERS spent fruit-picking in Herefordshire’s fields have been on the minds of members of our

We Grew Up in Hereford group on Facebook.

Now a job often carried out by an immigrant workforce, fruit farms once employed hundreds of county families.

“My school holidays were always spent with mum on the land,” said Vivien Martin.

“Hated the blackcurrants, but liked the potatoes and peas.”

Dianne Evans remembered fruit-picking in Much Birch: “Fabulous memories. We too used to go with our mum fruit-picking and had the time of our lives,” she said.

And Christine Dando remembered her family and neighbours, including her baby sister in her pram, being picked up in the farmer’s lorry to go hop-picking.