A ROSSENDALE family has been given a rare tour of a Ribena blackcurrant farm as part of a scheme to educate people about UK produce.

The Perkins family, from Loveclough, were one of 12 families recruited as part of the new Tales from Ribena Farm campaign and given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how UK farmers grow the 12 billion blackcurrants that go into Ribena squash each year.

Bosses at Ribena decided to invite the families after research revealed up to a million UK children were unaware of what lives and grows in the countryside around their home.

Mum Lynsey Perkins visited Pencoyd Court Farm in Ross-on-Wye with husband Robert and their children, Martha, eight, Lily, five, and Harry, two, on Sunday.

It was the first time members of the public had been invited to the farm in the drink’s 73-year history.

She said: “The whole family learnt a lot about the British countryside and it really made the kids think about the origin of the food they see in the supermarket.

“It’s not always easy to get out to farms or rural areas to see where our food comes from, or even something that I’ve thought about much before.

"But having seen firsthand how the country’s blackcurrants are grown, I feel quite reassured about the goodness of British-grown fruit – I think I’d be more inclined to look out for British products in the supermarket from now on.”

The research showed that a lot of youngsters thought UK-grown fruit and vegetables were grown abroad and imported in.

Sarah Williamson, brand manager at Ribena, said: “The Tales from Ribena Farm campaign is a bold new venture for our team, and an incredibly important way of engaging mums with the unique story of our blackcurrants and the people who grow them.”

The Perkins family will now report on their experiences via a social media campaign, which will see footage, photographs and blogs published online.