IT'S a case of damsons in distress in North Yorkshire as an artisan liqueur maker takes action to tackle a nationwide shortage of the British fruit.

With stocks of English damsons hitting an all-time low, local liqueur producer Raisthorpe Manor, based near Malton, has launched its 'Damsons Are Forever' project to save the fruit.

The business, which produces the UK's first commercial Damson Port, has kick started its campaign by planting a new orchard of Merriweather damson trees on the Raisthorpe Estate to kick-start the campaign.

It is believed to be one of only a small number of plantings to have taken place since the 1960s, following a decline in popularity due to the high costs associated with British-grown fruit.

Prior to that damson orchards were widespread until the Second World War as the fruit was used commercially for damson jam, and earlier as dye in the cloth manufacturing industries in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today, Raisthorpe Manor owner Julia Medforth and her team use the fruit from the hedgerows on the estate for a range of fruit liqueurs, including their award-winning Damson Port.

They are concerned that without new trees being planted, their valuable crop may be lost forever.

Mrs Medforth said: "With each tree having an average lifespan of 50 years, once they die out we could be left with no British-grown damsons at all, and so they really are damsons in distress.

"We collect damsons by hand annually, from a nearby orchards and gardens in the area, for our Damson Port, and we want to see this rare countryside gem continue to flourish.

"To ensure ‘Damsons are Forever’, we’re planting our own so this neglected fruit is given a chance to survive."

The Raisthorpe team planted the 8ft trees earlier this month as part of National Tree Week, and is also campaigning to see damsons reinstated as a national fruit in 2015.

Damson fact file

• The damson or damson plum comes from word ‘damascene’, with remnants found during archaeological digs of ancient Roman camps across England.

• The small fruits have a vibrant dark blue skin and strong, sour flavour, similar to plums, with tart skins. The tree blossoms with small, white flowers in early April, and the fruit is harvested from late August to September or October.

• It is thought thousands of early RAF and army uniforms were dyed blue and khaki using damsons. Documents suggest large quantities of damsons were transported from damson-growing areas to mills in towns in the North and Midlands. Market Drayton was famed for its Damson Fair when the textile makers from the north would buy damsons to make dye for their cloth.

• A member of the rose family, varieties include Farleigh Damson named after the village of East Farleigh in Kent; Shropshire Damson; The Shropshire; Long Damson; Westmoreland Damson; Cheshire Damson; Merryweather; The Blue Violet; The Common Damson; and White damsons – which are very rare.

• The fruits were also traded each year on ‘Damson Saturday’ in Kendal Market, with much of the demand coming from jam factories in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Many of the villages in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, still have damson orchards.