French apple growers hope the new sponsorship programme will reach 1 million 7-11 year-olds and their parents with a new educational pack, Le Crunch Crew Play Time. The five characters in the crew have been created to appeal to kids in the target age group and this year their educational pack will concentrate on physical education and games.

The resource pack includes a 12-minute video featuring the characters, a set of teacher's notes, a poster and a series of curriculum-based activities introduced by crew members.

'Last season's educational pack was a great success and we are building on that this season,' said Jacques Vanoye, president of the French apples marketing committee. 'Last year we worked a lot on healthy eating and this year we want to combine this with fitness and fun. We hope to reach new schools, but also help schools targeted in the previous activity to build up a library of Le Crunch Crew packs which fit in with today's curriculum and appeal to kids.' French growers are also hoping to take the crew into stores this season to raise their profile still further 'and make sure they become celebrities in their own right,' said Vanoye.