The annual wassail celebration, at the Laurie Jones Community Orchard in Abergavenny, held on Saturday February 4, was the biggest yet, with over 150 people attending.

The celebration started with the audience processing around the orchard, accompanied by with folk music, and with people whooping and yelling, and making a racket by hitting pots and pans, there was enough noise scare away any evil spirits!

The traditional ceremony of blessing the orchard was led by Jeff Davies, who invited the children present to come and dip toast in cider, and to place the toast in the branches of the tree, as a way of wishing good health for next year’s apple harvest.

This was followed by a rounding rendition of a specially written Abergavenny version of the traditional Herefordshire wassail, and the Apple Bell canon sung beautifully by a local singing group.

As dusk fell, people gathered round the braziers to enjoy apple juice, cider, and apple cakes in the firelight, and to reflect on the orchard, and how it gets more beautiful every year – thanks in part to the wassail !