Crosstown Community Orchard's Wassail Hailed a Success

Organisers are thanking the local community and artists which joined them to toast in the new year at the 2nd annual Crosstown Community Orchard Wassail on Saturday 14th January.

Wassail is an ancient mid-winter tradition; the word is from the Old Norse salutation, “ves heill”, meaning ‘be in good health’ and when performed in orchards it intends to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest for the year ahead.

The event took place as sunset approached with local artists entertaining the crowd with dance, music and poetry. Two morris sides, Mersey Morris and Bollin Morris, performed a selection of their lively traditional dances, including Cotswold and Longsword styles; Michael Gibson gave us a solo tune and original orchard-related poems; and Mike Wilding with his musician friends played traditional tunes and led the Wasasil song.

Town Mayor Cllr Mike Houghton officiated the best wassail hat competition and the event’s culmination – the toasting of the wassail tree. Knutsford’s Town Crier, Julie Mitchell, kept everything running along with her flamboyant proclamations.

Visitors were treated to mulled cider and apple juice from Dunham Press along with gingerbread and homemade vegetable soup; all ably served by volunteers from Knutsford Hosts. Sister Barista also supported the event with her coffee pod outside the orchard to provide alternative refreshments.

Chairman of Crosstown Community Orchard, Adam Keppel-Green said “We hope everyone who came enjoyed the Wassail as much as we did. It’s a fun way to kick off the new year and we all find it so rewarding seeing the community come together at events like this to enjoy its orchard”

Crosstown Community Orchard is Knutsford’s first community orchard and located on Mobberley Road. It is a charity run by a group of trustees. The orchard holds a monthly workday to maintain the space and welcomes new volunteers – sign up for our mailing list for the latest news from the orchard at: 

www.crosstowncommunityorchard.org.uk

Pictured - Town Crier checks on the Musicians of Bollin Morris.