Jan 2024 - A Wassailing Welcome for the New Year
Were in lovely Longsight at Crowcroft Park, for an inspiring morning of pan banging, tree toast hanging, poetry, music, and food. Wassailing is an English tradition going back centuries, where communities would bless their fruit trees for a positive harvest to come, by pouring cider and apple juice over the tree roots and shouting and singing to ward off evil spirits.. Here we've got a local drummer to help create even more noise as we parade around the fruit trees, and sing traditional songs.. This community orchard and growing space has transformed a redundant old overgrown bowling green into a real community asset. Over 45 trees, nearly 50 metres of hedge and hundreds of lovely herbs have been planted. The scheme has been delivered by The Orchard Project who have taken a strong lead in developing the idea here and shaping it into a reality, in partnership with the Council and environmental charities City of Trees and Sow the City. Cllr Linda Foley from the Council is here,
