January 2022 -Happy New Year ! A Wassailing we will go..

 Yes, Wassailing. I'm not even going to explain it. Google it! 

 All you need to know is its a great fun to get safely out on a dark, frosty night with over 50 residents, young and old, lots of families  and interested South Manchester folk, singing songs, carrying lanterns and blessing trees. 

Oh go on then - Wassailing is a tradition that dates back centuries and is a post Christmas celebration and blessing of fruit trees, giving them a toast (quite literally)  and a cheer, for the fruit crop that will hopefully follow later on in the year.

 It was brilliantly pulled together and led by Dan Hasler from the Orchard Project.  A lantern  making workshop was followed by singing with a wonderful Folk Collective, and then a lovely, atmospheric lantern led trail down the Mersey culminated in us blessing the orchard with mulled apple juice and cider, Crowning an Orchard Queen in Kenworthy Wood. 

All this, to celebrate the fruit trees planted on Mersey Bank Fields and Kenworthy Wood  as part of Tree Action MCR

It was magical, beautiful and extremely uplifting - perfect for a cold night in January - I'd recommend a jolly good Wassail to anyone.