Bridport Community Orchard will celebrate the season with wassailing on Sunday, January 15 at 2pm.

The event is being held in the St Mary's Field orchard, off South Street, in Bridport, behind the church.

Wassailing is an ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year

The wassailing will be led by Martin Maudsley, supported by Wyld Morris and others.

The event will include the crowning of a Wassail King and Queen, blessing the trees with bread and cider and making some noise to scare away the orchard demons - all are welcome to bring a drum, trumpet, pan lids or anything noisy!

Cider will be on sale and organisers invite cash donations for hot apple juice from last summer's apple crop.

Organisers said: "Come and enjoy seeing old friends and making new ones in our wonderful Community Orchard."

The Bridport Community Orchard annual general meeting will then be held on January 25 from 7pm at Mountfield House in Bridport and all are welcome.