A WASSAILING event will be held in Swindon this weekend.

The team at TWIGS Community Gardens in Cheney Manor is bringing back its popular annual event from 11am to 1pm on Saturday January 14.

Morris Men will begin the parade at 11.30am near Manor Garden Centre.

Visitors are encouraged to bring something to bang, rattle and shake while the performers sing along and dance to celebrate the garden’s apple trees.

There will be soup, hot punch, and cake on offer, and the Olive Tree Café will be serving other refreshments.

Admission is free, though donations are encouraged to help the community group continue its efforts in providing therapeutic work through gardening.

The wassailing, or blessing of the fruit trees, involves drinking and singing to the health of the trees in the hope that they will provide a bountiful harvest in the autumn.

The Adver reported on a previous TWIGS wassailing event in January 2020, where that year’s wassail king and queen walked arm in arm around an apple tree three times while a large and enthusiastic crowd made as much noise as possible to scare away evil winter spirits.

A toast from the wassail king prompted a cheery response before he poured cider around the tree's roots.