Free Event
St Laurence Orchard, Eastwoodbury Lane, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6RH
Trust Links, the Southend-based mental health and wellbeing charity, is holding a free wassailing event at St Laurence Orchard in Eastwoodbury Lane on Sunday 7 February from 1.30pm-3.00pm.
Trust Links looks after the historic St Laurence Orchard on behalf of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. In 2015, the charity revived the ancient custom of wassailing at the orchard and the event proved very popular so will be repeated again this year. Everyone is invited to come along and join in the free celebration of this lovely community orchard and an old tradition.
The word wassail means ‘good health’. Wassail was originally a spicy drink made of mulled ale, apples and eggs. Wassailing began as a way to ensure a good, healthy crop, to wake the trees in an orchard and scare away evil spirits. Special wassail songs were sung through the orchard and bread was placed in the trees. Following this ancient tradition, folk singer Kiti Theobald and local musicians will be performing in the orchard and leading the singing.
St Laurence Orchard is an important area of bio-diversity. It is a last oasis of an old orchard and the extensive woodland that once covered this area of Essex. Trust Links members, staff and volunteers work in the orchard to protect and improve the environment, tending the trees and encouraging the wildlife. A new tree will be planted in the orchard at the wassailing event.
To find out more about the wassailing day or the work of Trust Links and the many events you can attend at the charity’s sites around Southend, please go to www.trustlinks.org or call 01702 213134.
