Annual Events
Wassail (January)
Held on a Saturday evening in January this community (volunteers & family) event is guaranteed to be something a bit different that blows away the mid-winter gloom.*
The excited revellers assemble in Colwall before being led away in a noisy, torchlit procession through the village and across fields to the dark and enchanted orchard. A mystical ceremony amongst the trees helps to dispel any resident, evil spirits and hopefully leads to a bumper crop of fruit in the coming season!
The evening is topped off with songs of cheer around a roaring bonfire. The perfect antidote to any lingering post-Christmas blues...
* From its small beginnings in 2010, COG's wassail became a legendary event, attracting larger crowds every year. Unfortunately, it also became more difficult to manage, so the decision was taken to scale back the event in the future.
See more images of the Wassail
Wildflower Meadow Walk (June/July)
In the months of June and July, Colwall Orchard Group’s wonderful wildflower meadows will be in all their glory - the perfect place to take a walk and enjoy a picnic among the beautiful wildflowers. Maybe bring a rug to lie down on, close your eyes and listen out for the crickets and grasshoppers as they too enjoy the beautiful flora in the wildflower meadows.
The Wildflower Meadow Walk starts at Colwall Village Garden on Old Church Road, then along Old Church Road to Brookmead where there are two further meadows, and then along the footpath to Lugg’s Mill Orchard. The walk is signposted with notices describing the flora and fauna in these beautiful wildlife habitats. Please feel free to linger and bring along refreshments - there are benches and tables at both Colwall Village Garden and Lugg’s Mill Orchard.
Celebratory Picnic
In 2023 COG joined up with Colwall Greener to hold a celebratory picnic at Lugg's Mill Orchard on Saturday 24th June (from 12.30pm).
Apple Day
Saturday 7th October 2023 12pm - 4pm
Apple Day, held annually , is our family event celebrating the fruits of the Autumn season. Based at our recently restored Apple Packing Shed at Colwall Village Garden it's an opportunity to experience all the delights of orchard produce.
Bring your own orchard fruit (apples and pears) and we will help you process it into tasty fruit juice which can be bottled fresh or frozen for longer storage. You can even get your hands dirty and help us with the simple, entertaining and energetic process of scratting, hand-pressing and juicing.
- Do you have an apple variety that you can't identify? Bring half a dozen samples and a sprig of leaves to our experts, and for a modest fee, we will identify it for you!
- See a display of the wonderfully diverse selection of apples and pears grown locally.
- Buy our tasty produce.
- Enjoy refreshments to include tea, coffee, home-made cakes, and of course freshly made apple juice!
- Play some orchard-related games, of which our apple catapult is a firm favourite with young and old alike.
See more images of Apple Day
Mistletoe Fair (December)
Our Mistletoe Fair is a popular event held in early December outside our local village shop - Colwall Provisions - in Walwyn Road, Colwall.
Mistletoe grows exceptionally well in the local orchards. But as a hemi-parasitic plant, if left unchecked it can harm fruit trees, infesting the branches and increasing the likelihood of storm damage.
In December each year our volunteers harvest this mystical plant from local orchards as part of the annual tree maintenance regime. Then we bunch, decorate and sell it to enliven our homes and bring a smile to peoples' faces at Christmas time. Other items available at the fair:
- Festive wreaths, gifts and treats
- Jam, jelly and chutney
- Honey
- Juice (made from local produce)
- Handmade crafts and cards