Exclusive by Alan Quick

FIRE, shouting, firing shotguns, music, cider, toast, a procession, morris dancing, pitchforks and bashing pots and pans will be just some of the things which can be found at a Wassail.

In the cider-producing counties of the South West of England, wassailing refers to a traditional ceremony that involves singing and drinking the health of trees in the hope that they might better thrive.

The wassailing is held to awaken the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest.

Wassail is a pagan tradition dating back to medieval times, the word wassail comes from the Viking term ‘waes hail’ for “good health”.

The wassail celebration in Sandford was revived in 2011 by local cider producers, Sandford Orchards, which is owned and run by Barny Butterfield, in conjunction with local orchard owners.

The evening, which will take place on Saturday, January 23 from 6pm, will also consist of a procession to the orchard led by Mark Bailey and a troupe of morris men followed by a ceremony to bless the trees.

It will include gifts and a song to thank the trees for their crop and fire and noise to scare away the evil spirits.

Cider is poured around an apple tree and toast dipped in cider is placed in the branches using a pitchfork during the ceremony.

Shotguns are fired into the trees and local people bash pots and pans, shout, whistle and bang drums for the noisy part of the proceedings.

There will also be a performance by the Brown Paper Bag Mummers and a bonfire is lit.

Dan Poulson, Sandford Orchards marketing and events manager, said: "Wassail is a fantastic evening celebrating a truly weird and wonderful part of Devon’s rural heritage.

“We’ve done a lot of work with local farmers to revive traditional orchards so it is fantastic to be keeping the old traditions alive as well as the vintage apple varieties.

“The event is great for all ages, there’ll be a craft workshop making lanterns and shakers in the Sandford Scout Hut from 4 pm and the festivities will continue well into the night at The Lamb Inn. There is limited parking in the village I would say to anyone that is coming to please plan accordingly and good outdoor footwear is absolutely essential."

Sandford Orchards is a family run business, making craft cider and soft drinks. It uses traditional methods alongside innovative techniques to create products that are really gaining traction in the UK drinks market.

Sandford Orchards has its own orchards and apples for the cider and juices are also supplied by many local orchards. All their apples are grown within 25 miles of their press at The Cider Works in Crediton.

From The Cider Works, Commonmarsh Lane, cider is produced and is for sale, Monday to Saturday, as well as at many local outlets, pubs and shops.

Sandford Orchards has had a busy year and look set to continue to grow in 2016. Notably, the business has also seen the installation of increased facilities at The Cider Works, including a bar and hospitality area and a huge roundel, hand-crafted sign, which adorns the end of the building and overlooks the town, which was installed by Tom Lee Engineering of Sandford. For more details about the wassail visit the Sandford Orchard “Facebook” page.