PEOPLE turned out in their hundreds to take part in this year’s Sandford Wassail.

Fire, shouting, firing shotguns, music, cider, toast, a procession, dancing, pitchforks, bashing pots and pans were all a part of the event.

In the cider-producing counties of the South West and South East 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 wassail in Sandford was revived in 2011 by local cider company Sandford Orchards.

The evening began with everyone gathering in Sandford Square and the arrival of the parade of Exeter Morris Men with music and lit sticks of fire, and the Brown Paper Bag Mummers.

There was morris dancing in the square and this was very impressive when the dancers performed routines with the sticks of fire, followed by a dance by Sandford Scouts.

Afterwards, apple cake was served to many of those gathered.

Molly Cook, from Cheriton Fitzpaine, found the clove in her apple cake and was then crowned as this year’s Wassail Queen.

Mark Bailey, as The Green Man, of Exeter Morris, was master of ceremonies for the evening, assisted by the Mini Green Man, Flynn Doyle (8).

After the ceremonial part, the procession made its way to the Millennium Green for the ceremony to bless the trees.

It also included gifts and a song to thank the trees for their crop and fire and noise to scare away the evil spirits. Cider was poured around one of the apple trees by the Wassail Queen.

Toast was then placed in the branches using a pitchfork by Molly.

Shotguns were fired into the trees and people bashed pots and pans, rattles were shaken, whistles blown, instruments played and people shouted for the noisy part of the proceedings, the frightening away of the evil spirits.

There was also a performance by the Brown Paper Bag Mummers and a bonfire was lit.

Donations were accepted for a £16,000 fund to buy a local girl, Imogen Leyman, an all-terrain wheelchair. A JustGiving page is open in aid of the appeal for those who wish to add to the fund. It can be found at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lucy-leyman .

The fund already stands at more than £17,200.

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

Images from the Wassail at Sandford by Alan Quick

See more images in this week’s Crediton Courier, published today