Wassailing ceremony is rooted in tradition

A traditional wassailing ceremony was held at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's headquarters.

Yesterday's light hearted free event was held in the grounds of the Wolseley Centre at Wolseley Bridge, between Stafford and Rugeley.

It was to appease tree spirits and encourage a good yield of fruit from the trees at the 26-acre site next to the River Trent.

Visitors were invited to pour cider on to the roots of the trees in the charity's orchard.

Local Morris Men also joined in the fun by performing traditional dances.

Wolseley Centre manager Alison Rhodes said families were also able to learn about other fascinating ancient customs.

Apple tree wassailing goes back to Celtic times and has been recorded in all the apple tree growing regions of England. The purpose was to 'wake up' the tree at the start of the year and to encourage the sap to start flowing and also to appease the spirit of the tree and encourage a good crop of fruit.

There are new weekend opening times for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's Wolseley Centre during the winter. The centre will be open 10am to 4pm up to and including the last weekend in February.

Normal 11am to 5pm opening will resume on March 5 at the site, which was the ancestral home of the Wolseley family. It has a number of accessible walks taking in the three lakes and riverside.