Town celebrates its plum heritage with festival

A Worcestershire town is turning the spotlight on its plum heritage with a month of celebrations showcasing the fruit.

The Pershore Plum Festival celebrates three varieties of plum that carry the town's name, including the Pershore yellow egg plum, which will mark its 200th anniversary next year after first being found in Tiddesley Wood, as well as the Pershore emblem and the Pershore purple.

Festival organiser, Angela Taylor, said that the fruit was a big part of the town's identity.

"Other than Denbigh in Wales, we are the only town to have plums named after our town. That's why we celebrate it so much."

The festival began with the Land O'Plums Chase at Worcester Racecourse, followed by a gold day at Bredon View, near Great Comberton.

A cycle ride will leave from Inkberrow Village Hall on 23 August, and a "Bike Nite" will see motorcyclists gather in Broad Street on 27 August.

Later events include entertainment and activities in "Plum Alley", the temporary name given to the town's Chapman Court, on 15, 22 and 29 August.

Businesses across Pershore will compete in a shop window competition on 22 August too.

The bank holiday weekend will be the main focus of celebrations, with an open-air cinema on the Saturday, followed by a family fun day on Sunday featuring a dog show, fun run, and cookery and gardening events.

Taylor said the festival had been running for 27 years, initially as a one-day event before more funding was put into it in 2007.

"I got more involved in it in 2008 because we were given some money after the 2007 floods and it was for recovery, and that was put into the festival," she said.

"Obviously the plum's been celebrated in Pershore for many, many years more than that."

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