The annual Abergavenny Orchard Wassail takes places on Sunday, February 3 at 3.30pm, and the Laurie Jones Community Orchard which can be found at the end of Mill Street.

Wassail means good health, and wassailing refers to a traditional ceremony that involves singing and drinking the health of apple trees. It is a celebration of the community orchard and what it means to people.

The wassail is an inclusive, community celebration and will involve music, food, apple juice and cider made from orchard apples collected and pressed at the apple pressing day held at the community centre in October last year.

There will be a procession around the orchard, led by the Orchard Green Man, and involving music and as much noise as possible. Following that there will be traditional wassail ceremony in which children will be invited to put pieces of toast soaked in cider in one of the trees, and cider will be poured onto its roots.

Everyone is welcome to attend and bring their own tankard and mugs to enjoy the cider and apple juice. People are also encouraged to bring musical instruments, things to bang to make lots of noise, and to dress up in colourful clothes!

The orchard is named in memory of local man Laurie Jones, known as Laurie, who was one of the founders when the orchard group was first formed in 2011. As chairman and director of the group he helped to secure a 25-year lease with Monmouthshire council on one acre of land in Mill Street to develop the orchard.

Born in Llanvihangel Crucorney he returned to Abergavenny in 1999 after a successful career with the Home Office and became hugely active in the community. He sadly died in 2014 after a long battle with cancer.