PLANS are already afoot for next year’s annual Pershore Plum Festival and a fundraising day last weekend pulled in nearly £700 to support next year’s event, which attracts people from all over the country.

It was the last event of the 2016 festival as members of the organising committee staffed a stand at Number 8 in the town centre and this year’s Plum Princess Caitlin Hall and her attendants Brooke Quiney and Lilly Attwood did a sterling job selling merchandise and raffle tickets in the streets.

Chairman of the festival committee Angela Tidmarsh said: “We have held this event for about three years because we need to get funds to put on next year’s festival. We had a stand in Number 8 and had our mascots – Prunella Plum and Eggbert the Pershore yellow egg plum – together with the Plum Princess and her attendants with Queen Victoria going around the street selling raffle tickets and merchandise.”

It was also the last appearance of Wychavon customer service advisor Diane Wilson as Queen Victoria. Diane has been donning the regal full length purple dress and tiara for the past three years but is due to retire to Spain next year. She has helped with the festival for eight years in total.

She said: “It has been brilliant. It has been absolutely amazing to shepherd the young princesses and their attendants. It has been lovely to see them growing in confidence. We have had some laughs and we have got soaked a few times. Then there was winning the award, which was terrific.”

This year the Pershore Plum Festival won the 2016 Visit Worcestershire Awards for Excellence (run by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce) in the Best Festival and Events (Community) category. It had previously won in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Diane is moving to Spain with her partner David Hemming, who is also on the festival committee, and added: “We have met some amazing people and have been on TV several times and everyone we have met has been brilliant. We are very proud of the festival and I have really enjoyed it.”

Mrs Tidmarsh said the festival committee will be holding an open morning in the auditorium at Number 8 on Saturday February 11 2017 when members of the public can meet members of the committee, find out what goes on behind the scenes, discover ways of getting involved and enjoy the entertainment being laid on.

She said Pershore’s population is expanding due to new house building and the committee is hoping to encourage new residents to get involved in helping to run the festival. “There are lots of things people can get involved with depending on what interests them and their skills. The Plum Princess will be there and we hope young people will come along to find out what the princess does.

“We also want more businesses to get involved. There are plenty of opportunities for them – we have been on Countryfile, cookery programmes and Midlands Today.”

To find out more about next year’s Plum Festival visit http://www.pershoreplumfestival.org.uk/, email info@pershoreplumfestival.org.uk or ring Angela Tidmarsh on 01386 565373 in the New Year.