A WORCESTERSHIRE market town is gearing up for its annual purple patch when local residents come out to celebrate the fruits of nearby orchards.

Tomorrow (Sunday July 2) is the first official event marking the start of this year’s Pershore Plum Festival. Called Plum Blossom Sunday, it will see this year’s Plum Princess crowned and her two attendants announced in the grounds of the Angel Hotel, in the High Street, during the Plum Princess Garden Party.

The free event starts at 12 noon and is packed with entertainment from a host of talented young people from the local area. The fun-packed afternoon will also include appearances by the festival mascots Prunella and Eggbert as well as Queen Victoria, a chance to take a boat trip on the River Avon, play games, see balloon modelling and enjoy refreshments.

Wychavon tourism officer Angela Taylor said it is very much a young people’s event and it is hoped they will bring along their friends and family members. It is open to members of the pubic and all are welcome.

The day time activities will be followed by a fun recorded Race Night at the hotel starting at 7pm.

Angela added the princess and attendants have a lot of fun and do an important job for the festival. They go along to the plum-themed family-focused racing event at Worcester Racecourse on Tuesday August 1 where they offer racegoers freshly picked plums from local orchards; they help with the merchandise; they attend the Plum Bike meeting in Pershore on Thursday August 24 and will be involved in the August Bank Holiday weekend plum celebrations culminating in the annual Plum Fayre on Monday August 28.

The princess also plants a local variety plum tree at the Vale Landscape Heritage Trust’s site Hipton Hill Orchard near Lenchwick and in the grounds of her own school. One of the reasons for having the attendants is so that when the princess is unavailable to go to an event, one of the others can step in.

Angela said local residents and the festival organisers are all looking forward to this year’s plum celebrations. “There is lots going on and lots still for us to do. We will all have a great time and Pershore will benefit enormously.”

The Pershore Plum Festival dates back to 1920 when it formed part of the town’s flower show. A poster advertising the event that year described it as “The Largest Plum Show on Earth”.

Angela said the nice thing about the festival is that all the events have free entry and people can decided to go along on the spur of the moment. The organisers also try to add new features each year to make it interesting and educational.

For a full list of the events visit http://www.pershoreplumfestival.org.uk/ or ring the Wychavon Tourism Office on 01386 565373.

• Pershore and the surrounding areas has been famous for its fruit growing since medieval times. Early in the 19th century the Pershore Yellow Egg Plum was found growing wild in Tiddesley Wood, on the outskirts of Pershore, and by 1870 records show that over 900 tons of the fruit were being sent to market during harvest time.

• In around 1890 Walter Martin, of Drakes Broughton, tried a plum experiment in which he transferred pollen from the Old Black or Purple Diamond to the Rivers Early Prolific. It was named Martin’s Seedling but soon became better known as the hugely popular Purple Pershore.

• A new plum variety was developed by Pershore resident Ged Witts in 2000, making it the first new plum variety in 100 years. It developed from a stone as a chance seedling on his allotment and produces plump, dark purple-skinned fruits with golden flesh in the early half of August. It is said to be a very nice tasting dessert or culinary plum with one of the parents possibly being Early Prolific.