A HORSE race that was last run on Pershore Racecourse more than 70 years ago is to be resurrected.

The Land O’Plums Chase was last held in 1939, but will return when it is run at Worcester Racecourse on Friday, August 6, as part of a special Pershore Plum Festival race day.

Plum festival chairman Angela Tidmarsh said: “The 111-year-old race last ran in Pershore, but now the ‘gold cup’ of the town will run again at Worcester with the winner of the afternoon’s feature race taking their place in the history books.”

She said the festival race day promised to create a lot of interest and should give the festival, which runs from the end of July to the end of August, national media coverage.

There will be entertainment for all ages throughout the race day, including a Pershore Racecourse memorabilia exhibition created by horse racing enthusiast Roy Hirons. Mrs Tidmarsh said: “This is an outstanding array of historic memorabilia which should not be missed.”

After the last race of the afternoon, the annual Jump Jockey charity football match between the northern and southern jump jockeys will be fought out in the middle of the course. Mrs Tidmarsh said: “Prunella the Pershore Purple Plum will be there and we are asking everyone to wear purple in honour of our local fruit.”