TENBURY’S mistletoe season will be celebrated with a “bigger-than-ever” calendar of events to highlight the winter harvest of the celebrated plant.

Mistletoe season celebrates Tenbury’s 100-year tradition stretching back to when Queen Victoria named it her “little town in the orchard” and runs from mid-November to Christmas.

National mistletoe expert Jonathan Briggs, who lectures on the mysteries of the plant, said: “Tenbury mistletoe is in demand around the British Isles, as far as Shetland, and is ordered by discerning people in the United States and Canada seeking the best British mistletoe. One local trader once shipped it to South Africa.

“People can see the beauty of real mistletoe when they buy from their local florist, rather than putting up with plastic imitations. We must fight against that – there’s no magic in plastic. There’s nothing like the real thing – it’s not just good for kissing, it’s good for England.”

The season starts with the switching on of the festive lights on November 18.

For full details of activities, visit tenbury-mistletoe-festival.co.uk.