Japanese welcome for Bramley Festival

Southwell’s Bramley Apple Festival goes from strength to strength with this year’s events taking place around the town on Saturday 24th October.

Valued support from Veolia as well as Nottinghamshire County Council, Southwell Town Council and Kenwood is enabling the Festival to grow again this year.

Southwell’s link with apple growers in Japan has also been strengthened as Festival Chairman Roger Merryweather explains: “We have developed a very strong Bramley Apple relationship with Japan since grafts were taken to the country by Mr Minoru Arai for them to establish orchards mainly around the town of Obuse.

“The fruit is very popular and used in many different products. Their own Bramley recipe book of 27 recipes is superbly produced and the apple was even featured in the Japan Airlines inflight magazine in 2014. We are delighted that Professor Matsumoto, a Japanese apple researcher will be assisting in our opening ceremony this year and helping to make our links with Japan even stronger.”

The many events planned on Bramley day range from apple-themed activities at the National Trust’s Southwell Workhouse to the popular Festival of Food and Drink with cookery demonstrations and 30 stalls representing the best of local produce in historic Southwell Minster. This major event is sponsored by Recycle for Nottinghamshire.

A large display of different varieties of apples from John Hempsall’s exceptional Heritage Orchard can be seen in the Minster and the recently refurbished Archbishop’s Palace and Education Centre will again host apple-related children’s craft and cookery activities including lavender bags and a mystery trail and quiz in the garden.

Each year, members of the Nottinghamshire Federation of Womens Institutes make a special contribution to the Festival with their Annual Apple Pie Competition which is taking place as usual in the Bramley Centre, Southwell’s local library. The WI’s own Apple Day stalls and refreshments can also be visited in the Bramley Centre.

The Bramley Centre is again hosting the annual Bramley Apple Painting Competition and Exhibition and will be the location for prize giving ceremonies for both the Painting Competition and the Poetry Competition on Sunday 25th September.

Other activities in the library include a giant apple workshop and The Big Draw apple event. The prize giving ceremony for the WI competitions will take place in the Bramley Centre on the Saturday afternoon and visitors can also witness the crowning of this year’s Bramley Apple King and Queen.

Visitors are invited to celebrate all things apple with events at The Workhouse by having a go at creating the longest apple peel, following an apple trail and listening to stories from The Workhouse Storytellers.

Back in the town visitors can stroll through the streets to admire the many apple-themed window displays. There will also be performances of music and dance by the Lord Conyers Morris Men and the Minster School Ceilidh Band.

The Festival, which also features a special Bramley Race at Southwell Racecourse on Thursday 22nd September continues to grow thanks to the generous support of its sponsors and all the organisations which give so much of their time to make this such an inclusive community event.

For more information please contact the Tourist Information Centre, 01636 819038 or visit www.visitsouthwell.com