A WELL-LOVED Bromsgrove museum is reopening after a winter break welcoming visitors with a traditional wassailing weekend.

Avoncroft Museum is reopening its doors on Saturday, February 25 and will then be open every weekend.

Visitors will be encouraged to make their own decorations before joining a procession and sing along with traditional wassailing songs to the orchard.

Once there, visitors can make lots of noise with pots, pans, whistles and bells to awaken the orchard following winter and to encourage a healthy harvest.

A special wassail will then be made to the trees with mulled apple juice, and the oldest tree will be selected for decorating.

There will be two processions daily at 11.00 am and 1.30pm.

The Black Adder Morris will also be dancing on Sunday, February 26 from midday and on both days the Droitwich Wind Instrument Group will be performing.

Zoe Willems, director at Avoncroft Museum, said: “The new team at Avoncroft Museum have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare for a great 2023 season.

“It's exciting to kick things off with a colourful celebration and traditional winter customs that connect with the past the land and particularly the orchards which are so important to Worcestershire and Herefordshire.”

The entertainment procession, a taster of mulled apple juice and activities are included in the daily entrance price.