A world-famous festival held each year in celebration of the humble plum is to receive a helping hand from Taylor Wimpey Midlands.

The leading local housebuilder, which is currently building high-quality homes at its Mirabelle Gardens development in Pershore, donated £500 in sponsorship to Pershore Plum Festival, which is set to take place between Saturday 26th and Monday 28th August.

The festival, which was relaunched by a group of volunteers in 1996, has grown year-on-year to become one of the biggest events on Pershore’s social calendar and was crowned Best Festival and Event at the Visit Worcestershire Awards for Excellence in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016.

“It’s a very quirky event that attracts people from all over the country,” explains Steve Knight, Marketing and Events Officer for Wychavon District Council.

“Pershore is a town with lots of history and because the festival has grown each year it’s been held, it has become an event that people and businesses from across the community really want to get behind.

“We had gorgeous weather at the festival in 2016 and more than 25,000 people turned out, so we are hoping to attract as many people, if not more, this year.”

The bank holiday weekend event will include The Big Plum Beer, Food and Music Festival, whilst the Sunday features the Plum Pooches dog show, the 10k Plum Plodders Race, a new Plum Pedal Push bike event and a spectacular firework display in the beautiful Angel Riverside gardens. The Monday sees the culmination of the festival with the Fayre Day which includes the Classic Car show featuring more than 1,200 vehicles, an award-winning farmers market, an abundance of stalls and a wide range of musicians and entertainers perform throughout the day to crowds from the bandstand in Abbey Park and Chapman Court.

In the next month, there will also be the new Plum Bikeaway, a specially-designed cycle route around Bredon Hill celebrating the area’s horticultural heritage whilst raising funds for the Pershore unit of St John Ambulance and the Vale of Evesham Community First Responders, taking place on Sunday 17 September.

“The donation from Taylor Wimpey will be used to cover the cost of the entertainment on the Monday,” continues Steve. “As a volunteer-led event, the festival relies heavily on support from local businesses, charities and groups, so I can’t stress how appreciative we are of this donation.

“It will be a huge benefit to the people of Pershore and the continued success of the festival.”

Anne Wallace, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey, says: “As a local housebuilder, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we build homes, so we were delighted to make this donation to Pershore Plum Festival.

“Events like this really do foster community spirit and we are delighted to be playing a part in helping the organisers put on some great entertainment for the people of the town.”

There is currently a stunning range of two, three and four-bedroom homes on sale at Mirabelle Gardens, with prices starting from just £196,995. To find out more, property-seekers should visit the Sales Centre, located off Wyre Road, Pershore, WR10 1PF, and open Thursday to Monday from 11am to 5pm. Alternatively, the Sales Executive can be contacted on 01386 579695.

Further information about Taylor Wimpey developments across the region is available by calling 01926 516911 or by visiting the website at www.taylorwimpey.co.uk.