Apple festival cancelled as rain and wind forecast

Warnings over the first named storm of the season have led organisers to cancel an apple festival.

Applefest 2025 was to be held on Saturday in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, but the organising committee has called off the event amid predictions Storm Army will hit the UK on Friday.

Tenbury Applefest committee issued a statement on Facebook that said it could be "potentially irresponsible and unproductive to proceed", with heavy rain and extreme winds forecast all day on Saturday.

BBC lead weather presenter Simon King said Thursday would bring wet and windy weather, before Storm Amy brought heavy rain and winds across the UK.

Window dressing competitions will still go ahead.

Last year's festival saw more than 1,500 people attend the event which includes displays of more than 250 different varieties of apple, apple identification, and apple juicing, with stalls, entertainment and food and drink.

"Despite there always being the possibility of an improved outlook the decision was taken at the latest time that it was possible to give notice to many of the suppliers and participants," a statement said.

Anton Schooley, committee chairman, said the festival had run for some 18 or 19 years and organisers normally expected between 1,400 to 1,600 visitors throughout the day.

He said quite a lot of people were upset and disappointed but they had been supportive of the decision.

"It is always questionable as you get into October," he said.

"The lights begin to go dim, days get shorter, the weather is unpredictable, but a few years back, I think three years ago, we had a pretty wet day and we still got 900 people through the gates."

Tenbury Wells was badly hit by Storm Bert last year after the Kyre Brook caused a wall to collapse, flooding much of the town centre.

The town council recently called for government intervention after flood insurance ceased for all council buildings from 1 October. Environment Agency funds are being spent on helping individual properties after a wider protection scheme stalled.

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