A CIDER festival has been cancelled for the first time in 30 years amid concerns about coronavirus.

This year's Big Apple ‘Blossomtime’ event in Putley near Ledbury - its 30th anniversary of supporting local orchards, apple, cider and perry producers, will no longer go ahead.

READ MORE: 'Think of us at this terrible time' - care home appeals for donations

READ MORE: Local pickers needed to cope with fresh produce demand and tighter border controls

Jackie Denman, secretary of the Big Apple, said: “When you’ve been doing something for so long, it’s difficult.

“Although many cider producers do not rely on it as a sole source of income, the traditional outlets such as stalls, pubs and cafes are all closed, so there is a financial impact on producers.

“We don’t run it to make profit and we have reserves but as an organisation, we were expecting an income over the weekend of £1,500.”

Putley is famous for its orchards, a legacy of the Putley Court Estate in the nineteenth century.

Brian Robbins, from Woodredding Cider, based in Ross-on-Wye, said: “We are a small-scale producer so the cancellation of the festival will have a big impact on us.

“We sell through markets so will have little in the way of sales as this event is one of our big ones.

“Luckily, our cider is bottled so we can keep it in storage and are not planning to throw anything away just yet.”

Ledbury Town Council’s mayor, Cllr Phillip Howells, said: “Cider is my favourite tipple and the festival is a good time to celebrate locally produced cider and other drinks as well as supporting local producers.

“At the moment, we are all feeling a great deal of sadness due to the pandemic and this is another event which has been cancelled.

“I hope it will be back next year bigger than ever.”

The Government has said the hospitality industry will be the last to reopen once restrictions are lifted.

Last year’s entertainment at the event included a guided walk, a ‘pop-up’ tutored tasting,and dancing from Leominster Morris and music from Fiddlers Two.