THE TWO-MONTH long festival celebrating Pershore’s association with plums is coming to a delicious crescendo this weekend with the final event in the town.

The Pershore Plum Festival weekend will be officially opened by head chef at Eckington Manor and Masterchef: the Professionals reigning champion Mark Stinchcombe in Plum Alley at 11.30am on Saturday August 27.

There will also entertainment throughout the day, a shop window competition, trade stands, balloon modelling, a First World War Home Front pop-up event in the Town Hall, and plenty of plum characters including mascots Prunella and Eggbert, the Plum Princess, her attendants, the Plum Charmer and Queen Victoria.

On Sunday August 28 there will be a Plum Plodders 10k race, a Plum Pooches in the Park Dog Show, a craft market, a Teddy Bears Picnic, entertainment and much more.

While Bank Holiday Monday is Plum Fayre Day when there will be a First World War display, a Plum fun zone, plum stalls, a food village, farmers market and a variety of entertainment.

A full schedule of activities and events is available by visiting http://www.pershoreplumfestival.org.uk/publication/index.html#. The programme is also available from most shops in the town and is from the information stands in Plum Alley and at Abbey Park.

Chairman of the Pershore Plum Festival and Wychavon Tourism Officer Angela Tidmarsh said there were more events and activities than ever before this year and it promised to be a great festival with something for everyone.

The heritage of plums in Pershore, including how Pershore plums helped feed the troops in the First Word War, will play a big part in this year’s festival.