Lexden Conservation Group’s annual Wassail was held earlier this month in the orchard next to Lexden House in London Road, Colchester. The group was founded in 1986 to fight the proposed developments in Lexden Park, which later became a nature reserve and is one of the Colchester's cherished green spaces. The ritual is designed to bring about a good harvest for the coming year. After reciting a Wassail poem and enjoying slices of home-made apple cake, the group also set up a plaque next to an apple tree planted in memory of former member Carol Holding, who died in 2023. Lexden Conservation Group publishes two newsletters a year as well as holding two general meetings and can be contactde on lexdenconservationgroup@gmail.com.