A new cider made entirely from donated fruit gathered from Purbeck gardens has officially gone on sale, with every glass helping to fund lifesaving emergency care in Dorset.
Purbeck Cider has launched the first of an annual limited edition charity drink, People’s Choice, a community grown cider created using apples and pears donated by local residents during the company’s first Apple Day event in September 2025.
Members of the public brought 4,000 kilogrammes of their garden fruit to Apple Day 2025 to make the new cider
Charity chosen through public vote
Produced at Purbeck Cider’s Lower Bushey Farm near Corfe Castle, the new summer drink is described as a light, crisp, medium-sweet still cider with delicate floral aromas and a subtle citrus finish.
And with every litre sold, £1 is being donated to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, the charity chosen by members of the public through a community vote.
More than 4,000 kilogrammes of apples – and a few pears – were donated to Purbeck Cider in exchange for tokens which could be spent on food and drink at Apple Day, or donated straight back to charity.
Everyone who attended Apple Day was invited to nominate a charity for Purbeck Cider to support throughout the year, and from 47 different suggestions, the top four were put to a public vote on social media, won by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
Visitors on a blossom tour of Lower Bushey Farm were among the first to taste the new People’s Choice cider
The People’s Choice cider is now available at Purbeck Cider’s farm shop and online
“There are so many worthy causes”
Purbeck Cider founder Joe Hartle said
“I had the idea for People’s Choice a few years back. We get asked to give to charity on a regular basis and there are so many worthy causes it is hard to know what to choose.
“We do what we can, but I had this idea, since we were launching Apple Day on our cider farm and lots of people wanted to bring their own fruit to process – so we decided to pay people the commercial market rate for fruit, in tokens.
“We had 94 exchanges of fruit on the day, in various amounts from six apples to bags full of fruit, and some people chose to give their tokens straight to charity. Others could choose to exchange them in the shop or for a burger if that’s what they wanted.
“We processed it all as a separate lot of fruit after pesticide and residue testing on it to make sure it was safe, as it was such a big amalgamation of fruit from so many sources.
“We then pressed it, fermented it, aged it and created this product, the People’s Choice cider. It had very low tannin as there was a lot of domestic fruit and a few pears, so trying to create a balance and present something that is appealing to most drinkers was a bit of a challenge – but I am really pleased with the result.”
Donated fruit arrived by the bucket load from Purbeck gardens on Apple Day
Joe Hartle and his team ran their first annual Apple Day event in September 2025
Due to become an annual event
Joe added:
“We wanted to make the cider nice for people to drink and commercially appealing for people to buy, and we are now promoting it in as many places as we can, with sellers and consumers knowing that money is going to charity.
“That money will be presented to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance at this year’s Apple Day in September 2026, which will kick off the process again. It will be an annual event, a different charity will be chosen every year, and everybody coming to our Apple Day can feel a part of it as well.
“We will have the press running, the harvester running, we will welcome donations of apples, we will try to give a true picture of what our harvest season feels like. There will be apple identification, tasting and lots of fun events with the whole team here getting involved.
“Last year’s Apple Day was very good, and we are hoping that year’s event will be even more popular – if we can increase donations of fruit, exchanged for tokens again, then we can grow the volume of cider made, the awareness of People’s Choice cider, and also charity donations.”
Purbeck Cider is running blossom and tasting tours in spring
“Celebration of community spirit”
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance welcomed the partnership, saying the initiative was a perfect example of community support .
Erika Singh, corporate partnerships lead for the charity, said:
“Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is delighted to be chosen as Purbeck Cider’s charity partner for their People’s Choice cider.
“This initiative is a real celebration of community spirit, from the apples donated at Apple Day to the funds raised for our lifesaving charity through every sale of this special cider.
“We would like to thank everyone who voted for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, as well as Purbeck Cider for creating such a fantastic opportunity.
“Support like this enables our crew to save lives across Dorset, Somerset and beyond.”
A £1 million fund raising appeal was launched in autumn 2025 for a much needed second air ambulance
Expected to fly by summer 2026
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance operates 19 hours a day, 365 days a year, delivering critical care to patients across the two counties by air and road, and last year launched a £1 million appeal to buy and equip a second helicopter
The new helicopter has undergone test flights and is now being customised for emergency medical service missions at Gloucestershire Airport. It is expected to take to the skies in summer 2026.
It’s the final goal of a £30 million investment to meet a rising demand and expand the critical care the charity provides, making around 3,000 missions a year at an average cost of £3,500 a mission.
Rising costs of airfuel in the wake of the war in Iran and its subsequent blockade of the Straits of Hormuz has increased costs of flying air ambulances by an estimated 50 to 80 percent.
Take an early look at the new air ambulance
Further information
- The People’s Choice cider can be ordered through Purbeck Cider’s website
- More about Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
