A community cider making event near Corfe Castle in Dorset brought together families, apple growers and cider enthusiasts to create a new batch of the People’s Choice cider with the help of a large donation of apples from the National Trust.
The annual Apple Day at Bushey Farm – the home of Purbeck Cider – took place on Saturday 12th September 2026 with local residents bringing surplus apples from their gardens to be made into the special community cider.
Purbeck Cider welcomed the public to their second annual Apple Day at Bushey Farm, near Corfe Castle
Three tons of apples from National Trust
People were able to exchange their apples for tokens which could either be donated to charity or redeemed in the farm’s taproom.
And although the long, hot and dry summer was not ideal for growing apples, with this year’s apple harvest considerably smaller than in 2025, the shortfall was helped by a donation of three tons of apples from National Trust orchards at Kingston Lacy, picked by local Scouts, Cubs and Beavers.
Purbeck Cider also held back some juice from last year’s pressing to help top up this year’s production and another batch of the People’s Choice cider will go on sale in spring 2027.
Purbeck Cider founder Joe Hartle said he was delighted by the response to their new Apple Day tradition
“One central cause chosen by public”
For every litre of the People’s Choice cider sold, £1 will be donated to a charity nominated by those attending the Apple Day.
In 2025 the chosen charity was the Dorset and Somerset air ambulance and a cheque of £2,631 was able to be handed over to the charity at this year’s event.
Purbeck Cider founder Joe Hartle said:
“Every year we get asked to sponsor different events and causes, and while we want to help as much as we can, we felt it was better to help one central cause, chosen by the public.
“Apple Day is an opportunity for everyone to join us on the farm and to nominate and support a charity that is important to the local community.
“The most voted for charity will be chosen as our charity for the next year and £1 from every litre of our People’s Choice cider sold will be donated to that cause.
“This year’s nominated charity was a fantastic cause, the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. They are consistently called on to help in this rural environment and do wonderful work – in fact, a farmer I know was airlifted to hospital by them only a few months ago after suffering a heart attack.
“I am delighted to be able to present a cheque today for £2,631 and to welcome staff from the air ambulance service along with one of their ambulance cars.”
People’s Choice cider was on sale in the Purbeck Cider taproom
“Celebrating our Dorset orchards”
Joe added:
“Apple Day is about celebrating our local Dorset orchards, bringing people together to be an active part of the cider making process and giving back to the community.
“It was wonderful to see fruit from the local area become part of a cider that raises money for local charities.
“We wanted People’s Choice to be something the community could genuinely feel part of, not just buying the cider but actually helping to make it.
“From bringing apples along to Apple Day, to choosing the charity and eventually enjoying the finished cider, there’s a real connection between our Purbeck community and a vital local cause.”
Erika Singh, right, and critical care practitioner Mark Williams collected the Purbeck Cider cheque before being shown around the farm
“People love us”
Erika Singh, corporate partnerships lead for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, said:
“It is the first year that Purbeck Cider has made the People’s Choice cider and we are delighted to be chosen as their charity partner.
“This initiative is a real celebration of community spirit, from the apples donated at Apple Day to the funds raised for our life saving charity through every sale of this special cider, which will enable our crew to carry on saving local lives.
“It is humbling that people have brought apples from their own gardens to be made into cider to help the air ambulance, and we’ve been told a lot of businesses have been delighted to sell the People’s Choice cider as they know some of the money is coming to us.
“We have a lot of support, people love us. They see the yellow helicopter flying around and know who we are straight away, although they don’t always know the details of all we do.”
Apple expert Gerry Edwards identified varieties of the fruit brought in by the public
Local apple expert
People attending Apple Day 2026 were given tours of the orchards to see the latest harvest brought in and watched apples being pressed.
Local apple expert Gerry Edwards was also on hand during the day to identify the different varieties of fruit brought along by visitors, from knotted kernels to golden balls.
There was also live music and apple themed games to play, with locally produced food, Purbeck ice cream and plenty of Purbeck Cider for visitors to enjoy.
Two dozen different types of apples were brought into Bushey Farm from Purbeck and beyond
Knotted kernel, Prince William and Three Counties will all find their way into the People’s Choice cider for 2027
Live music was played through the afternoon on a barn stage in Bushey Farm
Tours of the Purbeck Cider orchards were given, where machinery was used to shake apples loose from the trees…
… before another tractor was deployed to sweep up all the fruit
Apples were then lifted up into a crusher
The fruit was pulped and the juice extracted ready to be made into a new batch of cider
Visitors to Apple Day were fascinated to see the heritage apple press at work
Further information
- More about Purbeck Cider
