A NEW venue in the heart of the Malvern Hills will be hosting a festival tomorrow (Saturday).

The Orchard Venue, Hollybush, at the foot of Midsummer Hill, has been founded by Toni Hollings, who runs the popular Ruffz Refreshment Kiosk close to the Gullet Quarry.

She has invited Floating Lotus, a community interest charity that puts on artistic events in the Malvern area and further afield, to put on a one-day festival.

Miss Hollings said: “This will be a rare opportunity for all ages to experience music in nature with a festival vibe catering for the whole family.”

Starting at 2pm, the event will include a poets corner, storyteller, face and body art, drum and ceramics workshops, and many more activities.

A cafe will be offering hot and cold beverages, homemade cakes and ice cream. There is also a licensed bar and a barbecue.

There will be live music throughout the afternoon and evening with bands including White Feather Collective, a surf-rock band from Malvern, and Sundara, also from Malvern, an acoustic collective, fusing Indian melodies with folk music.

Solo performers who have signed up include Marton Thorne and Lou Clark.

Miss Hollings said: “We’ve got this lovely orchard and we wanted to do something with it for the community.

“It’s a beautiful spot in the Malvern Hills and we’ve done a lot of work to the Orchard. It will be a a great event.

“Floating Lotus have put up their geodesic domes and we’re very much looking forwards to it.

“The trees are blooming with apples, and we have our own cider press, so we will be making fresh apple juice on the day.”

“We are not going to be putting on events at the orchard every week or even every month. This is very much a one-off.”

A full day pass is £15 on the gate, day-only pass (2pm-7pm) £6 and evening pass £10. Under-fives get in free and family tickets are also available.