Independent Dorset cidermaker Purbeck Cider, best known for favourites such as Purbeck Gold and Muddy Scamp, has announced the launch of a new limited-edition charity cider, People’s Choice, inspired by the community spirit of its first Apple Day held in September 2025.
The cider has been crafted using fruit exchanged at the event, bringing the community’s contribution directly into the bottle. Extending that sense of shared purpose even further, Purbeck Cider will donate £1 from every litre sold to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, the charity selected by public vote. Suggestions were gathered from attendees at Apple Day before being put to the community, with Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance chosen as this year’s beneficiary.
“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 life-saving 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.” said Erika Singh, Corporate Partnerships Lead.
The cider itself reflects its origins, offering a light, crisp, medium-sweet still profile with delicate floral aromas and a subtle hint of citrus. Made from 100% single-pressed, community-grown apples, it has been designed to be easy-drinking and refreshing, finishing clean and well balanced. At 4.6% ABV, it is positioned as an approachable, feel-good cider — one that not only tastes good, but does good with every sip.
True to Purbeck Cider’s ethos, People’s Choice is naturally crafted without artificial flavours or concentrates and remains both vegan and gluten free. It is available in a 3-litre pouch and a 20-litre Bag-in-Box, and visitors can sample it free of charge at the taproom.
The new release is firmly rooted in Purbeck Cider’s wider story. Based in the Purbeck Hills overlooking Corfe Castle, the independent producer has been making cider since 2006, growing and sourcing fruit locally across more than 30 acres of orchards. Its approach centres on producing premium cider from field to bottle, with a focus on ethical production and quality ingredients, resulting in what the team describes as naturally delicious cider as every apple intended. Today, the business continues to champion this approach from its Dorset Cider Farm taproom, where visitors can explore both the products and the landscape behind them.
The chosen charity, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, plays a vital role across the region, delivering life-saving pre-hospital critical care by air and road to patients across Dorset and Somerset. Operating 19 hours a day, 365 days a year, its teams of pilots, doctors and critical care practitioners bring hospital-level care directly to people when every second counts. Funded entirely by public donations, each mission costs around £3,500, supporting not only emergency response but also ongoing care through patient and family liaison nurses once patients reach hospital.
With People’s Choice, Purbeck Cider has brought together community collaboration, local produce and regional support in one tangible product — a cider that captures the spirit of Apple Day while helping to sustain life-saving work across the South West.
The cider is available online at www.purbeckcidercompany.co.uk and at the Dorset Cider Farm taproom in Corfe Castle.
