With lots of meteorological hope in our hearts, we booked a stall at the Clanfield Summer Festival (2025). This has now become an annual event held on the first Saturday in July.
A team of early-rising Greens met at the Festival site, next to the Community Center, ready to erect our wonderful gazebo. This engineering feat was accomplished in record time, and we began to set up our displays. And still there was no rain !
The theme of this year’s Festival was “The Wild West”. This presented us with a dilemma: we wanted to be fully engaged in the Festival, but we felt uncomfortable with this theme. After all, this period of U.S. history is notorious for genocide, environmental destruction, raw capitalism and racism. So we gave the theme a twist: our message promoted re-wilding! We adapted the traditional “Wanted: Dead or Alive” posters, to read “Wanted: Alive and Thriving”, featuring a range of vulnerable plant and animal life, with explanations of how they can be protected.
Our stall was very child-friendly: there was an “Identify the butterflies” competition, with prizes of de luxe bug hotels and nature-themed books. Children – and their parents – eagerly drew pictures of their favourite creatures and made frames for them. Take-away souvenirs keep the memories alive!
Meanwhile, adult visitors had an opportunity to read fact-sheets about our policies and also to chat to our local District Councillor, James Hogan.
And still there was no rain!
Our involvement in the Festival was hard work, but enjoyable. It was great for team-building and it brought us into contact with lots of interested people in Clanfield and nearby Horndean.
We are already looking ahead to next year’s Festival! Put the date on your year-planner now!