In partnership with
Good morning, Mendips! Today we've a picnic that ended up starting a string of Mendip schools, plans for 160 new homes in Street, and a Wells Food Festival spotlight, plus a busy run of music, theatre and star-gazing to carry us into the weekend. Let's get into it!
📖 Feature Article — The Picnic That Started a School
🍽️ Featured Event — Wells Food Festival
📰 Hot News - Mendips Style — Street's 160-home Brooks Farm plan · Wells among UK's safest places for older people · Shepton runner's 300th marathon · The Dairy Show
🔤 Uxbridge English Dictionary — today's entry
📆 What's On This Week — across the Mendips
🌡️ Weather — Wells BA5 forecast
Your voice. Every platform. No writing required.
You ghost your own socials by Wednesday. SureThing learns your voice and ships native posts to LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok, without you writing a thing.
🍽️ Featured Event: Wells Food Festival
The streets of Wells turn into one enormous food market on Sunday 11 October, when the Wells Food Festival takes over the city centre from 10:30am to 4:30pm. Entry is free, and more than 200 food, drink and artisan stalls line the route, from street food and local producers to homewares. Come hungry.
Between bites there's plenty to do. Taste and buy English wines by the glass or bottle, catch the Food for Thought talks on food-related issues, watch live BBQ demonstrations and enjoy live music through the day. Younger visitors get their own Children's Zone, with cookery workshops in Little Joe's Kitchen and a children's trail to follow.
Meet the menagerie
I thought, as I write to you each morning, we ought to get to know each other better. Not because I want to talk about myself. I’d rather hear about you and your news.
But I thought it’s only polite to introduce myself so you know who this mad bloke is who takes the trouble to put this together every day.
I’m Paul. I live with my wonder-wife Rachel and a menagerie of rescued animals overlooking Chew Valley Lake. Our clan includes three hovawart dogs named Jenna, Luna and Angus, rescued as puppies from a rubbish tip in Romania. A deaf border collie named Tommy (credit The Who) with a tennis ball obsession and a slightly annoying beagle called Freddie.
Jenna, Luna and Angus
That’s just the start ‘though. We also share with two horses, two donkeys, four cats - oh, and a pond full of fish.
And now it seems we’ve taken on a diplodocus. - Hi Mendy!
I might mention members of the family from time to time.
What about you? Who else takes on more rescued creatures in their home than is entirely sensible. Hit reply and tell me your story. I’d really like to know - and maybe so would our thousands of Mendip readers.
Looking forward to hearing from you. - Paul (& Mendy)
Let us promote your event - FREE
Click Here for details
Mendy wants YOUR news
What’s happening in your world that you would like to share with the Mendips?
Just hit reply and send us your story.
🏡 Street's 160-Home Brooks Farm Plan Recommended For Approval
Somerset Council planning officers have recommended approval for up to 160 homes at Brooks Farm in Street, including 48 affordable homes and two new entrances from Brooks Road. Street Parish Council and 37 residents have objected, citing school-run traffic, flood risk and pressure on local surgeries and schools. The planning committee meets at 2pm on Tuesday 6 October, and anyone wanting to speak must ask for a slot by 5pm on Thursday 1 October.
🛡️ Wells Named Among UK's Safest Places For Older People
Wells has been named one of the UK's safest places for older people in a WorldAtlas guide, alongside towns including Sherborne, Ludlow and Bakewell. The guide looked beyond crime figures to healthcare, walkability and support for staying independent, praising the Lawrence Centre, the Wells Memory Café and a compact city where the cathedral, the Bishop's Palace and the market place are all within walking distance.
🏃 Shepton Runner Celebrates 300th Marathon
Emma has run multiple marathons for the Cats’ Protection League
Emma Challis from Shepton Mallet has completed her 300th marathon, finishing the Ham & Lyme 50k on 19 September in 6 hours 30 minutes. She dedicated the milestone to her late neighbour Terry and says she runs for the fresh air, peace and stunning views. Emma’s achievements are all the more remarkable as she has had to overcome serious health problems and accidents. Running has been her way to fight back.
Her longest event is a 102-mile ultra, and she plans to reach at least 1,000 marathons.
🐮 The Dairy Show Heads To Shepton Mallet's Showground
The Dairy Show is on at the Bath & West Showground near Shepton Mallet on Wednesday 7 October, with gates open 8:30am to 5pm. Built around the dairy industry but open to the public, it has 14,800 square metres of trade stands, competitive livestock classes, an Agri-Forum and Landalive entertainment. Adult tickets are £22 in advance (£26 on the gate), students £15, under-15s go free and parking is free.
English Lessons from the
Uxbridge English Dictionary
B
Bicker
Like a ballpoint, only more so.
Bideford
A Fiesta for an old lady.
Bigamist
Heavy fog.
Bratwurst
Your least favourite child.
Bungee
The one after bun F.
Buttresses
Especially lustrous bottom hair.
Buoyant
Adam Ant’s son.
The Picnic That Started a School
In August 1789 William Wilberforce went to Cheddar for a nice day out. He came back with his lunch untouched, and Mendip ended up with a string of schools.
It was meant to be a jolly. Wilberforce, the MP who would later lead the campaign against the slave trade, was staying with his friends Hannah and Patty More at their cottage at Cowslip Green, near Wrington. The sisters suggested he drive over to see the famous cliffs at Cheddar. His carriage was packed with cold chicken and wine.
He didn't eat a bite. The gorge was spectacular, but the people living around it were desperately poor, and some of them were living in the caves. That evening he shut himself in his room. When he came out, he announced: "Miss Hannah More, something must be done for Cheddar." Then he added the line that sealed it: "If you will be at the trouble, I will be at the expense."
The More sisters took him at his word. Hannah found that the parish had around 2,000 people, a dozen wealthy farmers and no resident clergyman for 40 years. In one household the only Bible was being used to prop up a flowerpot.
Winning over the farmers took some cunning. The richest of them told her schooling would make the poor "lazy and useless", and another insisted "religion would be the ruin of agriculture". Hannah tried a different approach: children kept busy on Sundays would be less likely to raid the orchards. That seems to have done the trick. She rented an old ox-house with nearly an acre of garden for six and a half guineas a year. On 25 October 1789, 140 children turned up for the first day.
Within a decade the sisters had schools across Mendip and beyond, including Shipham, Rowberrow, Axbridge, Wedmore, Blagdon, Banwell and Nailsea.
Hannah More
Today's readers might wince at parts of it. Lessons centred on the Bible and the catechism, and Hannah told the Bishop of Bath and Wells, "I allow of no writing for the poor." Her aim was to make them pious and industrious, not to turn them into radicals. Even so, she managed to annoy people. In 1800 the curate of Blagdon accused her school there of spreading Methodism, and more than 20 pamphlets flew back and forth. Critics called her schools "seminaries of fanaticism, vice and sedition". The Blagdon school closed, although the bishop later backed her.
The Cheddar building survives as Hannah More Cottage, the whitewashed ox-house turned classroom. It's now owned by the parish council and used for meetings, classes and local arts events.
Hannah’s legacy lives on with her name on several modern schools in the area.
Did you go to a Hannah More school? Hit reply and tell us about it.
Wednesday, 30 September
Wookey Uncovered — final day, Wookey Hole Caves. Family-friendly guided tours of the ancient caves and Victorian papermill wrap up for the summer. Wookey.co.uk
Bitter Christmas — Strode Theatre. Final day of its run. strodetheatre.org.uk
The Songwriting Life – 6-Week Course — 10am, Abbey House, Glastonbury Abbey. Songwriter Patrick Duff's course continues. glastonburyabbey.com
Fun Dance Class — 5:30-6:30pm, Chewton Mendip Village Hall. Easy-to-follow routines to music from across the decades, led by Helena Eden, with high and low impact options. £10 drop-in. More info
Adult Performance Company — 7:30pm, Chew Magna Baptist Hall. Weekly theatre group for beginners and experienced performers alike, part of Valley Arts' Fringe Festival. Free, booking required. valley-arts.co.uk
Thursday, 1 October
Little Discoverers – Autumn Trees — 10:30-11:30am, Abbey House. Free autumn leaf collage session for under-5s and their carers. glastonburyabbey.com
Walk & Wine Thursday — 6-7pm, Wells Market Place. Weekly women's circular walk finishing at Fosso Lounge for those who fancy a drink after. Free. Facebook
Jon Allen — 7pm, The Tree House, Cheese & Grain, Frome. Live acoustic soul and folk. cheeseandgrain.com
The Somerset Levels: our next National Park? — 7:30pm, Glastonbury Town Hall. A CPRE Somerset panel discussion on whether the Levels should become a National Park. Free, but all tickets are sold out, so please don't turn up without one. cpresomerset.org.uk
Friday, 2 October
Little Seedlings Parent & Toddler Group — 10-11:30am, Shepton Mallet (forest school site). Forest-school outdoor play, nature art and mud kitchen for little ones and grown-ups alike. £8 per session. hollyhawthorn.org
Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast — 7pm, The Tree House, Cheese & Grain. Live music. cheeseandgrain.com
Skimmity Hitchers with support from Imprints Duo — The King Arthur, Glastonbury. West Country "Scrumpy & Western" music with a modern edge, known for banter and audience participation. More info
Quiz Night — 8:30pm, Bluebird Cafe & Bar, Wedmore. The Bluebird's popular entertainment quiz, teams of up to 6. Free entry. bluebirdcafewedmore.com
Saturday, 3 October
Step by Step Performances — 12pm & 2pm, Shoemakers Museum, Street. Final date of this immersive art installation and live performance by Helen Ottaway and Melanie Thompson, staged through the museum's corridor spaces. Free with museum entry. shoemakersmuseum.org.uk
Autumn Mini Yoga Retreat at Abbey House — 10am-1pm, Abbey House. A gentle seasonal yoga session. glastonburyabbey.com
Telescope Clinic — St Thomas Church Hall, Wells. Wells & Mendip Astronomers help you set up and get the best from your telescope, from digital smart scopes to astrophotography, with kids' activities too. Free, and bring your own scope if you have one. wellsastronomers.org.uk
Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust Annual Evensong — Wells Cathedral. More info
Rising Stars Recital Series – Nurry Lee — Cedars Hall, Wells. More info
George and the Drag Queen by Pipeline Theatre — Whitstone School Hall, Shepton Mallet. Touring rural theatre. More info
Doe Paoro — 7:30pm, St John's Church, Glastonbury. A live concert of chakra-themed songs. Tickets
Reggae in da Bank — The Art Bank, High Street, Shepton Mallet. DJ Karl spins reggae, ska and lovers rock, with Caribbean food from JAMROCK. £4, and no under-18s after 9pm. Tickets
The Gleaves — 8:30pm, Bluebird Cafe & Bar, Wedmore. South West duo blending bold vocals with intricate fingerpicking for a unique roots sound. Free entry, table reservations recommended. bluebirdcafewedmore.com
Sunday, 4 October
Brushy One String — 7pm, The Tree House, Cheese & Grain, Frome. The Jamaican musician behind the viral "Chicken in The Corn" plays his one-string guitar with humour, soul and roots. £14.50 in advance, standing, 18+. cheeseandgrain.com
🗓️ Coming Up
Roots, Routes and Resilience — Shoemakers Museum, Street. New exhibition opens Monday 5 October and runs to 15 November. More info
Wells Cathedral School Soloist Showcase — St Mary's Church, Wedmore. Tuesday 6 October, 7:30pm. More info
Ozric Tentacles 'Harmonic Mind' Album Release Party — The Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury. Friday 9 October. More info
Wells Festival of Literature — various venues, Wells. Friday 16 to Saturday 24 October. More info
Enchantment: A Festival of Music, Myth, Theatre & Storytelling — The Modern Theatre of Myth, Glastonbury. Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October. More info
🎬 This Week at Wells Film Centre
Sense And Sensibility [U] — Wed & Thu 3pm and 7pm
Pressure [12A] — Wed 3pm and 7:30pm, Thu 7:30pm
Practical Magic 2 [12A] — Wed 7pm, Thu 3pm
Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom [U] — Wed & Thu 4:30pm
Girl From the North Country [15] — Thu 7pm, includes a 15-minute interval
Listings from Friday 2 October are not yet published, so check the website.
🌡️ Wells BA5 Weather — Week of 30 September
Early autumn is settling in, so a coat is a sensible companion for evening events and outdoor plans this week. Check the latest Wells forecast before you head out for the Telescope Clinic or Saturday's gigs.
Is 5 days a week too much?
Scroll down to “Manage Preferences”
and get the ‘Docus delivered Mon, Weds & Fri only
Contact Mendy the Mendiplodocus
07912 499433