Good morning, Mendips! The faeries land in Glastonbury this weekend, and fantasy artist Brian Froud is bringing his new book to the Town Hall. Today we also visit Captain Scott's family in a Holcombe churchyard, and Glastonbury picks the company to build its new Abbey Park playground tonight.
📅 Featured Event — Glastonbury's Green Women Faerie Weekend
📰 Hot News - Mendips Style — Abbey Park playground · Wells lay ministers · Shoemakers Spooktacular · Draycott solar film · Biker Down in Wells
🔤 Uxbridge English Dictionary — today's entry
🧭 Feature — Captain Scott's Mendip Family
🗓️ What's On This Week — across the Mendips
🌡️ Weather — Wells BA5 forecast
Featured Event
The Faeries Are Coming: Glastonbury's Green Women Weekend
Glastonbury Town Hall fills with wings, flower crowns and a fair bit of glitter this Saturday and Sunday (17–18 October) for the Glastonbury Faerie Weekend. It's run by Karen Kay's Faery Events, which is celebrating 20 years of bringing the faery folk to town, and the daytime fayre is free to wander in and browse.
This year's theme is Green Women, and it comes with a proper headline guest. Artist Brian Froud, the conceptual designer behind Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth and co-author of the much-loved book Faeries with Alan Lee, launches his new book, Brian Froud's Green Women, with a talk and meditation upstairs at noon on Saturday. He's joined by Wendy Froud and fantasy writer Terri Windling, one of more than 40 women writers who contributed to the book. Brian signs books on the main hall stage at 2.30pm (expect a queue), and Terri, on her first visit to Glastonbury, gives her own talk, The Power of Story, in the Council Chamber that afternoon. Both talks are ticketed and spaces are limited.
After dark, grown-ups (18+ only) can dress up for the Green Women's Faerie Ball, where Green Men are very welcome too. Ball tickets are non-refundable and the line-up was still to be announced at the time of writing, so check before you book. For everyone else, the free fayre is the easy way in: bring the kids, wear something sparkly and see how many pairs of wings you can count before lunch.
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🛝 Glastonbury Picks Its £200,000 Abbey Park Playground Tonight
Glastonbury Town Council will choose the company to rebuild the playground at Abbey Park at a meeting tonight (Tuesday 13 October), 7pm at Glastonbury Town Hall. Nine firms sent in designs for the project, worth up to £200,000, and residents' feedback makes up 30 per cent of the score. The brief asks for adventurous play inspired by the town's myths and landscape, equipment children of all abilities can enjoy together, and care for the park's mature trees, with the new playground due to open in April 2027. Residents can speak at the meeting if they book a slot with the clerk's office first (01458 831769).
🎃 Spooktacular Half-Term Comes To Street's Shoemakers Museum
The Shoemakers Museum in Street is going spooky for half-term, from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November. There's a daily Museum of Lost Shoes trail, storytelling on Monday 26 October, puppet making on Wednesday 28 October and a lantern-making workshop on Friday 30 October. The highlight is Museum After Dark that Friday evening: a torchlit trail with costumed characters and three arrival slots from 4.15pm. Costumes are encouraged and tickets are limited, so book ahead.
☀️ Solar Street Film And Cheddar Hydro Talk At Draycott Cinema
Draycott Community Cinema is showing Power Station (12A) on Friday 16 October at Draycott Memorial Hall, with doors at 7.30pm and tickets at £5. The documentary from Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell follows their bid to turn a street and its local schools solar, from sleeping on rooftops to growing thousands of sunflowers. Afterwards, The Cheddar Hydro Project talks about its plans to make the local area self-sufficient in energy.
🏍️ Free Crash First-Aid Course For Bikers At Wells Fire Station
Motorcyclists can learn what to do if they're first on the scene of a crash at a free Biker Down workshop at Wells Fire Station on Burcott Road this Saturday (17 October), 9.30am to 1.30pm. Run by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service's Fire Bike Team with Somerset Road Safety, it covers making the scene safe, first aid including CPR, how to take off a rider's helmet and how to be seen on the road. Places are free but must be booked.
English Lessons from the
Uxbridge English Dictionary
Palmistry -
an enigmatic friend who you never quite know enough about
Aerobic -
a chocolate biro
Dialysis -
to call a female sibling using an old fashioned telephone
Polyunsaturated -
a parrot that manages to remain dry throughout the rainy season
Hammock -
to make fun of a pig
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Captain Scott's Mendip Family
There's a stone cross in a quiet Mendip churchyard that carries the name of one of the most famous Britons of the 20th century, even though he isn't buried there.
Robert Falcon Scott lies in the Antarctic ice, where he died around 29 March 1912 on the way back from the South Pole. His parents and his younger brother lie at St Andrew's Old Church, Holcombe, just north of the village. The little church is reached across a field and stands almost alone, next to the bumps of a village that disappeared in the Middle Ages.
The family came to Mendip in disgrace, at least as far as money went. In 1894 Scott was a young torpedo officer on HMS Vulcan when he learned that his father, John, had sold the family brewery in Devon, invested the proceeds badly and lost everything. At 63, and unwell, John took the only job he could get: manager of the Holcombe Brewery. The family moved into Holcombe House, now Holcombe Manor House.
It wasn't a happy chapter. John died of heart disease in 1897. The next year Scott's brother Archie, a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, came home from West Africa and died of typhoid fever at Hythe, aged 27. That left Scott, on a naval officer's pay, supporting his mother and two unmarried sisters on his own.
In June 1899, home on leave, he met Clements Markham by chance in a London street, heard about a planned Antarctic expedition, and volunteered to lead it. The rest is history, ending on the ice in 1912.
Scott's party at the South Pole: Oates, Bowers, Scott, Wilson and Evans
The search party found the tent that November. Back in Holcombe, a new inscription was carved on the family grave. Underneath his father's name it reads:
“Robert Falcon Scott C.V.O., Captain Royal Navy, son of the above, who in returning from the South Pole with his companions was translated by a glorious death, March 1912.”
His mother Hannah, who outlived him by 12 years, is buried there too.
To see it, head for the north side of the old church, close to the wall. The church is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust and opened at weekends by volunteers (10am–3pm in winter). The old brewery buildings still stand in the village, now home to local businesses. It's a short walk with a long view, and a surprising Mendip footnote to one of the great stories of exploration.
Over to you: Do you know of any other famous names hiding in Mendip churchyards? Hit reply and tell us.
Tuesday 13 October
Layers of the Land: The Geology of Glastonbury — 10am–noon, meet outside Glastonbury Information Centre, Magdalene Street. Guided geology walk up Glastonbury Tor with Val Graham; £8, booking required, steep steps. Booking
Wild Tribe Tuesday Takeover Market — Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury. Independent makers, readers and healers; free entry, dog-friendly, café on site. More info
Wells Railway Fraternity — 7.30–9pm, Wells. Evening meeting; venue on the Wells Tourism listing. More info
Wednesday 14 October
Talk & Tasting with Tom Calver (Westcombe Dairy) — 7.30–9pm, Caryford Hall, Ansford. Clothbound Cheddar, ricotta, charcuterie and a cheese robot called Tina the Turner, with tasting; £8 in advance, £10 on the door. Booking
Everybody Digs Bill Evans — 7.45pm, Strode Theatre, Street (Studio). Grant Gee's new film about the jazz pianist; £5–£8.80. Booking
Practical Magic 2 — 7.30pm, Strode Theatre, Street. Last screening of this run. Booking
Ted Waters Singing Workshop: Songs of Land and Resilience — 10.30–11.30am, Chew Stoke Village Hall. Community singing taught by ear, no experience needed; free, booking required. Booking
Thursday 15 October
Symphony Orchestra Concert – Legends and Love Songs — 7pm, Cedars Hall, Wells. Wells Cathedral School Symphony Orchestra plays Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite and Whitacre's Five Hebrew Love Songs; free, booking required (also listed for Wednesday 14 October). Booking
The Secret Supper Club at The Bishop's Table — 7.30pm, The Bishop's Palace, Wells. Three courses for £45 (£10 deposit); booking essential on 01749 988111 (option 3). More info
Walter Trout — 7pm, Cheese & Grain, Frome. Blues-rock guitar legend; £33.50 plus booking fee. Booking
More Than Widows Weeds — 7.30pm (doors 7pm), The Salvation Army, Shepton Mallet. Fashion curator Jennifer Parker on the history of mourning fashion in Britain; members £2, non-members £4, cash preferred. More info
Music for Miniatures — 10.30am, Chew Magna Baptist Chapel. 45 minutes of relaxed live classical music for babies and toddlers. Booking
Wells Business Women IN Meet Up — Fosso Lounge, Wells. Relaxed networking for women in business. More info
The Immortal Hour: Assembly Rooms Fundraiser — Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury. Listening night of Rutland Boughton's opera, raising money for a new stage; entry by donation. More info
Storm Brewing + Lords of Form — 8pm, The King Arthur, Glastonbury. Live bands. More info
Lenna Bahule — 7pm, The Tree House, Cheese & Grain, Frome. Live music. Booking
Friday 16 October
Wells Festival of Literature opens — Cedars Hall, Wells, running until Saturday 24 October. Tonight: Patrick Gale on Love Lane (6pm) and Stephen Sackur on Hard Truth (7.45pm). Booking
Enchantment: A Festival of Music, Myth, Theatre & Storytelling — The Modern Theatre of Myth, Glastonbury, 16–18 October. Chamber music, storytelling with music, theatre workshops and discussion. More info
Freebird: A Tribute to Eva Cassidy — 7.30pm, Strode Theatre, Street. Zoe Lindsay and live band; £23–£25. Booking
Celine Dion by Candlelight — 7.30–9.30pm, Wells Cathedral. Candlelit concert of Celine Dion songs. Booking
Power Station (followed by Q&A) — doors 7.30pm, Draycott Memorial Hall, Latches Lane, Draycott. Solar-power documentary plus a talk from The Cheddar Hydro Project; £5. See Hot News above. Booking
Toddler Explorers: Hunkypunk Pumpkins — 10.30–11.30am or 1.30–2.30pm, Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Story, pumpkin decorating and crafts for 1–3 year olds and their grown-ups; £7, booking required. Booking
The Good Afternoon Choir – Autumn Concert — 7–9pm, Wells. Charity concert; venue on the Wells Tourism listing. More info
Liquid Calm Floating Sound Bath — 8–10pm, Wells. Venue on the Wells Tourism listing. More info
Best of Grohl — 8pm, The King Arthur, Glastonbury. Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters tribute. More info
Comedy Night — 8.30pm, Bluebird Cafe & Bar, Wedmore. Two comedians; free entry, booking a table recommended. More info
Steve Linforth Live — 9pm, Kings Head, Wells. Live music. More info
Sense and Sensibility — Strode Theatre, Street. Film screenings 16–22 October (also showing at Wells Film Centre this week). Booking
Saturday 17 October
Glastonbury Faerie Weekend — Glastonbury Town Hall, Saturday and Sunday. Free daytime fayre, the Green Women's Faerie Ball (18+, ticketed), Brian Froud's Green Women talk and meditation (noon, signing 2.30pm) and Terri Windling's The Power of Story talk in the afternoon. See Featured Event above. More info · Froud talk · Windling talk
Wells Festival of Literature, day two — Cedars Hall, Wells. Katja Hoyer on Weimar (10.30am), Adrian Wooldridge on liberalism (12.15pm), Louisa Young on The Golden Hours (2pm), Jess Venner on the last day of Pompeii (3.45pm), Jonathan Dimbleby on The Palestinians (5.30pm) and Martin Sixsmith on Despots (7.15pm). Booking
The Big Southwest Wedding Fair — Showering Pavilion, Bath & West Showground, Saturday and Sunday. 80+ wedding suppliers, catwalk shows and live entertainment. More info
Coldplay by Candlelight — 7.30–9.30pm, Wells Cathedral. Candlelit concert of Coldplay songs. Booking
Macbeth (MET Opera) — 6pm, Strode Theatre, Street. Screening from the Met. Booking
Murder at Abbey House: A 1920s Murder Mystery Dinner Party — 6–10.45pm, Abbey House, Glastonbury. Sold out. More info
Biker Down Motorcycle Safety Workshop — 9.30am–1.30pm, Wells Fire Station, Burcott Road. Free crash first-aid course for riders; booking required. See Hot News above. Booking
Glastonbury Repair Cafe — 10am–noon, Scout Hut, Benedict Street, Glastonbury. Bring broken electricals, textiles, bikes and toys for volunteers to fix; free.
Autumn Skincare: Perfumes, Soaps and Balms Workshop — 10am–5pm, Abbey House, Glastonbury. All-day workshop with Sarah Ward; £135 including materials. Booking
Introduction to Embroidery – Flowercup — Heritage Courtyard Gallery and Studios, Sadler Street, Wells. Beginners' day with Helen Richman; £65, all materials provided. Booking
Half a Shanty — 4–6pm, Caryford Hall, Ansford. Sea-shanty singalong with stone-baked pizza from The Piccolo Box; £5. More info
Stand Up to Cancer Music Quiz — 7pm, Tramways, West Street, Wells. Hosted by Clive Hennessy; £5 a head, teams of up to six, booking essential with Sally Morgan on 0797 552 9950. More info
Damh the Bard — 7.30pm, Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury. Pagan folk concert. More info
Fly Yeti Fly — 8.30pm, Bluebird Cafe & Bar, Wedmore. Harmony-rich folk duo; free entry, booking a table recommended. More info
Stealth Legion — 8.30pm, The Rifleman's Arms, Glastonbury. Punk and rock anthems; free entry. More info
Unknown Identity — The King William Inn, Glastonbury. Club night, “from Gaga to Sabbath”. More info
Queen at Sea — Strode Theatre, Street. Film screenings 17–21 October. Booking
🎬 This Week at Wells Film Centre
The Social Reckoning [15]
Heart of the Beast [12A]
Digger [15]
Verity [15]
Sense and Sensibility [U]
🌡️ Wells BA5 Weather — Week of 12 October
Tuesday turns breezy with a couple of showers and highs of 18°C. Wednesday looks the pick of the midweek days, starting cloudy and brightening up in the afternoon, before more showers on Thursday. Then it turns crisp and sunny for Friday and Saturday at around 13–14°C, with chilly nights down to 4°C, so faeries may want a cardigan over their wings. Sunday brings the odd shower.
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