Issue #7 | Friday 26 June 2026

Good morning, Mendips! The heatwave has broken and this weekend looks much more comfortable — warm and sunny today and tomorrow, with a fresher Sunday bringing some welcome rain. The timing couldn’t be better for Malletfest 26 at Shepton Mallet FC tomorrow (gates 1:30pm, £25 advance), and for Sunday evening’s Pirates of Penzance at St Cuthbert’s Church in Wells. Writers: your Wells Festival of Literature competition deadline is midnight on Tuesday 30 June.

📸 Featured Event  |  🗓️ What’s On  |  🎬 Films  |  📰 In Other News  |  🌤️ Weather

Saturday 27 June — Shepton Mallet FC — Gates 1:30pm · Music until 1:30am · £25 advance

Shepton Mallet FC becomes Somerset’s biggest one-day music festival tomorrow as Malletfest 26 takes over for twelve hours straight. Headlining the main stage are Absolute Oasis — the South West’s premier Oasis tribute act — alongside Luke Potter, Paper Planes, Eddie Dean and Troy Ellis, with special guests and DMEHCE DJs.

Advance tickets £25. No outside food or drink. Disabled parking and access available. Cash and card accepted on site. No designated public parking — plan your travel ahead.

→ Full details at Shepton Mallet Nub News

🔵 Collection for Ukraine — Doulting Village Hall, noon–7pm. Medical supplies, toiletries, children’s clothes and more gratefully received.

🔵 Glastonbury Carers Support Group — Brunel's Care Home, Glastonbury, 10:30am. Free peer support for local carers.

🔴 Malletfest 26 — Shepton Mallet FC, 1:30pm–1:30am. See Featured Event above. £25 advance.

🔴 The Big Draw — Collett Park, Shepton Mallet. Free art event for all ages. Bring a sketchbook.

🔴 Ska and Reggae Night — Unity Club, Street. Live music. Tickets at the bar.

🔵 RAFA 80th Anniversary Formal Lunch — Wells Golf Club, 12:15pm. Book ahead.

🔵 Under-17s Driving Experience — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Book through 2nd2None Driving.

🔴 The Pirates of Penzance — St Cuthbert's Church, Wells, evening performance. One night only. Presented by Opera in a Box. Tickets £20 (£15 students). ☔️ Rain forecast Sunday — venue is indoors, no worries.

🔴 Shepton Midsummer Festival — Final Day — Prison Yard Party. The festival's big finale.

🔵 Mapping Connections Art Workshop — Shepton Mallet Library, 11:30am–3pm. Free. No booking required.

🔵 Freecycle — Wells Leisure Centre car park, 10am–noon. Bring things, take things.

🔴 Super Dogs at Shepton Mallet Prison — 6pm–8pm. Watch the prison's trained dogs in action. Tickets £10. Discount code: SMPEVBB

🔴 Party at the Palace — Country Show Night — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Three nights of live music.

🔵 Women's Soulfired Sessions — Rock Farm, Windsor Hill Lane, Shepton Mallet, 10:30am–11:30am.

🔴 Party at the Palace — 90s Night — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Live acts and DJs.

🔵 Hilliard Society of Miniaturists Exhibition Opens — Wells Town Hall. Annual exhibition of portrait miniatures. Free to view, 10am–5pm.

🔵 Strode Theatre Summer Serenade — Strode Theatre, Street. Tickets at strodetheatre.org.uk.

🔵 The Tracks Band — Unity Club, Street. Live covers music from a local favourite.

🔴 Party at the Palace — Kids Pop Party — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Family-friendly finale with pop music for younger festivalgoers.

🎨 Harry Brockway: Ways With Wood — Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Free exhibition of woodblock prints. To 2 September.

🌍 Wells One World Festival (WOWFest) — Free fringe concerts across Wells city centre. To 12 July.

🕳️ Wookey Uncovered — Wookey Hole Caves. Exhibition exploring the archaeology and legend of Wookey Hole. All summer.

📅 Priddy Folk Festival — 10–12 July, Priddy Village Green. One of Somerset's great folk gatherings. Camping available.

Children’s tickets just £4.38 until 1 September. → Full listings and booking at wellsfilmcentre.co.uk

Organisers of Shepton Mallet Carnival have announced they can no longer guarantee appearance or prize money to competing clubs this year — but the November event will go ahead. The carnival costs around £15,000 to stage, and organiser Marcus Baker said clubs had been warned. The public is being asked to donate £5 in exchange for a programme on the night. Globe Carnival Club chair Tanya Jones said: “We’d rather have a carnival than appearance money.” → Read full story at Shepton Mallet Nub News

There are just days left to enter the Wells Festival of Literature competition, with the Open Poetry, Short Story and Book for Children categories all closing at midnight on Tuesday 30 June. Total prizes of £5,000 are on offer, with special awards for writers with a local connection. Winners announced at Cedars Hall, Wells on 19 October, during the festival which runs 16–24 October. → Read full story at Wells Nub News

Somerset Council has blocked the route championed by Glastonbury TrainLink campaigners for a new bus linking Glastonbury with Castle Cary station. The group lobbied for a route via Pilton and Shepton Mallet, backed by parish councils and over £29,000 in pledged community funding. The council chose a route via Street and Clarks Village instead, citing higher projected passenger numbers. TrainLink member Susannah Clemence accused the council of “ignoring the evidence.” (Reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.) → Read full story (LDRS/Glastonbury Nub News)

A Somerset programme helping young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities into paid work has won silver at the national Local Government Chronicle Awards 2026. The Imagine the Possibilities programme has grown from a single internship to 15 annual programmes across Somerset, now supporting more than 100 young people each year to build workplace skills and confidence. It was recognised in the Diversity and Inclusion category at a ceremony in London on 10 June. Lead member Cllr Heather Shearer called it “life-changing.” → Read full story at Somerset Council

🌡️ Wells BA5 Weather — Week of 26 June 2026

After this week’s 39°C peak, the weekend is much more bearable. Friday 26 June: Mostly sunny, around 28°C with a pleasant breeze. Saturday 27 June: Partly sunny and breezy, still 28°C — perfect for Malletfest. Sunday 28 June: Rain moves in (87% chance) and temperatures drop to around 22°C — an umbrella day, though indoor events are unaffected. Next week stays cooler and cloudier with occasional showers. Source: AccuWeather, Wells BA5

→ Full 7-day forecast on AccuWeather

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