 SPONSORED BY WINSHAM PARISH COUNCIL |
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WINFEST 26 was the first such event
to be held in Winsham and began as an experiment, but proved to
be a very successful—and a great deal of fun for everyone
involved.
How WINFEST 26 worked
WINFEST 26 was organised through a
deliberately informal and experimental model. There was no
formal committee or bank account; instead, a small team
coordinated the programme and publicity.
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Organisers booked the venues that
best suited their events and covered their own costs where
applicable.
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Jubilee Hall offered a small hire
discount for festival-related events.
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Paula Bramley Ball contributed
ideas, including the name WINFEST 26, and organised the banners
and posters.
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Deborah Harris designed the
festival logo.
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The coordinating team (Paula
Bramley -Ball and John Sullivan) agreed to handle the on-line
publicity for the event during the run-up to, and during
festival event.
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The event was initially planned
to run for one week, but such was the initial response to the
idea, it expanded to two weeks duration-26th
September-October 10th Around thirty events took place, and
organisers felt their groups had benefited. Few expected an
immediate financial return, although some hoped to attract new
members. Their main aim, apart from demonstrating their skills,
was to introduce their activities and interests to a wider
audience from the parish. Some organisers made admission charges,
held raffles, or sought voluntary donations. A substantial
sum was donated to Winsham United Charities. Others charged
just to cover their immediate costs. costs
Earlier in the week, James Crowden gave
another excellent talk based on his book Literary Somerset. The festival can also be remembered for the
events that opened and closed its two-week celebration of how
Winsham residents spend their spare time. The opening concert
featured the Kilima Quartet, a group of professional musicians,
and was organised by Polly Orr-Ewing. An enthusiastic audience
of about sixty heard music by Haydn, Beethoven, Borodin and the
Danish String Quartet. The musicianship of the performers and
the beautiful acoustics of St Stephen’s Church combined to
create an unforgettable experience. The final event was equally memorable.
Jubilee Hall was beautifully arranged for fifty guests, and Kim
Holt, of ‘Pudding Club’ fame, organised an excellent Harvest
Supper with a small team of helpers. The evening ended with a
film recorded at Barrington Court in 2015, showing the Winsham
Players performing Hempen Homespun, their version of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. It was produced and directed by Stella Abbey, who
is no longer with us. Three other village actors featured in the
film—Robert Shearer, Carl Earl and Phil Kershaw—have also since
died. For those who knew them, the screening was a bittersweet
moment. Between these two notable events, the
programme remained busy. Introductory sessions offered residents
a chance to try Pilates, yoga, aikido, bridge, short-mat
bowling, modern dance, ballet and the Ad-Hoc exercise group for
seniors. Winsham Horticultural Society also screened a film
about gardens featured in the previous year’s Open Gardens
event, along with many additional photographs.
The Jubilee Café’s well-attended
coffee morning was another cheerful occasion. During it, the
hall chairman noted that Sandy Wells—the hall’s booking
secretary for around twenty-five years and a key person in the
coordinating of the festival—was celebrating a birthday, giving
everyone the opportunity to close the event with a rousing
chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to You’. St Stephen’s brought a distinctive and
welcome event to the festival by marking the 5
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James
Crowden, who organised the Cider Bonanza, donated all ticket
revenue after expenses—around £400—to Winsham United Charities.
Russell Binch, a trustee of the charity, thanked him and briefly
described the support it provides, mainly to younger members of
the community pursuing career and educational development. A
full Jubilee Hall enjoyed two and a half hours of talks—and a
generous supply of cider. James, in his talk, explained how the
development of bottles strong enough to withstand the pressure
of secondary fermentation transformed the English cider market
and influenced sparkling wines in France, including champagne.
Liz Copas, a leading expert on cider apples, then described
current work to develop and improve apple varieties for new
ciders.
00th
anniversary of William Tyndale’s translation of the New
Testament from Greek into English. A team of 24 volunteers read
aloud in the church for two hours each day over six days, from
Monday to Saturday.
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