Well Dressing at the Victorian Valley Gardens of Ninesprings
Released On 27th Jul 2018
Saturday 14 July will see the Valley Gardens decorated with flowers, foliage and candles when the popular Well Dressing event returns to Yeovil Country Park.
The evening starts at 6.45pm with a lantern parade, from Ninesprings Café, following a trail of candles through the meadows and woodland to the Valley Gardens. Latecomers please follow the candle trail to find your way.
Amazing fire performers will light up the skies and there will be a mediaeval wandering minstrel and acoustic guitar music.
Artist Zac Greening is creating a centre piece for the ford pond, in the Valley Gardens. Zac's work is inspired by nature "the ultimate sculptress". He uses a wide range of media, from discarded plastic bottles to organic matter, to create a narrative that highlights the relationship between man and the natural environment.
Flowers surplus from theYeovil in Bloomplanting are being given by South Somerset District Council's Lufton Nurseries and foliage will be collected for arches and decorations which will be crafted by SSDC's Countryside Team volunteers.
Ninesprings Café is to stay open until 7.30pm for you to pick up a coffee and cake and, after the café closes, light refreshments will be available to purchase from The Friends of Yeovil Country Park.
Councillor Sylvia Seal, Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Culture, says: "This is going to be a wonderful community event. Our local schools and community groups are creating willow dragonflies and lanterns to decorate the gardens and you can join in with making lanterns at the lantern workshop (12 July) or decorate the springs during the afternoon, before the event, from 2 to 5pm. Please do get involved and become part of this special evening".
Becky Russell, Community Ranger, adds: "I'm looking forward to everyone sharing a magical summer evening in the Valley Gardens, among the trees and water, fire, candlelight and music. Local artist Zac is giving his time and materials to create a beautiful display and we are lucky - as we always are - to have the help of so many loyal and hard-working volunteers".
The Well Dressing event is being held to celebrate the achievement of the volunteers and Countryside Rangers in restoring the Valley Gardens. This work has been made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The built infrastructure of Ninesprings is over 100 years old and the team worked hard to uncover overgrown features and repair and restore stonework, replacing broken flagstones and opening up views and vistas. Specialist contractors were employed to restore some of the waterfalls and return the area to its full glory.
Lantern-making Workshop Thursday 12 July
Make a lantern to carry in the procession around Ninesprings on 14 July. For all details and to book places (£5 to include all materials), please click here
Help decorate the Gardens and Springs 14 July
Join the volunteers and rangers between 2 and 5pm in the Valley Gardens to help with setting-up the decorations for the evening. Meet the team in the Valley Gardens - follow the signs from the Ninesprings Café.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
From the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife, we use National Lottery players' money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about: www.hlf.org.uk.
