Festival Update Archives - Between The Trees

Festivals – the modern day pilgrimage

We hope the message finds you well

We’ve had a great response to early bird tickets and there are only a few forest camping pitches left, so if you are looking forward to nestling under the trees next summer, then be quick. Early bird tickets will end on December 31st however the instalment payment scheme will continue in the New Year.

Tickets can be found HERE.

It’s a well known saying that “experiences are better than things”, so this Christmas have you thought of gifting the experience of Between The Trees to your loved ones and friends and do the environment some good too?. We’ve had so much lovely feedback over the years, about people’s experience and memories of the festival. We believe that events like Between The Trees offer so much more than just music and are also educational, transformational and even spiritual experiences.

Recently, we’ve been reading two books which have made us think that festivals like BTT may be equivalent to the “modern-day pilgrimage”. The first book “Science and Spiritual Practices” by Rupert Sheldrake explores the science behind the instinctive need for humans to include aspects of spiritual practices into their daily lives. These practices include; meditation, the expression of gratitude, rituals (the marking of important life events), communal singing (music and dance) and pilgrimage. Sheldrake goes on to describe the benefits of reconnecting with natural beautiful places and experiencing the positive energy that exists in these special environments, sometimes referred to as “thin places”. He further says that “people in a particular state of positive sensory stimulation resonate with those who are in a similar state”, he calls this phenomenon “morphic resonance”.

The second book is entitled “Return to my Trees” by Matthew Yeomans. This was written during lock down when the author discovered the benefits of reconnecting with the nature on his doorstep. He then expands this experience to take in the culture, history and landscape of the whole of Wales, hence the title of the book, which refers to the Welsh phrase “dod yn ôl at fy nghoed” meaning “to return to a balanced state of mind” but literally means “to return to my trees”. In the book, Yeomans, describes the beauty of Welsh forests but also talks of the special spiritual significance that trees: especially oaks, played in ancient Celtic and Druidic traditions. We are hoping that the author of this book will deliver one of Seren Sessions for us at Between The Trees 2023. We are also planning on introducing a philosophical debate to explore the role that spiritual practices play in our lives. As a society, not only have we lost our connection to nature but we may have also lost our connection to spirituality. Are these two practices connected? and how can they help us in “the journey” of life?

An interesting contribution to previous festivals, has been the writings of Dr Matt Morgan, an intensive care clinician. In 2023, he is returning to talk about his most recent publication “One Medicine- how understanding animals can save our lives”. This explores how understanding the lives of animals can help treat human disease. It combines stories of medicine, nature and travel to places including Africa and the Galapagos Islands to meet animals and patients. We see what the three vaginas in a kangaroo can teach us about human IVF and how we can better treat asthma by understanding how a giraffe breathes.

As you know, Between The Trees is a blend a lots of different types of activities and music. One regular festival attendee once said to us that he loves the festival because “its just got the right amount of everything”.

At the end of every festival, Dawn and I ask ourselves “How can we match that?” But then, it just seems to happen organically. Recently, we’ve been booking some of our amazing headline acts for 2023 and it’s so exciting to think that these phenomenal artists are going to be playing our wonderful, secret, woodland gathering.

Firstly, we have the folk legend that is Seth Lakeman headlining Friday night, then an “up and coming” electro-folk band from Scotland called Elephant Sessions on Saturday and lastly, on Sunday, the charismatic young folk singer Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys. We also have some surprises for you in the line up. On Saturday we have the singer-songwriter, Roo Panes, whose music attracts over 1.5 million Spotify listeners per month. His thought provoking songs are melodious masterpieces and his nature-inspired lyrics are profound.

Here are some of the lyrics for “Land of the Living “

“I know a land called the Land of the Living,

It’s the world beyond those curtains where we learned the play

I hear the voices of my childhood singing,

It’s the world beyond those doorways where we used to play

I know a land called the Land of the Living,

It’s the world beyond those curtains where we learned the play
Oh, we’ll go back, we’ll go back to the beginning,

And we’ll pickup on the trails of forgotten ways

I was born to be free … you were born to free me”

Aa well as Roo Panes, we have so many other brilliant musicians coming to Between The Trees in 2023 and we can’t wait to reveal the full line up to you in the New Year.

Finally, our festival theme for 2023 is ‘The Journey or Y Taith”. The Seren Sessions will reflect this, with talks from authors about migration, journey and pilgrimage and the Niche Nature Sessions will focus on the wonder of migration in the natural world. We are all on a journey and hopefully during next year’s journey you will stop off at Between The Trees.

Have a great Christmas. We hope you enjoy time with family and friends and make beautiful memories!

Dawn, Andrew, Meg, Alex and Bekah.

CONNECTION / CYSYLLTIAD

In a week that saw Between The Trees recognised as one of the top 10 nature-based festivals in the UK, by the Guardian newspaper “Lets Go Wild” article, we thought we would revisit the overriding philosophy and ethos of the Between The Trees, as well as reveal this year’s THEME and preview some of the talks, readings and workshops on offer.

Our theme, for this year’s festival, is “CONNECTION” or “CYSYLLTIAD” (in Cymraeg/Welsh).

If you’ve been to the festival before, you will have seen this poem printed on our multi-use cups and T-shirts, and it sums up the ethos of the festival perfectly,

“We often forget that WE ARE NATURE

Nature is not something separate from us,

So, when we say we have lost our connection to nature,

We have lost our connection to ourselves”

Andy Goldsworthy

It’s now a well-documented fact that our human connection to nature has declined in the previous decades, and like any “broken” relationship, it’s in need of repair and restoration.

We strongly believe that Between The Trees Festival can play a part in this recovery.

From the very moment you arrive at the event, you are transported into a magical woodland, the phone signal dwindles and there is no internet;

“No WiFi – Only Wildlife”

The pandemic has made us realise that “time spent in nature” or “nature connectiveness” is integral to our physical health, mental health and well-being.

Scientific research, including my own, has shown that it is indeed a vital ingredient for a healthy life and some have claimed that without exposure to nature we can suffer from “nature deficiency disorder” – that’s a lack of “Vitamin N”.

There is no question this phenomenon has coincided with our increased reliance upon technology and we have to do something to redress the balance.

So, what can we do about it? How can we encourage our children to reconnect with forgotten pastimes?

Time in nature is important but it’s best to think in terms of “moments and not minutes”. Acquiring knowledge about the natural world is useful, but is not a necessary factor in the reconnecting process. Rather, “art-based” engagements such as photography or drawing or a fun activity such as a scavenger hunt may be more impactful. We also feel that it’s important to engage all the 5 senses and to look for emotion, beauty, meaning and compassion in things we see and observe.

*“In every walk in nature, one receives far more than one seeks”*John Muir

The natural world itself could be described as a carefully balanced set of eco-systems and interconnecting cycles, made up of a plethora of “connections”. For example, recent scientific research has revealed that woodland trees communicate between themselves through the vast fungal networks that surround their roots. Trees can even “sense” danger from pests and “warn” other trees to “up” their defences and send vital nutrients to support other, younger, trees in times of drought.

We can learn a lot by mimicking natures’ design in our lives and society. Our ancestors and indigenous tribes recognised these repeated patterns and the balance of nature and we must also acknowledge this and adopt these principles in our modern lives if we are to avoid the adverse effects of climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity.

So how is our beautiful festival going to make us feel more connected to nature?

In the past, our ancestors would have felt more connected to the land because their very existence depended on it. On the Saturday 27^th, we will hear a number of presentations about history, folklore and mystical forest beings & fairies in “Tales from the Land”.

Then, the following day we develop this further, bringing themes from modern-day life, “Our connection to the Land” with talks and readings about foraging, tree-planting and climate activism.

Some very exciting news is that the British Ecological Society have formally recognised Between The Trees as a provider of nature-themed public education and have supported our new dedicated Nature & Science area called “The Niche” with grant funding. We have 8 great speakers who will be presenting talks at “The Niche” stage encompassing various ecological issues and aspects of their research e.g. River pollution and the fate of Otters, coastal wildlife, native bees and the reintroduction of endangered species such as the High Brown Fritillary butterfly.

Excitingly, and for the very first time, we are honoured to host a talk by the RSPB who will be speaking about their origins in eco-activism and their historical links with suffragism.

It’s one thing to listen to these amazing talks but how can we become more active in protecting and conserving the environment? Have you heard of “citizen science”? It’s a way of getting the public involved and actively helping with conservation work. There will be lots of opportunity for debate and questions and a chance to engage with these organisations and find out how you and your family can get involved in local conservation projects in your area.

We have some great, new Nature-themed workshops in the “Hub-Hyb”. You will have the chance to “Meet the Pollinators” in a wonderful hands-on display by Jenny Ogden.

The Awen Trust will be bringing “Songs From The Nest”, which focuses around a life-sized nest woven out of willow, which you can actually get inside and have your photo taken. But it’s what happens around the “Nest” that is the interesting thing, there will be chance to discuss ideas and hear about how connections have been formed in communities.

To become more connected, we often have to be immersed in an activity, and this year you have the opportunity to role play /dress up! We would love you to get those fairy costumes, wings, crowns, woodland creature masks and head dresses out.

In another another first for us, we have Ballet Cymru performing “DREAM” , a modern day, gender-bending version of “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream” in a woodland, at dusk!

This really gives us the opportunity to create some amazing, mystical, forest creature costumes at the “Dingly Dell” Creative Area. The TEN professional dancers will be on site, running dance workshops in the daytime where you can really get involved and embrace your inner fairy, elf or “Pwca”.

We love to see the way in which the both adults and children respond to the unique sand-based environment. Most little ones and a few older ones, quickly realise that it’s fine to ditch the shoes, to walk around barefoot, pick up sticks and foliage to adorn themselves, form small adventure groups or tribes and even make natural face paints.

Have fun, take a break from everyday life and don’t forget your swimsuit for the Slip ‘N Slide!

So at this year’s festival we want you to “connect”…

with nature

with others

with yourself..

Next month’s TreeTalk will cover the music, craft workshops and food traders -we have some FAB new additions this year!

Other News

TICKETS – Tier 1 prices end 2^nd July 2022

“Between the Trees Session”

Saturday 25th June 7pm at Zucco’s Juice Bar, Pontypridd.

Featuring the brilliant blues musician “Bella Collins”

Tickets (£7.50 includes first drink and nibbles)

https://www.wegottickets.com/event/549725

TreeTalk#1 April

Foot-stomping nights to remember

Just four more lunar cycles before we can all enjoy life “Between The Trees” together again. We have so many exciting things to tell you about this years’ festival. The music line up is superb with headliners such as John Smith (nominee for International folk album of the Year) and Scottish Mega band, Niteworks, whose unique blend of Celtic folk and electronica fills national and international arenas. We also have the driving folk rhythms of the Noble Jacks, Rusty Shackle and NoGood Boyo, who will ensure foot-stomping nights to remember.

NITEWORKS

This year, we will also be joined by internationally renowned, Ballet Cymru who will be performing a section of DREAM, a vibrant, fresh, and innovative ballet based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Working with Award-Winning instrumentalist and composer Frank Moon, Ballet Cymru have created a magical, gender-bending world of fairies, lovers, and bewitching enchantment. They will also be holding dance workshops in the daytime, so you can all get a chance to be your very own woodland mythical being.

In fact, this year the theme of mythology runs through the festival and we are privileged to have Dan Mitchell’s company. Dan is a renowned storyteller, TV presenter and comedian, and will be entertaining and educating us with the stories of Welsh Folk-lore & mythology and will be introducing us to the “y Tylwyth Teg” or the “Fair Folk”, the elves and the fairies.

There’s going to lots of opportunity to express your mystical side in the creative area, where you will be able to make woodland crowns, garlands and wands. We encourage you to wear your best woodland creature, fairy or elf costumes to this years’ festival.

Ticket update. The good news is that we are keeping Early Bird Tickets open until the end of the 4-month Instalment payment plan period which closes at 12pm on Sunday 22nd May 2022. We hope this will make the festival more affordable for everybody in these trying times.

TreeTalk#2 (May) will focus on the amazing nature & science speakers as well as the spoken word sessions that we have lined up for you this year. There is always so much to take in at Between The Trees and we hope you leave this years’ festival feeling refreshed, inspired and curious.

We are so excited to introduce our 2022 music line-up to you all. Between The Trees is a festival that focusses on contemporary folk music from all regions of the UK and further afield, and this year we have performers who will be singing in 3 of our ancient Celtic languages; Welsh (Cymraeg), Cornish (Kernewek)and Scottish Gaelic.

Firstly, we’d like to introduce our headliners but also give you the “heads-up” on who else to look out for in the 2022 line up. One of our objectives at BTT is to promote young, up and coming artists and we love looking for new, original musicians. We also believe that music is one of the vital ingredients needed for good health and well-being and therefore we feel it is vital that we support original artists, whose music speaks of the history, culture, politics and the complexities of human relationships.

The last few years have taught us that we need human interaction and community, as well as a connection with nature. These are all important components of what makes us “human”. Engagement with the sensory stimulation that art, music and nature provide is known to improve our physical and mental well-being. Simply put “it’s good for the soul“.

The Headliners.

So, what do we have in store for you at BTT22?

Our Friday night headliners are a 5-piece indie-folk band from South Wales called Rusty Shackle. We’ve seen these guys live several times, and they really know how to have fun, putting on a captivating, feel-good, live show. Brandishing their distinct, folk-roots sound and armed with an electrifying mix of rampant fiddle, slick guitar, banjo hooks and tight pulsating drums and bass lines.

On Saturday night we welcome back Noble Jacks, who are another lively and danceable folk band from Brighton. They will get everybody on their feet with their high energy, fiddle drive, foot stomping rhythms. The evening is not finished there, as they are followed by the electronic Celtic fusion band Niteworks, from the Isle of Skye. The band are known for writing new songs in Gaelic and melding the bagpipes with techno and house beats. This is such an exciting new sound for BTT and we think you are going to love the uniqueness of their anthemic, celtic electronica sound.

Sunday, brings us the inquisitive truth-seeker, the devoted song interpreter, the enchanting writer, the genius folk singer, John Smith, with his full band, followed by the Welsh mega band NOGOOD BOYO, who are sure to keep the party going with their blend of welsh indie folk. Their award winning high energy performances have been causing storms and breaking dance-floors all around UK and Europe. The balance of paying tribute to their welsh heritage with a touch of all out recklessness will bring a perfect end to the festival weekend

Ones to Watch out for!

We love it when people tell us they have discovered new music at BTT and the band they have seen for the first time have gained new fans. Supporting original musicians is a great way to sustain the grass roots music industry and besides, we need it! We have some great, young musicians to tell you about, who are creating the new indigenous folk music of this decade. So please have a listen to Tina Boonstra, The Drystones, Sam Brookes, Ollie Dixon, Honey and the Bear, Long for the Coast and Our Atlantic Roots. These are all young artists playing their own original music, with strong, soul-searching lyrics and feel good melodies. You can find their music and others on our Spotify playlist and the full BTT2022 line up can be found here BTT2022.

Early Bird Tickets.

Early Bird Tickets* are limited and are available on the BTT website and this year we have also introduced a pay-by-instalments scheme. So grab yourselves a bargain and spread the cost ! We’ve also teamed up with Pitch Luxury Tents, who are providing high-quality glamping in the forest and this is by far the best way to enjoy the festival.

*Any ticket purchases made in January will receive a Free BTT and WE ARE NATURE sticker bundle!! – And who doesn’t love a decal sticker? (Stickers made by Sticker Mule).

Reflections on Between The Trees 2021

It’s been such uncertain times for festivals and events, but now we need them more than ever in our lives. They are about community, creativity, fun and restoration. They are places where you can express your inner self, form new friendships and make lasting memories. They are a form of modern-day pilgrimage, a time to relax, restore and reset. Between The Trees takes place in such a wonderful and magical space, created by a natural woodland amphitheatre, undulating sand dunes and a unique biodiverse ecosystem.

But it’s you, the people, who create the energy!

it’s been a privilege to organise this event and we are always struck by the positive effect it has on people and performers. Here are just some of your reflections on 2021…

“The highlight was making so many new friends and dancing with them to great music in an amazing environment. The first night I got there I was amazed by the stars, framed by tents, trees and the lighting, and was awestruck” Oli Perkins (BTT Crew)

“It was all wonderful, but the food was 5-star, such an amazing platter served up by Fresh Rootz, the vegetable pakoras were just stunning. The best food we’ve had at a festival” Dorothy (Festival Goer)

“They were so wonderful! I loved it, what a way to end a beautiful weekend…. with tears and joy and lots of dancing!” Esther Nagle (RE: Wildwood Kin’s headline performance on Sunday)

TICKETS for 2022

“We had such a fantastic weekend at the festival, and I’ve already booked again for next year. Thank you for everything you do. It was such a lovely and safe space for my girls to roam and enjoy, and we all discovered some new favourite bands and skills! We particularly enjoyed Firewoodisland, and one of my girls made firm friends with Abi after meeting her at her stall and then doing the watercolour workshop. She was so excited to then see her and Stian on stage!” Kate Houghton (Festival Goer)

“Would like to send you guys that made the festival so magical huge GRATITUDE, we only came for the one day because you were fully booked. Next year we will be staying the whole weekend. Thank you again, your hard work paid off. We will hold these magical memories always 🙏🏼💞😊” Minnie (Festival Goer)

“Can I just say thank you for an amazing weekend, I’m still buzzing and really don’t want to be back in the house and back to reality. We had the BEST time and it made our summer. We brought our 5 children, one of them even had their birthday there. It’s family time and memories that you can’t get anywhere else! A very special festival (the best) that I can’t thank you enough for putting together after the year we have had! We can’t wait for next year x” Anneka Santillo (Festival Goer)

Looking forward to 2022!

We will be releasing the full 2022 line-up soon and we’ve been busy creating a fresh roster of acts. We are also putting together a series of science talks which will feature more prominently next year. Our aim is to make an event where people can have fun, get creative and enjoy time with friends and family as well as have the opportunity to learn about the wonders of nature and how we can help conserve our amazing Planet with its delicate ecosystems.

Thank you ALL so much for your contribution and for making 2021 possible and we look forward to inviting you to BTT2022

Best Wishes

Andrew, Dawn and the BTT Crew xx

TICKETS for 2022

We hope that you are staying safe and coping with the huge challenges and changes that living and working through this pandemic has brought. It’s been a very hard year for many: the loss of family or friends, maybe illness as well as the additional demands of home working, home-schooling and the change of income, for some.

We have some Good News for you and something to look forward to! Even though the larger festivals have again started to postponed, we are planning for Between The Trees to go ahead this year, albeit in a different way. Our key phrase this year will be, “Do it Smaller, but do it Better” and in this way we can still have an enjoyable experience but with maximum safety measures. So, we are planning for a smaller and more relaxed event of 500 people (including crew). We will obviously adhere to Government guidelines concerning social distancing, the wearing of face coverings, hand-sanitisation and restricted numbers in indoor spaces. However one of the biggest advantages at the site, is that we have a lot of outdoor space, of around 100 acres.

Winter sun at the festival site (Photo courtesy of MM Estate)

In addition to social-distancing, there will be bigger tent pitches, more regular, thorough cleaning practices and the on-site flushable toilets and showers will be supplemented by hiring in greater numbers of portaloos and outdoor showers. To reassure everyone, we will be working closely with Bridgend County Borough Council and the landowner, Merthyr Mawr Estate, to make sure we are doing everything possible to create a safe and enjoyable event.

We have kept the amazing 2020 line-up, with headline acts such as; Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys, Wildwood Kin, Sheelanagig, The Trials of Cato and Martyn Joseph. We will still be having Well-Being activities and Science speakers, poets and authors, indeed we are exploring themes and planning workshops already.

Making the festival work financially, with reduced attendees, is going to be a real test for our creativity, so once we have sold out of the limited number of remaining Tier 1 tickets, we will release Tier 2 and Tier 3 in small, time-limited batches. Tickets on Sale from Monday 1st February 2021. This year we are introducing a small fee* for camping pitches to ensure we have reserved spaces for everybody (*this does not apply to those who purchased and rolled over from 2020). There will also be an increased number of glamping tents on offer this year, you just need to bring your own bedding and a picnic set!

If you want to support the festival through these difficult times, then please visit our on-line shop which we are intending to stock with new items when the brand new, bi-lingual website is launched at Easter.

We all really look forward to welcoming you back to the community at Between The Trees again, we have missed you!

love to you all,

Andrew, Dawn, Alex and Paige

The BTT Team

Happy Christmas to you all! We hope you all have a relaxing time, stay safe and manage to share Christmas with your families.

Needless to say, festivals have had a hard time of it in 2020 and the events industry has been hit badly. Many festivals have already postponed for 2021 and others, will just not survive. Sadly, many artists, entertainers and food providers will not have an income this year. However, the good news is that Between The Trees remains determined to come back in 2021 and we will be putting limited tickets on sale after Christmas. Fortunately for us, over 80% of you who bought tickets for 2020 rolled them over to 2021 and this has saved the festival.

We diversified in the summer and opened the festival site up as a glamping site in partnership with Merthyr Mawr Estates. We only had 10 socially distanced tents on site. We called it “Woods and Dunes” and here are some photos of the lovely gathering.

We also launched the Between The Trees Sessions and, with the help of a small grant from the Art Council for Wales, filmed some music and natural science talks on the festival site. This little project provided some much needed funding for film makers, sound engineers and artists.

We really appreciate your support and we were astonished by the £750 raised by our crowd funder. You can still help support Between The Trees by visiting our online shop and buying a “we are nature” t-shirt or embroidered BTT patch. If you order by Friday 18th Dec we will do our best to get it to you before xmas.

Best Regards

Andrew & Dawn

We hope everybody is well.

In these unprecedented times, it’s even more important that we work together to build resilience and create support networks. Between The Trees festival has always been passionate about supporting live original music and we all realize that events, music venues and artists have been hit hard by the lack of work. However, creative people are resilient and we are confident that the music industry will bounce back and hopefully in a more sustainable format. It’s about time that wealth was distributed more evenly and that young original musicians get the recognition and rewards that their talent deserves.

In this respect, BTT have begun recording the Between The Trees Sessions, these are short musical performances and talks filmed at the BTT festival site. They will be screened every Thursday evening throughout September and October on our You Tube channel. The aim is to support musicians and artists and provide a platform for informative science talks.

To help fund this project and support artists, we are running a crowdfunder. This project finishes on 26th Sept 2020, so if you want to show your appreciation of musicians and artists during these hard times then please make a contribution. There are many rewards available including a limited edition 2020 T-shirt, as well as stickers, embroidered badges and membership of friends of Between The Trees.

Limited Edition BTT 2020 T-shirt design by Martin Briggs

Thank you for sharing the love of live music,

Andrew and Dawn.

Hi Everyone, Helo Bawb

Thank you for making this year’s festival such a wonderful experience.

We’d like to share our Between The Trees 2020 vision with you all. Firstly, we have added another night’s stay. The dates next year are Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th August. The festival will continue until 12 noon Bank Holiday Monday 31st August (30% more fun !).

We are delighted to tell you that we have secured additional fields and space for parking, campervans & camping. This means we can expand the numbers slightly to about 800, so still retaining that small community festival feel.

A limited number of early bird tickets will be released at 9am on Friday 18th October and then additional tickets will be available in tiered stages. Please make sure that that you secure the camping and parking you want as early as possible, as these sell out very quickly.

This year, we will again be showcasing amazingly talented folk-based artists and bands on the main forest stage. In addition, we will be introducing an exciting second acoustic stage for solo artists and duos.

We had very positive feedback from people who attended the science & nature talks and workshops on otters, bats, fungi, storm petrels and bees. We will be growing this area to have even more interactive talks and science & art workshops next year.

The woodland craft and art activities were very popular with wood carving from West Coast Makers, willow weaving with Jules Wagstaff, hands-on pottery workshops with Bert The Potter, leather working with Raul and water colour techniques with Abi Eleri.

We had the pleasure of Robert Minhinnick and Dan Llywelyn-Hall’s presentation of the Dunes, a book based on the local area. Spoken word and poetry will continue to be an important feature of Between The Trees 2020.

We hope you enjoyed the introduction of the Pagoda Health and Well-Being this year? All the Yoga and Qigong, sound therapy and massage sessions were well received and attended.

We are going to keep Between The Trees small, beautiful and suitable for all ages, so that you can continue to enjoy the peace and tranquility of this magical, natural environment.

Best wishes and looking forward to seeing you all next year,

Andrew and Dawn (Festival Directors)

“So much packed into one weekend at the end of the summer”

Hi there, well it looks like we’re all going to enjoy a lovely summer and what better way is there to end the holidays than with the summer finale of Between The Trees Festival? This year we have lots of exciting news to bring you. The site, itself, has been sympathetically improved with better access, a refurbishment of the central barn, toilets & showers area, mains electricity, a new recycling policy and cleared camping areas, so as festivals go, this one is a “as close to nature as it gets…with a bit of luxury”.

We have some new food traders this year including Babita’s (Indian Vegetarian), Flour’d Up (Pizza), The Greedy Pig (best burgers ever), The Wrap Shack (lovely wholesome spicy wraps) and Ice Green (a fabulous vegan ice cream maker from West Wales ..wow!). We also have Neil from Bang-On Brewery bringing us his craft ales as well as a selection of guest ales and Welsh organic “proper” ciders.

Music highlights this year include the serene Benjamin Francis Leftwich who will draw you in with his intense and intimate solo acoustic performance and to get you on your feet dancing we have Flight Brigade (Friday) and Noble Jacks (Saturday). There are over 25 original acts from all over the UK, one from Norway and a group from the Shetlands. New acts to really look out for include The Trials of Cato, The Black Feathers, Sam Kelly and Luke Jackson. You will be amazed by the talent that is on show this year!

We have a great Spoken Word line up this year supported by Literature Wales and Seren Book Publishers. Speakers and authors include; Robert Minhinnick, Mike Church, Sarah Philpott, Phil Cope, Jayne Joso, Patrick Jones and Ross Cogan.

As you know this festival is unique in that it gives you the opportunity to engage with Science & Nature and we have so many interesting and informative sessions and workshops lined up for you in Wallace’s Wood (named after Russell Alfred Wallace, the Welsh naturalist and sponsored by University of South Wales). The number of contributors is too long to list, but some highlights include talks by Lauren Eyles, a marine biologist and film maker who has worked on Blue Planet II; Dr Rob Thomas, a specialist in marine birds and Dr Eleanor Kean, who has studies otter populations in the UK. We will also be re-showing the Bruce Parry film TAWAI, a documentary film about an ingenious forest tribe, and we hope that Bruce himself will make an appearance at this years festival.

There will be plenty for the children to do and explore with interactive play and art from Roots. This year we will also be adopting a “quiet at night” policy to make sure people and the forest get a restful and peaceful night.

We want people to have fun, be inspired but also feel restored and rested.

Please share with friends and family

thanks for your support,

Dawn and Andrew (Festival Organisers)

#wearenature