There is a beautiful, invisible architecture that holds our world together. It’s in the soil beneath our gardens, the flight paths of the bees in our parks, and the shared stories that pass between neighbours on a Saturday morning. This year, the Green Shift Festival invites us to pull on these threads and discover the magic of our interconnected world.
The 2026 theme, Threads, Webs and Wonder: Connecting Nature, Soil and Community, is a celebration of the fact that we aren’t just living on the earth; we are a vital part of its natural networks. Hosted by Sustainable Clevedon and their incredible community partners, the festival is a ten day Spring journey across our town, designed to help us all reconnect with the life, health, and well-being that nature provides.
Imagine a week where you can start your morning watching Somerset Morris dancers bring tradition to life in Queen’s Square and spend your afternoon hearing from world renowned conservationists like Dave Goulson on the secret lives of insects. From the rhythmic. ‘Green Reads’ at the library to the soulful melodies of Natalie Fée at The Riff Corner, this year’s programme is a tapestry of walks, talks, and creative wonder.
Whether you’re curious about foraging along the coastal path to Ladye Bay, or want to lose yourself in the Hanging by a Thread art installation at The Curzon, there is an invitation here for everyone. We aren’t just talking about the environment; we’re singing, dancing, and creating our way toward a healthier, more resilient Clevedon.
Let’s look at what’s coming up. Here is your guide to the ten days of discovery waiting for us this Spring.
Saturday 18th April, Queen’s Square: Somerset Morris 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
If you find yourself drawn toward Queen’s Square on Saturday morning by the rhythmic jingle of bells and the clatter of sticks, you’re about to witness a piece of living history. Opening the festival is Somerset Morris, a renowned all women’s side that has been a cornerstone of the West Country folk scene for over fifty years.
Formed in 1974, Somerset Morris was a pioneer in the women’s revival of the dance. While many think of Morris dancing as a male only tradition, these dancers are part of a long standing movement that has reclaimed the art form, proving that the energy and precision of the Cotswold style belong to everyone.
Beyond the familiar white kit and clashing sticks, keep a close eye on their Stave Dances. This is where the festival theme, Threads and Webs, truly comes to life. These dances originated from the Friendly Societies of the 18th and 19th centuries, local self-help groups that acted as early insurance for working people (the original community webs!). On their annual Club Days, members would parade through the village carrying long poles, or staves, topped with ornate brass emblems.
Somerset Morris is believed to be the only side in the country that still performs with genuine 19th-century brass stave heads. Each brass top is a unique antique, once belonging to a specific village society. As they dance, they aren’t just performing for us; they are physically carrying the symbols of historic community support into the modern day. It’s a powerful reminder of how we have always relied on one another and nature to thrive.
Saturday 18th April, Queen’s Square: Storyteller Michael Loader 11.00 a.m. to 11. 30 a.m.
You will find Michael in Queens Square between the two sets of Somerset Morris dancing. If you have spent any time at The Theatre Shop or caught the Easter storytelling in Alexandra Park over the last few years, you probably already know Michael Loader. A professional storyteller, actor, and facilitator since 1988, Michael has a rare gift for engaging everyone from preschoolers to elders.
Michael’s storied career has taken him from the National Archives in London to the Birmingham Symphony Hall, but he remains a beloved fixture in our local creative scene.
Fresh from a “wow” performance at the Magical Moors event in Nailsea, Michael is bringing his unique brand of ‘wonder, weirdness, and delight’ to the heart of the Green Shift Festival.
He will be sharing two stories based on the intriguing theme, ‘I’ve got a tree in my head.’ These sessions are free and open to all ages, with little ones very much welcome. Whether you’re a long time fan of his local shows or discovering his storytelling for the first time, it’s a moment of connection and imagination that perfectly captures the spirit of the weekend.
Saturday 25th April, Foraging Walk with The Clevedon Distillery Team 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
Saturday offers a chance to get your boots muddy and your mind engaged through two very different types of ‘reading.’
Led by local experts, this walk takes you from the Clevedon Distillery along the coast to Ladye Bay and up to Dial Hill. It’s a masterclass in seeing the landscape as a pantry rather than just a view. You’ll learn to identify the hidden threads of edible plants that have sustained people on these cliffs for centuries.
Once you’ve finished exploring the landscape as a pantry on the coastal path, the journey continues back at The Clevedon Distillery with a treat for the senses from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. You are invited to pull up a chair for an engaging Gin Making Talk and Tasting that captures the very essence of our local environment. You’ll have the chance to sample their Classic and Coastal Gins while learning the secrets of how these spirits are distilled using botanicals that define our shoreline. It’s a wonderful way to toast the morning’s discoveries and support a local business that puts the spirit of Clevedon in a bottle.
Tickets are £16 and can be purchased directly from The Clevedon Distillery.
Saturday 18th April, The Barn: Community Fair 10.30 a.m. to 12. 30 p.m.
If the Morris dancing and Michael in the square provide the energy, the Community Fair at The Barn provides the blueprint for how we can live more sustainably. This isn’t just a market; it’s a gathering of local change makers.
Practical Magic: Freecycle and Clothes Swaps
Just across the road at the Barn, you will be able to see the ultimate circular economy in action. The Freecycle and Clothes Swap stalls are brilliant reminders that one person’s surplus is another’s treasure. In a world of fast fashion and disposable goods, these stalls are a quiet rebellion, proving that we can refresh our wardrobes and homes without costing the earth. The beauty of the Swap is in its simplicity: it removes the price tag from our needs and replaces it with community spirit, ensuring that perfectly good textiles and household goods stay in our homes rather than in the landfill.
Saturday 25th April, Clevedon Library: The Green Read 11.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
At its heart, the Green Shift Festival is about more than just environmental awareness; it is about cultivating a sense of belonging. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Shared Reading session, a unique gathering that defies the usual boundaries of age. Whether you are 8 or 108, the invitation remains the same: come as you are, and let the words do the work.
Guided by the expertise of Annie Robinson and Grace Hewson, the session is designed to feel less like a classroom and more like a conversation among friends. Annie and Grace bring a gentle, observant energy to the room, ensuring that every voice, whether it belongs to a curious child or a seasoned elder has a place to land.
Unlike a traditional book club where you read in advance, Shared Reading happens entirely in the moment.
The Process: A nature themed poem is read aloud. The group pauses, reflects, and lets the imagery breathe.
The Connection: There is no right way to interpret a stanza. A ten year old might notice the frantic energy of a bird in a poem, while a retiree might see it as a metaphor for resilience.
The Result: These differing perspectives weave together, creating a green shift in mindset, from seeing nature as a backdrop to feeling it as a shared, living experience.
“By reading nature themed poems aloud together, the group explores how words can spark deep, personal connections to the environment and, perhaps more importantly, to each other.”
In a world that often feels digitally disconnected, this session offers a rare slowdown. It reminds us that our local environment is a common thread that runs through every generation. When we read about the wind, the sea, or the soil together, we aren’t just discussing literature; we are strengthening the social fabric of our town.
Saturday 18th April, The Barn: Growing the Future: The Wellington Forest Garden Revolution and the Cossington Food Projects 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.
The highlight of the morning’s talks is a visit from Transition Town Wellington (TTW), the group behind a gardening revolution. They are currently the talk of the gardening world, having recently won the national RHS Award for Sustainable Gardening, the top honour for community greening, for their work on a Community Forest Garden.
What is a Community Forest Garden?
But what exactly is a Community Forest Garden? Unlike a traditional allotment with neat rows of fruit and vegetables, a Forest Garden mimics a natural woodland. It’s a living web of fruit trees, nut bushes, and perennial herbs that work together to feed people while supporting massive amounts of wildlife. By planting in layers, from high canopies to ground cover herbs, these gardens require less digging and weeding than traditional plots, working with nature’s design rather than trying to tidy it up.
TTW won their RHS award for their incredible work at Fox’s Field, where they’ve turned 8.5 acres into a sustainable food forest. This site is part of the largest community-owned piece of land in the country, and its success proves that when a community takes the lead, we can transform neglected spaces into edible landscapes that thrive for generations. They’ll be sharing how they did it and how we might plant similar seeds of change here in Clevedon.
Cossington’s Food Projects
We’ll also hear from community groups in Cossington. While smaller than Wellington, their food projects are a masterclass in local resilience. They demonstrate how a dedicated group of volunteers can turn a village into a productive hub, taking control of their food supply through shared growing and local distribution.
Their work is a vital link in the regional food network, moving beyond emergency aid toward a sustainable, membership led model that preserves dignity and prevents waste. Their story proves that when a single plot of land is connected to a wider web, supported by partners like FareShare South West and Sustainable Food Somerset, even the smallest village can lead a quiet rebellion against a broken food system.
By partnering with FareShare South West, these projects receive surplus food, high quality produce that is perfectly edible but rejected by supermarkets for having short shelf lives. Local volunteers act as the final, crucial mile in this logistics chain, ensuring this food reaches plates instead of landfills.
As we discuss the webs of our community at the Green Shift Festival, it is vital to remember the incredible network that already exists right here in North Somerset.
If you are looking to find or support your local Food Hubs, Pantries, or Community Fridges, there is a brilliant interactive map that shows them all in one place, including our own projects in Clevedon, Portishead, and Nailsea.
Explore the North Somerset Food Map Here
This tool allows you to filter by:
- Community Fridges: Welcoming spaces like the Portishead Community Fridge or the Fridge of Free Stuff in Weston, where anyone can share surplus food.
- Community Larders & Pantries: Projects like the Nailsea Community Larder, which focus on reducing waste and providing affordable food.
- Food Banks: Essential emergency support, including our local Clevedon District Foodbank.
- Community Gardens & Allotments: Spaces where you can reconnect with the soil and learn to grow your own.
By using this map, we see that we aren’t alone; we are part of a massive, county wide movement toward a more sustainable and supportive North Somerset.
Sunday 19th April, St John’s Hall: Saving Our Insects with Professor Dave Goulson 2.00 p.m. to 3.30 p.m
1.. (Tickets via TicketSource)
If there is a voice for the voiceless in the insect world, it is Dave Goulson. A Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex, Dave is world renowned for making the small stuff feel monumental.
Dave’s passion began at age six when he collected cinnabar moth caterpillars from his school playground and kept them in his lunchbox. He’s been running around after insects ever since! His fascination eventually led him to found the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006, which has grown from a small passion project into a national force with over 12,000 members and a team of over 50 experts.
One of Dave’s most famous discoveries is that bumblebees are smelly foot detectives. After five years of painstaking research into why bees often veer away from flowers at the very last second, he discovered that when a bee approaches a flower, it uses its antennae to sniff for the chemical footprints of a previous visitor. These smelly footprints are actually oily secretions left by the bees’ feet. If it smells a recent bee, it knows the nectar is gone and moves on, a brilliant display of insect intelligence.
Dave’s work has earned him the title of ‘Conservation Hero’ from BBC Wildlife Magazine, and his Sunday Times bestsellers have changed the way millions of people look at their backyards. His talk will bridge the gap between Averting the Insect Apocalypse and the practical joy of The Garden Jungle. He will show us how our own gardens in Clevedon can become vital threads in a national recovery network.
Sunday 19th April, St John’s Hall: Rewild, Regenerate, Reconnect with Martin Williams. 4.00 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.
Rounding off the afternoon is Martin Williams from the Belmont Estate in Wraxall. Martin’s story is a powerful example of how global adventure can lead to meaningful local restoration. Before dedicating himself to the Somerset landscape, Martin spent many years in education as a Geography teacher and Assistant Head. His passion for the natural world led him to guide high altitude expeditions to some of the planet’s most formidable environments, including K2 in Pakistan and the volcanic peaks of Ecuador.
Having witnessed the frontline impacts of climate change during these travels, Martin returned to North Somerset with a clear mission: to replace eco-anxiety with tangible, hopeful action. At Belmont, he has been instrumental in the rewetting of the land at Watercress Farm. By removing traditional flails and allowing the Land Yeo River to reclaim its natural floodplain, the estate has seen a spectacular return of biodiversity.
This isn’t just theory; Martin’s work has reintroduced ecosystem engineers like Iron Age pigs and Red Ruby Devon cattle to the land. These animals help create a rich mosaic habitat where wildlife can truly thrive. During this session, Martin will explain how this local model of Regenerative Farming provides a vital blueprint for a healthier, more resilient Somerset.
To see this transformation for yourself, you can learn more about the estate or book one of their guided ‘Wilding Walks’ to explore the landscape alongside the team.
Listen to this interesting Purpose People podcast with Henry Rossiter, whose family has been an integral part of Bristol’s community for over 175 years. From milking cows at age six to rewriting the playbook on sustainable estates, Henry’s story is a masterclass in legacy-building.
In this powerful episode, the interviewer explores how the Rossiters spent the last decade reassembling and reimagining Belmont Estate. Beginning with their first land purchase in 2012 and followed by the restoration of the House, the Walled Garden, and Watercress Farm, they have transformed the property into a hub for biodiversity and environmental education.
Discover how they turned a failing estate into a beacon of regenerative living, rewilding 140 acres and welcoming 6,000 people a year to reconnect with the land, all while building a purposeful future for generations to come.
Tuesday 21st April, Clevedon Library, Little Green Frogs: Nature Tales for Tiny Explorers, 11.15 a.m. to 11. 45 a.m.
A lovely morning nurturing the next generation of conservationists. This isn’t just a standard storytime; it is a carefully crafted immersion into the rhythms of the wild. Guest presenter Grace Hewson joins the Library’s beloved Storytime to weave a tapestry of nature themed songs, rhythmic rhymes, and captivating tales designed for the littlest ears.
As a specialist facilitator with The Reader, Grace brings a unique expertise in the Shared Reading model. Her presence ensures that the session goes beyond simple entertainment:
Building Empathy: The stories are chosen to help children see themselves as part of a larger, living world.
Deep Connection: By engaging with themes of growth and habitats through song, children develop a foundational bond with the environment.
A Gentle Start: It serves as the perfect, inclusive gateway into the festival’s Sunday theme, inviting families to slow down and wonder together.
Wednesday 22nd April, Clevedon School: Our Changing North Somerset Levels. 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
If you want to understand the Threads and Webs of our local environment, there is no better guide than Colin Higgins, known affectionately across the county as Higgy.
Higgy is much more than a photographer; he is a dedicated citizen scientist. His passion for local biodiversity is so infectious that he has been featured on BBC’s Springwatch, where he shared how he transformed his own garden into a sanctuary for rare insects and birds.
This isn’t just a slideshow; it’s a narrative of The Levels through the ages. Higgy uses archaeological findings to piece together what our landscape looked like thousands of years ago, when the Gordano Valley was a vast, wild marshland.
Higgy will be exploring the delicate balance of the North Somerset moors, explaining how these low lying lands act as crucial carbon sinks and why the specific way we manage our drainage ditches, known locally as rhynes determines whether a species like the water vole or the kingfisher survives the next decade. By bridging the gap between ancient history and modern ecology, Higgy shows us that we are just the latest chapter in the story of this landscape.
Tickets are £5 for each session, and under-18s are free. Buy tickets for these three events here.
Thursday 23rd, The Riff Corner: April Natalie Fée 8.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.
As we head toward the final weekend, the festival’s message moves from the head to the heart. Natalie Fée is a familiar face to many as the award-winning environmental campaigner, author, and founder of the award winning Bristol based charity City to Sea (the people behind the Refill water bottle campaign) Her dedication to our oceans has earned her an Honorary Doctorate of Science and the Sunday Times Volvo Visionaries Award, but on Thursday, she shares her journey through song.
Natalie is launching her new album, ‘Under the Oak’. This collection of songs was born from her own reconnection with nature during the quiet moments of the last few years. It was a project that emerged after she spent a full year meditating daily under a single oak tree.
Her music is the perfect embodiment of Wonder. Many of the tracks explore the emotional webs we have with the earth, addressing the transition from eco-anxiety to eco-action through haunting melodies and poetic lyrics. Drawing on her background as a visionary artist, Natalie uses her music as a form of healing invocation, helping us find the joy and connection needed to act for our future.
The Riff Corner provides the perfect intimate backdrop for this performance. This is a rare opportunity to see Natalie in such a personal setting right here in Clevedon as she celebrates this special album launch. Expect an evening that feels less like a concert and more like a communal celebration of the natural world, reminding us that art is one of the most powerful tools we have for inspiring change.
Check out the video clip below to hear the beautiful, haunting sound of Natalie’s music before the event.
Entry is free, but donations are very welcome.
Friday 24th to Sunday 26th April, Curzon Cinema & Arts: Exhibition Hanging by a Thread
The final weekend is the emotional and artistic crescendo of the festival. This is where the threads of the previous days are literally woven together into a tangible, shared experience at the Curzon Cinema & Arts.
The Hanging Thread will be a living symbol of connection and resilience. It will bring together many small artworks, each contributed by different people, into one large textile piece. The installation will:
Spark Curiosity: Visitors will be encouraged to explore a space that shows how we are all connected.
Celebrate Local Identity: The project will highlight the energy of Clevedon’s art community and show how important art is in local discussions.
Address the Green Shift: The installation will honour both the delicate and strong sides of nature, fitting well with the festival’s focus on sustainability.
What the Festival is Looking For
Local artists are currently preparing small, lightweight 3D works that explore themes of curiosity, connection, and care. To comply with the festival’s environmental mission, the installation will feature works created using recycled and reclaimed materials, giving new life to waste or found objects, and natural elements that incorporate the pure beauty of the living world; and low-impact processes, including sculptural assemblages, textile work, and paper or card creations. Because the web is a 3D environment, every piece will be viewable from both sides, allowing visitors to engage with the artwork from every angle as they move through the room.
While the call for artists has now closed, the real magic begins in April. The festival curators will bring the community’s collective effort together to create a truly unique spectacle.
Sunday 26th April, Curzon Cinema & Arts: The Grand Finale – Lost For Words 6.00 p.m.
The festival concludes with an evening that is part-odyssey, part-rallying cry. Hosted by the formidable Kat Lyons, the 2022-2024 Bristol City Poet, this event is the perfect bookend to the ten days.
Lost For Words is a poetic and scientific documentary inspired by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’s best-selling book The Lost Words. The film addresses a startling fact: in 2007, words like acorn, bluebell, and otter were removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary.
The film follows a journey across the UK, capturing landscapes and voices, from scientists to children, who are fighting to keep these words and the species they represent alive. It challenges our human centred view of the world and invites us to fall in love with nature again.
Kat will perform her own sharp, lyrical poetry alongside local students, weaving our town’s voice into this national story. It’s a powerful reminder that while the Webs of nature are global, the Wonder starts right here in Clevedon.
Threads, Webs and Wonder: Bringing Sustainable Art and Well-being to Our Schools
Beyond the designated Green Shift Festival week, the creative energy has already been flowing through our local schools. Children across our primary schools have been immersed in discovery alongside Alison, a former DT and Art teacher now known for her studio Made by Alison. Through a specialised Art Enrichment project, Alison brought the magic of fused glass to five local schools, using the medium to promote mindfulness and well-being. This gave the children a rare opportunity to work with a material they seldom get to explore at this age, all while focusing on the calming, creative process.
The children didn’t just learn a craft; they participated in a full circular process that began with using glass off-cuts from Alison’s own ‘Vibes of the Sea’ range. During the two hour workshops, small groups of just eight children per school engaged in the hands-on process of creating their own frit, crushing waste glass with hammers and metal plates to achieve the texture and colour for their art. This creative effort resulted in beautifully hand crafted sun-catchers, each designed to capture how the children see nature and how sunlight interacts with their surroundings. These lovely pieces will be on display throughout the festival week at Clevedon Library and The Curzon.
Alison’s work with glass as a tool for well-being continues elsewhere, too; she has recently been working with Clevedon School students to create fused glass projects specifically to promote mindfulness and total absorption, allowing them to truly connect with the medium. While she isn’t running workshops during the festival itself, Alison continues to host sessions from her home studio so that others can experience the focused, meditative craft of glassmaking for themselves.
Join the Shift: Be Part of the Web
As we look forward to these ten days of Threads, Webs and Wonder, the most important connection of all is the one we make with each other. The Green Shift Festival is more than just a series of dates in a diary; it is a collective heartbeat for our town. It’s a chance to learn, to listen, and to rediscover the extraordinary natural world that sustains us here in Clevedon.
Whether you are coming to swap a jumper at The Barn, marvel at the Hanging by a Thread installation, or hear the world class insights of Dave Goulson, your presence is what makes this shift happen.
Don’t miss out! Let’s fill our halls and streets with hope!
- Book Your Tickets: Many events are free, but for headline talks and the Curzon finale, tickets are limited. Head over to Ticket Source or the Curzon Cinema & Arts to secure your spot.
- Spread the Word: Share this blog with a neighbour or invite a friend to the Foraging Walk. The stronger our community web, the more we can achieve together.
- Stay Connected: Follow for live updates throughout the festival.
At Faces of Clevedon, we can’t wait to cross paths with you at the local venues, bringing our town to life. Let’s make 2026 the year we truly reconnect, not just with the wonders on our doorstep, but with the people who make Clevedon home.