Out in the Community 2026-2027

We are continuing our work at community events throughout the year, covering the whole of Somerset!

Somerset Day 2026 at Burrow Hill Cider Farm

We attended the Kingsbury Episcopi Timetravellers’ Somerset Day event at Burrow Hill Cider Farm for a second year. With a bespoke screen print design and a collection of taxidermy from our Museum collections, we had a great day meeting lots of different people.

A group of two adults and four small children standing in front of a stall where two team members are demonstrating screen printing. They are outside in a green field, with prints hanging on a line behind them.
A father holding up his child to see fossils in blue trays being displayed by a team member. There are boxes of taxidermy surrounding them in the outdoor space.

Printing from Nature – Exmoor Nature Festival 2026

Inspired by the life and work of Hope Bourne (1918-2010), we worked with local artists InkJam and ran a series of events as part of the Exmoor Nature Festival 2026.

Hope Bourne was a respected artist, writer, and creator who lived off grid on Exmoor for most of her adult life. Her work focused mainly on nature and the beauty of the local area. Along with thousands of drawings and paintings, Hope wrote and illustrated seven books and contributed a weekly column to The West Somerset Free Press.

These events aimed to reach the rural communities of Exmoor, providing creative opportunities connected to the beauty of nature, the local landscape, and well-being.

 

A young boy in a blue t-shirt leaning over a large printing press. There is newspaper on the table and artworks hung on a wall in the background.
A woman and two small children wearing caps, standing over a table using ink stamps to create artwork.
A birds eye view of a small child using a paint roller to apply paint to a leaf.
Cyanotype prints of foliage hanging on a line of brown string in front of a window. Through the window are books for sale.

Every Coin Tells a Story – Chew Valley Hoard Discovery Day 2026

To celebrate the acquisition of the Chew Valley Hoard, we joined forces with Valley Arts and colleagues from across the Trust to deliver a family event. The event took place in Chew Magna near where the hoard was discovered, which meant local people had a special advanced viewing of some of the coins from the hoard.

Furthermore, we ran several fun activities for families, including embossing coins, digital photography based activities, dressing up, and screenprinting. There was also a talk by the Trust’s Senior Curator, and several performances by a local artist.

A group of women standing around a display of coins laughing.
A close up photograph of a coin in a red case.
A young boy wearing blue, dressed in a crown and cloak.
Three people dressed up in mediaval costume, wielding a horn and a shield.
Close up photograph of a participant etching into a foil coin using a blue stylus.
A participant holding up an embossed foil coin.
A team member showing a photograph of a coin to a young boy.
A young girl stood next to a monitor displaying a golden coin version of her side profile.
A man and a woman taking part in a screenprinting activity with support from a team member.
Screen print artworks hanging on a line in front of an old-fashioned window with wooden shutters.

Weston Arts and Health Festival 2026

We attended the Weston Arts and Health Festival – a three day event focused on health and well-being through creativity and community. This event was run by teams from Weston General Hospital and Super Culture.