Creative Climate Fest 2, July 4th and 5th, 2026

After several months of working together, shaping up the arrangements for the second Creative Climate Fest, the manager of Scolton Manor, Mark Thomas, and I saw it come together over the first weekend of July 2026. It felt a timely event, a series of heat waves in June having made the month the hottest on record, but we were fortunate in having a slightly cooler set of temperatures for the two days. 

The first task was displaying the wonderful artwork which had been collected for the event. Artists from Oriel Q Gallery in Narberth had generously contributed work, which was suspended from roof struts to form several avenues of art down the length of the Green Barn. That in itself provided an excellent display, large and striking canvases and banners filling the upper part of the hall.

That done, we made provision for the stalls and workshops over the weekend. In various corners of the Green Barn, we allocated space for workshops in wood carving with shave horses, wood sculpting, wood turning, and a wool spinning demonstration. There was space between all of these activities for various stallholders to set up. 

The stage was delivered, and everything was in place by the end of Friday afternoon. We arrived early on the Saturday, stallholders arriving soon after, with our printmaking and felt making workshops setting up underneath the pavilion and tent outside the Green Barn by the entrance. It was a busy morning, but just after 12 PM we were ready to start.

Councillor Maureen Bowen of Pembrokeshire County Council very kindly opened the event along with councillors Lucy Hinksman from Haverfordwest Town Council. The excellent Pembrokeshire songwriter Chris Swales kicked off the musical performances, and the afternoon unfolded with a steady stream of visitors. The event was very hands-on and tactile, and it was a real pleasure to see how many children were prepared to get stuck into the business of wood carving! The wonderful Popty Press in the outside gazebo was also a magnet for all the aspiring young drawers and print makers.

It was a privilege at the end of the occasion to have been involved with so many talented people and organising the event. At a time of consistently depressing national and international news headlines, the Creative Climate Fest was a reminder of the simple generosity to be found in our local communities. While the motivation for it was concern about the environmental crisis we are facing, the weekend itself was all about the fun of community art and  crafts, enjoying music, sharing knowledge and appreciating the time we spend with each other. Creative Climate Fest 2027 plans to go even further down this path, with a bigger and even more inclusive event on the drawing board!