Thousands to flock to Merefest in Ellesmere
Thousands of people are set to flock to a festival which celebrates one of the most beautiful parts of Shropshire’s landscape.
The annual festival in Ellesmere, called Merefest, celebrates the Meres and Mosses area, which holds a group of wetlands created during the last Ice Age.
The event will take place on September 16 at Cremorne Gardens next to the Mere and feature live music, a literary tent and stalls.
New to the festival this year is water zorbing on the Mere, climbing wall and mountain biking.
There will be usual craft fair, canoeing, Rowton Brewery bierkeller, falconry, fishing, archery and bushcraft sessions.
Organisers say Merefest is a festival of two halves – the daytime activities run throughout the day, then from 5pm the site will become the 'Merefest Twilight Zone', featuring more live music, a Wild Shropshire pop-up restaurant and entertainment from Fizzgigs.
In addition to craft marquees and food stalls, there will be over 30 activities for children and adults to enjoy; from fishing and willow weaving to falconry displays and canoeing. There will also be opportunities to meet some of the wildlife of the Meres and Mosses at displays and at mini-beast hunts and pond dipping sessions.
Spokesman Stuart Edmunds said: “Merefest has rocketed from year to year in terms of numbers attending. Last year, an estimated 6,000 people visited the festival and this year we are aiming for 10,000.”
Kirsty Brown, community officer for the Meres and Mosses, added: “The popularity of previous Merefests has made Merefest an attractive option for local businesses, bands and organisations and this is demonstrated by the huge range of activities that will be on offer throughout the day.”
The festival, which covers the whole of the Cremorne Gardens area in Ellesmere for the day, plus a farmers market along the promenade, will consist of a number of 'zones', including a media zone, literature zone, music zone and bushcraft zone.
One of the highlights of the media zone last year was Bogwatch TV – a six-hour live broadcast from the festival.
Based on the popular BBC program Springwatch, Bogwatch focused on the people directly involved with activities in the Meres and Mosses area.
