West Hallam - Well Dressing 2018
w/e 22 July 2018
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

Village Hall

This year's Well Dressing Festival in West Hallam opened on Saturday July 14th with all the usual entertainment and the well dressings were still on view all the following week. We didn't make it on opening day but did visit during the week to see some of the dressings. We began in the village centre at the Village Hall.
St Wilfrid's Church

A drive to the left of the Village Hall leads up to St Wilfrid's Church where unfortunately the sight of Teddy Bears sliding from the top of the tower down a zip wire on Saturday afternoon had not been possible due to wasps in the tower and that part of the Festival, popular with children who usually bring their own Teddy Bears to slide down the wire, had been cancelled.
40 Years

To the right of the drive to the church a well dressing celebrated forty years of the art in the village.
St Wilfrid

And in front of the Village Hall the centrepiece dressing prepared by the "Ladies of West Hallam" was a depiction of St Wilfrid himself. This was also a reminder that the first well dressing in the village forty years ago was part of a Flower Festival in the church from which the present day Well Dressing Festival has grown.
War Memorial

To the right of the church drive and close to the impressive War Memorial another smaller well dressing depicts the river of poppies at the Tower of London, appropriately placed here to commemorate the ending of the First World War one hundred years ago.
Scarecrow

This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the Scarecrow Trail which is run in conjunction with the Well Dressing Festival and one such scarecrow in front of the Village Hall also recalls the centenary of the end of World War One.
Fundraisers

Although it was much quieter in the village during the week following the opening day's activities, there were still books, DVDs and plants on sale outside the Village Hall raising much needed funds for charity. Collection boxes were also adjacent to all the well dressings.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The natural world featured in several of the well dressings and this one by the staff and children of the Village Pre-School showed "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" from Eric Carle's picture book for children.
Our Allotment

Nearby the Community Pre-School declared they were very proud of their allotment and used it as inspiration for their well dressing complete with a Flower Pot man.
Guiding

Nature was also apparent in School Square where the Celebrating Guiding dressing by the 1st West Hallam Guides marking the centenary of the formation of guiding in the village was fronted by lavender swarming with bees. There are more well dressings and many more scarecrows to be seen around the village but the best way to see them all is to make a note of the date and pay them a visit, same time, same place but next year when they will do it all over again.

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