We had a great couple of days! We started with activities for families including weaving threads for the Toastmaster costume, lanterns, adding stories to our storymap and a singing and musical warm up with Emma,. On Sunday the Wildlife Trust joined us making apple bird feeders and fat balls for birds which people took home. Tea and cakes were provided by local residents in Exwick and in Boatyard Bakery Emma provided a delicious tea of baked spuds and chilli. Heather then shared her stories of FLOW, shaped by your stories and observations of the river and FLOW and then we formed a dusk procession to each orchard.

Once greeted by the Toastmaster at the fire, this year played wonderfully by Crispin expert cider maker from Exeter Apples, we sang the Exeter Wassail, arranged for voice and Slack Ma Girdle, our wassail band, by Emma Welton leading into a crescendo of harmonies and pot bashing.  This year we had two more characters in our wassail story: the wind – who played in the trees (literally) with his tin whistle and alerted us to geese flying overhead across the moon with his weather vain (see if you can spot them in the picture) and Sentinel, protector of the orchard, who blessed the trees in the orchard and came back bearing liquid sunshine (cider) which was then passed round for all in the wassail bowl. Music and merriment continued with warm mulled cider and apple juice as darkness fell and we then went on the Thatched House Pub and the Topsham Brewery for further music and song.  As ever, thanks to the many people who helped make this happen including Emma from Boatyard Bakery, Helen in Exwick who stitched the Sentinel’s dress and Theatre Alibi. Please do join us next year. We are evolving a new tradition and you are very welcome to come and be part of the story.

Exwick photographed by brilliant FLOW photographer Jenny Steer

 

ST THOMAS/TREWS RELIEF:

 

THIS YEAR’S POSTER: