Monday was almost like any other one, Monday is my Eco Communities day. Except I woke up curled up on the sofa with the dogs, feeling a bit guilty about being out all day yesterday slept with them, and I was aching all over.
My days working from home usually start the same way: tidying the kitchen and the breakfast bar dumping ground, popping bits in the dishwasher, feeding the dogs, squashing flexible plastic into my Wholly Shrink, then wiping down the worktops with Fill All-Purpose Spray (it smells gorgeous of honeysuckle). It’s become a little ritual before I even make myself a coffee.
Even with the routine back in full swing, I couldn’t switch off. Chester Green Festival might be over for another year, but I’m already thinking about what comes next.
This was our sixth green event. We started out as the Sustainable Cheshire Festival in Grosvenor Park, then in 2024 merged with Active Travel Fest to become Chester Green Weekend, spreading across Grosvenor Park and Town Hall Square. This year we weren’t able to negotiate a full weekend together, so it became Chester Green Festival instead — day one on Sunday 7th June, and day two the following Sunday, 14th June.
Ever since Great Big Green Week moved from September to June, our event has been at the mercy of the British summer, and most years that’s meant rain, lots of it. Last year we somehow squeezed our fashion show and the Morris dancers in between torrential downpours. So this year we played it a little safer: a market of stallholders, charities and activities across Town Hall Square and Exchange Square on day one, and day two moved inside Chester Town Hall.
And then, of course, the weather did what it always does and caught us out the other way. The 14th turned out to be glorious sunshine, and ironically that may well have worked against us. Footfall into the Town Hall was noticeably quieter than we’d hoped, and central Chester itself felt much quieter than it had on the cloudier first weekend. It seems the better the weather, the less inclined people were to come indoors, even for a good cause.
It’s a useful, if slightly frustrating, lesson. After six years of this event evolving, through Grosvenor Park, merging with Active Travel Fest, I know there’s no perfect formula. But I do know I want next year’s festival to reach people who haven’t found their way to an Eco Communities event before, not just the people who already come along every year.
So here’s where I need your help.
If you came to Chester Green Festival this year, thank you so much for being there. And if you didn’t, I’d really love to know why, no judgement at all.
A few things I’d love to hear from you:
- If you didn’t attend, give let is know why- too far, on holiday.
- What was your highlight (or low point) from the festival this year?
- If you missed the Sunday in the Town Hall/Picturehouse, what would have tempted you in rather than out enjoying the sunshine?
- How did you hear about Chester Green Festival, and where would you expect to see something like this advertised?
- Any ideas we can put into our mixing pot of though’s for next time….
Just hit reply to this email, to enter the free draw complete the formal feedback.
Or if you’d rather chat it through, drop me a line at office@sustainablecheshire.uk.
Thank you for being part of this, in whatever way you were. Here’s to making next year’s event even better.
Thanks to all the stall holders, charities, businesses, speakers and volunteers .
Taste Cheshire were a huge support again for the outdoor part of the event – working with the Council Events team and pulling together all those gazebos’ and the plans.
Day two Chester Townhall and Picturehouse was all Emily and myself in the planning (I am not going to lie it was hard work this year and not perfect including problems with the phone signals and payment readers)
The Townhall team and Picturehouse were all a huge help on Sunday.
Helen
