A DAY to celebrate all that is best about life in Wells, culminating in a dazzling lantern parade, is set to light up the city in January.

The inaugural Wells Community Day and Lantern Parade has been organised by Wake Up Wells, founded by Emma Lefevre and Kirstie Harris to bring together different community groups to celebrate and showcase life in Wells.

On Saturday, January 26, Wells Cathedral will welcome community groups to a 'fresher's fair' of information stalls, activities and performances.

More than 80 groups will be participating, and three choirs, musical theatre, dancers, a jazz group and a number of school music groups are keen to perform.

The event is proving so popular that it has spilled over into Wells & Mendip Museum where there will be creative craft activities for the whole family and community workshops including dementia awareness; the barriers and benefits of collaboration; culture and heritage awareness; and leadership for teenagers.

Resilience Voyage's Drugs Bus will be in the Market Place with an innovative 'escape room' designed to raise awareness of drugs.

The lantern procession, supported by Somerset Skills & Learning, will finish off the day with refreshments in the Bishop's Barn in Wells Recreation Ground followed by the parade which starts at 6pm from the Barn.

The route will take in the Moat Walk, Bishop's Palace croquet lawn, Bishop's Eye, Penniless Porch and Cathedral Green before returning to the Barn, via Moat Walk. There will be 12 lantern making workshops during January at Somerset Skills & Learning where participants can make a lantern to take on the night.

Wake Up Wells

This unique community initiative is being spearheaded by Wake Up Wells – a not for profit organisation formed in 2018 to encourage community interaction in and around Wells. Already they have organised a Stakeholder conference, which took place in October, and have ambitious plans for an ongoing programme of events and actions designed to kick-start conversations and collaborations in and around Wells. 2019 Calendar

Designed to raise awareness of what is going on in and around Wells and to raise funds for the Community Day, the Wake Up Wells Calendar highlights events month-by-month throughout the year. It went on sale in early December at venues across town for a recommended retail price of £7.50. Want to get involved?

Wake Up Wells are looking for community-minded individuals to get involved in the production of this unique event both in advance of and on the day itself. Those interested should contact: [email protected]. They are especially looking for stewards and marshals for both the daytime event and the lantern procession. This could be a fundraising opportunity for local groups. Lantern Making Workshops

These will be held at Somerset Skills & Learning, Portway, on the following dates and times:

Thursday, January 3, 1-4pm; Sunday, January 6, 10am-12.30pm/1-4pm; Tuesday, January 8, 6.30-9pm; Wednesday, January 9, 1-4pm; Thursday, January 10, 6.30-9pm; Sunday, January 13, 10am-12.30pm/1-4pm; Tuesday, January 15, 6.30-9pm; Wednesday, January 16, 1-4pm; Thursday, January 17, 6.30-9pm; Sunday, January 20, 10am-12.30pm/1-4pm; Tuesday, January 22, 6.30-9pm; Wednesday, January 23, 1-4pm.