Wells City Council

22/10/2026

Mayor's Diary: Wells Festival of Literature 📖

Who can hold the attention of 300 schoolchildren for 45 minutes, engaging, encouraging and enthusing them with the energy and wit of a stand-up comedian, while imparting pearls of wisdom imperceptibly about writing stories?

Well certainly not me! But the author who did just that today was Helen Rutter, and I was just as captivated by her inspiring talk as those children!

I also met Lesley Cain, one of the organisers, who explained that profits from ticket sales at the help fund transport for more than 1,000 Year 6 pupils from Wells and around. The Festival also provides 2,300 children’s books, available to buy for just £2 each on the day.

Reading for pleasure is a gift and for life skills is a necessity. This fantastic Festival helps that by introducing the children to an event like this.

There were so many happy faces today and it was fantastic to see that all the children had at least one book in their hand ❤️

21/10/2026

Members of the Wells Bells Project will be bringing the sound of handbells to Wells Market this Saturday (24th October), helping to raise awareness of an exciting project to rehang and expand the bells at St Cuthbert’s Church to a total of 10 bells.

Come along to the Market Place between 10am and 3pm to hear the bells ringing in short bursts throughout the day and find out more about the project.

The Wells Bells Project is fundraising to support this work and preserve the tradition of bell ringing in our community.

➡️ Find out more: https://wellsbellsproject.com/

Why not make a visit to Wells Market part of your Saturday? 🛍️

20/10/2026

⚠️ Wells Market cancelled tomorrow - Wednesday, 21st October.

Unfortunately, due to the forecast of high winds, we have taken the decision to cancel Wells Market tomorrow.

The safety of our traders, market staff and the public is our priority. Thank you for your understanding.

You can still support our market traders by visiting their websites and social media channels, available via our website: https://www.wells.gov.uk/markets

📍 Saturday's market is currently planned to go ahead as usual. We will share any further updates if needed.

20/10/2026

Mayor’s Diary:

🏆 Sounds Joyful receives Somerset Chair’s Award

As Mayor of Wells, Cllr Denise Denis was delighted to nominate Sounds Joyful for the Somerset Council Chair’s Award, recognising its outstanding contribution to the community.

Emma Wheat and Jo Coombes represented Sounds Joyful to receive the award from Cllr Mike Best, Chair of Somerset Council, at the awards ceremony held at Taunton Rugby Club on 16th October.

The citation praised the organisation’s commitment to improving lives, fostering inclusion, promoting wellbeing and strengthening the community of Wells through the power of music. The Mayor enjoyed hearing from Emma and Jo about how singing together helps people build confidence, both in their singing and in themselves, and congratulated the team of volunteers on their work.

The next Big Sing will take place at Wells Cathedral on Monday 16th November, where the Mayor hopes to join the group to offer her congratulations in person 🎶

🎨 A visit to Wells & Mendip Museum

The Mayor and Olivia also rounded off the weekend with a visit to Wells Museum for an event showcasing the museum as a location for artists.

With its beautiful large Georgian windows overlooking the Cathedral’s West Front, the museum offers an inspiring setting for creative work. The visit also provided an opportunity to enjoy the watercolour and ink paintings of Winscombe artist David Cuthbert, whose exhibition, Key to the Fields and Other Paintings, runs at the museum from 20th to 24th October.

Congratulations to Sounds Joyful on its recognition, and thank you to everyone helping to celebrate and enrich the cultural life of Wells.

20/10/2026

Planning your wedding in Wells? 💍❤️

Wells Town Hall offers a flexible setting in the heart of the city, with a historic and beautiful space to bring family and friends together to celebrate.

Our Main Hall can accommodate up to 180 guests for a wedding ceremony or 120 guests for a reception. With layouts tailored to your plans, including hired-in round tables and chairs, you can create a space that works for your celebration.

Reception hire starts from £250, with additional extras available to discuss. The Town Hall also has a commercial kitchen, offering flexibility for couples looking to bring in their own caterers.

Alongside the Main Hall, the stunning Parkes Room and the Mayor’s Parlour provide further options to explore.

Whether you're planning an intimate gathering or a larger celebration, discover what the Town Hall could offer for your special day.

➡️ Find out more: https://www.wells.gov.uk/weddings

To discuss your plans, contact Wells City Council:
📧 [email protected]
📞 01749 673091

19/10/2026

🎄✨ Our Christmas Market entertainment applications are now closed!

A huge thank you to everyone who has applied to perform at Christmas at Wells on 12th and 13th December. We've been delighted by the fantastic response and are now reviewing the applications received.

We'll be sharing the full programme of entertainment and performances soon, so keep an eye on our channels for more festive updates! 🎶🎅

Thank you again to everyone who has expressed an interest in being part of this year's celebrations ❤️

18/10/2026

Wells City Council was pleased to be represented at the celebration of the new ministry of the Reverend Sarah Cornick as Vicar of the Benefice of Wells St Cuthbert and Wookey Hole.

The service took place at St Cuthbert’s Church in Wells on Thursday evening and was led by the Right Reverend Michael Beasley, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the Venerable Jonathan Lloyd, Acting Archdeacon of Wells.

The Right Worshipful Mayor of Wells, Councillor Denise Denis, represented the Council at the service, alongside the civic party. The Mayor also presented Revd Sarah with a gift on behalf of the Council.

We warmly welcome Sarah and her family to Wells and wish them every happiness and success as they begin this new chapter in the community.

17/10/2026

We're hiring!

Wells City Council is recruiting for multiple Casual Markets Operatives to support our weekly markets.

The roles will involve supporting the set-up and pack-down of our Wednesday and Saturday markets, helping to build resilience within the Markets Team and support our thriving weekly markets.

Key details:
💷 £17.75 per hour (subject to a pending pay award), paid on a flexible basis
⏰ Varying, up to 12 hours per week (worked between the hours of 5:30 to 9:00 and 15:00 to 17:30)
📅 Casual contract, with shifts on Wednesdays and Saturdays

For further information, please visit our website or contact Matt Johnson, Outside Spaces Officer, on 01749 673091 or email [email protected].

Closing date for applications: Sunday 1 November 2026.

➡️ https://www.wells.gov.uk/Vacancies

17/10/2026

Mayor's Diary 📅

On Wednesday, I met two members of the team building one of this year's Wells Carnival carts in a large hangar.

I learnt just how much time, effort and teamwork goes into creating these incredible carts. The process takes around 12 months, from dismantling the previous year's cart to designing and building the next one!

We'll get to see the finished creations as they make their way through Wells on Friday, 20th November.

The teams also fundraise throughout the year, volunteering at various events to help cover the costs of taking part.

Wells has four clubs entering carts this year: Mendip Vale, Globe, Gorgons and Cobra. Please come along and support this unique Somerset tradition!

Don't forget to bring some cash for the street collection, or donate using the QR code in the programme. Every donation helps keep Wells City Carnival running, with this year's collection supporting the 2027 Carnival.

Thank you to everyone who gives their time and support to keep this fantastic tradition alive!

16/10/2026

A new Art Club is coming to The Portway Annexe! 🎨

Further details and how to book are below ⬇️

⭐🎨 New Art Club - Chat & Draw!⭐🎨