The popular Green Man Festival in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, has been cancelled after organisers struggled to secure enough volunteers to run the event. Alfie Windsor, who runs the festival alongside his wife Jan, described it as “a victim of its own success” after efforts to recruit helpers fell short.
The annual festival, which started in 2017, draws around 10,000 visitors and showcases more than 1,000 performers. Mr Windsor said the event “had grown like crazy” over its eight years and that the workload had become too great for just the two of them. “People are all keen to see it go on, but unless people will step forward and do the work needed, you can’t sustain it,” he said.
The festival celebrates the mythical Green Man, an ancient symbol of nature and rebirth, and is a highlight for Morris dancers. A parade featuring a 3-metre tall Jack in the Green figure is normally a centrepiece, but this year it will remain in storage.
To continue the festival, the Windsors had hoped to form an 11-member committee, but only six volunteers came forward following a meeting on 31 October. “We were able to get a lot of people say they’d come along on the day and volunteer for a couple hours, but we couldn’t get people who would put in two, three hours a week from now until May,” Mr Windsor explained.
He added that local groups have increasingly struggled to secure volunteers in recent years due to the cost of living crisis. “Life now for people is so non-stop. People don’t have the time, they’re busy, they’re overwhelmed,” he said.
Bradford-on-Avon Town Council expressed disappointment at the cancellation, saying: “It’s such a special event for our town, loved by visitors from far and wide – and one we’ve been proud to support over the past few years. We’d love to work with the organisers to see how the festival can continue in a way that’s sustainable for the team they’ve built.”
