Take 5 with the Team

Posted on 19th October 2023 by Alex Mccann

Now that the bunting has been packed away, and the festival buzz has slowly subsided for another year it's the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on another fantastic festival and share some of our plans for the winter months. From filtering through feedback to future proofing our festival, go grab a cuppa, here's 5 things we've been working on behind the scenes over the last few weeks!

© National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Festival feedback

Charlotte has been going through thousands of pieces of feedback (thank you everyone!) to help us understand how things went across the country… the good, the bad, and the bunting!

We're delighted to see so many people enjoyed visiting events in their local community and further afield. Keep an eye out for our national impact report, released in November, which will have all the facts & figures from this year's festival.

Wrapping up New Wave 

This year's New Wave cohort met for a final time to evaluate their events and share ideas for the future

From sea shanties and Georgian games to stained-glass and flower crown making, this year's New Wave programme again delivered exciting and innovative events across the country. In their final session (hosted at the brilliant Museum of Brands) this year's cohort discussed how their events went and helped to create a helpful handbook for future New Wavers.

On the horizon

Building on the feedback we've received, we're already preparing for next year! 

  • We're always on the lookout for ways to connect with our festival community and develop new partnerships. Sarah's been meeting with organisations far and wide from across the sector to discuss our work and highlight some of the fascinating stories we've uncovered. We'll also be at the annual 'Historic Buildings Parks & Gardens' exhibition in November to continue to spread the word. 
  • Liam & Jade have been busy pulling together a new selection of resources for our 2024 festival theme. From Edible England to Hidden Nature, each year our annual theme helps to generate new and diverse events, whilst giving old favourites the opportunity to share untold stories. We'll be sharing more details on next year's theme in the coming weeks.

New beginnings 

And for me, well, it's been a busy few weeks testing, tweaking & transferring information in preparation for the launch of our brand new website - which will form the backbone of all of our work for years to come. We've been quietly working away on this massive project for a few years, and we're really excited about the opportunities that this will hopefully create for both organisers & visitors alike! We've listened to lots of feedback, and here are some of the things we've been working on...

  • A new event search & more filters to allow visitors to easily find events
  • More options for organisers & coordiantors taking part in the festival

Stay tuned, there will be much more on this as we move into the new year – and we will need YOUR help to make it the best it can be. If you're interested in supporting us on this project - whether that be testing a webpage, giving feedback (good & bad!) or simply making a suggestion to make things better... we'd love to hear from you!

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