​Our GreenFest

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In 2019, GreenFest was born.
Initially an idea to bring eco-suppliers together in one location, it quickly grew to become an event that would take over an entire village. We wanted to provide a stage where anyone offering sustainable, environmentally-friendly products, services, advice or knowledge, could come together with people who wanted to meet and learn from them - but have fun doing it!

So, what began as one venue soon became five…….and all the outside space in between. We booked sustainable product stalls, charities, suppliers, we organised talks from experts in their field and ran workshops and activities all day. We wanted to make sure that every single GreenFest-er enjoyed and gained something from their time with us, whether they were 6, 16 or 60, an eco-warrior or just starting to seek out sustainable alternatives.

We welcomed around 2,500 visitors to Hampstead Norreys on that Saturday in September 2019. Many stayed for the day and some continued to soak up the sunshine and atmosphere on Dean Meadow, as the stall holders reluctantly packed up around them.

A true sense of community resided over the entire day. How could it not? So many people from West Berkshire and beyond had come together to present solutions, time and expertise to an attentive audience. Without the help of so many individuals, parishes, businesses and groups from our community, the day would not have run so smoothly, nor would we have been able to put GreenFest on for free. 

The infectious euphoria was entirely the result of exhibitors, visitors, villagers and volunteers, happily, interestedly, helpfully and respectfully engaging with each other. It was heartening to see the strength of our community and its appetite for change.

It was, without a doubt, yours, mine, #ourgreenfest.

​GreenFest 2019 was such a BLAST, that we were all set to bring you another fun-filled and informative GreenFest in 2020. But when COVID struck, we embraced technology like the rest of the world and ran the event online. With so much uncertainty still remaining we had a fallow year in 2021, but nothing (keeping everything crossed), ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (what could possibly go wrong?) is going to stop us in 2022!

Since our first event back in 2019, a new IPCC report has dished out an unsavoury warning and all eyes have been on Glasgow and COP26's outcomes, so there's  a lot to catch up on. The conversation has also changed with so much more joined up information in the public domain and that means more knowledge about what we can do to make a positive difference.

So we hope to see you in September 2022 for another great day that sees us join together, to learn more about the positive steps we can take to build a more sustainable community, together.