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4 June 2026

Dear Volunteers,

We are now nearing the end of National Volunteers’ Week, and what a wonderful week of tea parties and celebration it has been!

First up, on Monday it was our lovely Bishop’s Palace Afternoon Tea in the Undercroft, complete with beautiful flowers from Jo’s Community Garden team, posh cake stands, crustless sandwiches, mouth-watering scones, and a delicious selection of cakes. The café staff excelled themselves, and it was such a treat to be able to share something special together.

On Tuesday, I also attended the Wells Community Network celebration for all volunteers in Wells at the Town Hall, with speeches from Philip Welch on behalf of the WCN and the new Mayor, Denise Denis, all expressing their thanks and congratulating you on the incredible work you do.

To continue the celebrations, here is a video featuring a selection of Bishop’s Palace volunteers talking about their roles and experiences at the Palace, marking National Volunteers’ Week:

https://youtu.be/7EtV96SRwtI

Some of you will also be receiving long service award badges from your line managers. Very well done to you all for your commitment and dedication!

Thank you, as always, for everything you do. It is very much appreciated.

Warm wishes,

Gemma

1 June 2026

Dear Volunteers,

Please find a link to a letter of thanks from Bishop Michael. What a lovely way to start National Volunteers Week.

That just leaves me to thank you all too, for everything that you do here and for being part of this first rate team.

Best Wishes

 Siobhan 

22 May 2026

Hello Volunteers,

We hope you are all enjoying the sunny weather! 😎☀️

You can’t miss the new scaffolding that has gone up around the Gatehouse earlier this week. The work is expected to last around 10–15 weeks. Thankfully, the scaffolding has not been put up directly in front of the Gatehouse entrance, so the front remains looking welcoming and clear. A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped out on Monday and Tuesday during a damp few days while everything was being put into place. Your patience and support were very much appreciated.

May Half Term Activities 🦢☀️

For those volunteering next week, there is a lovely new Swan Trail around the gardens, with a swan fact-finding mission for little visitors to enjoy! Jeremy will also be trialling Welcomer volunteers helping outside the shop by collecting completed trail sheets.

3 Minutes with the Chair 🪑

Merryn and Roger’s quarterly update from the recent Board meeting is now available to watch here:

https://youtu.be/jD4B0CLj1TU

Volunteers Wanted – Fun & Games Exhibition 🎤🤼⚽

Siobhan is looking for volunteers over the summer to spend an hour or two a week in the Fun & Games exhibition in July, helping to record visitors’ memories of fun times they have had at the Palace. Training will be given and the recording equipment is very easy to use – honestly!

Please email Siobhan if you are available to help. [email protected]

Volunteers Needed – School Printing Workshop – Thursday 2nd July🖌️

We are looking for two enthusiastic volunteers to help with a practical printing school workshop on Thursday 2nd July. Timings. 12pm – 3pm, Venue: St Vigor & St John School, Chilcompton.

Please email Gemma if you are interested in helping.

Volunteer Coffee Mornings ☕🥮

Please note there was an error with the coffee morning dates in one of the last newsletters. The correct dates and locations are below:

• Friday 29th May, 11am – Gardeners’ Mess Room
• Thursday 23rd July, 11am – The Laundry
• Tuesday 29th September – The Laundry
• Friday 30th October, 11am – Gardeners’ Mess Room
• Thursday 26th November – The Laundry

Hope to see you there!

Wells Cathedral Tour – Thursday 23rd July, 1pm – 2pm ⛪

There is a Ground Floor Tour of Wells Cathedral open to all volunteers on Thurs 23^rd July 1 – 2pm. We will meet outside the main Cathedral entrance at 12:50pm. Please email Gemma if you would like to attend.

Summer Late Night Openings from June 🌙

The site will be opening late on Friday evenings over the summer, starting from Friday 5th June, 6 – 8pm. It will be every Friday evening (except 3rd and 24th July) but do double check the website to confirm.

Calling All Guides🙋‍♂️

Some extra slots for Tours have recently been added to SuperSaas, so please do check the rota if you have not looked at it for a while.

Writing for Wellbeing: 6 week course ✍️🙏

Don’t forget that we still have spaces available on our Writing for Wellbeing course starting on Friday 12th June 10:30 – 11:30 in the Community Garden, run by published writer Polly Hall. The course is aimed at people with a long-term health condition long term pain or those on a low income. Please do apply yourself by emailing Gemma or pass the information on to anyone who may be interested.

New Internship – Fateha Ahmed 

We’re pleased to welcome our new intern, Fateha Ahmed, from University of the West of England, who has joined us and will be working with the Community Engagement team until the end of July. We’re excited to have Fateha on board and look forward to working with her over the coming months.

Thank you, as always, for all your support and volunteering.

Best wishes,

Gemma

 

Here are a couple of photos for April