Archive News

Previous newsletters will be archived here going back about 12 months so you can always refer back to what has gone on:

ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS

19 March 2026

With the sun out today we are packed here! I thought it might be helpful to have a couple of reminders about things coming up to our busy period. Of course I realise some of you may already doing all of these things!

Fire Drill: If you hear the fire alarm and are anywhere inside the walls of the palace or inner gardens please go straight to the middle of the croquet lawn. You are not expected to round up visitors but obviously if you are near visitors, or pass them on your way to the croquet lawn, then encourage them to follow you. If someone refuses to leave and follow you then please let the duty manager know when you arrive on the croquet lawn.

If you are in the outer gardens (beyond the willow bridge) then please stay out there and await further instructions, either on the radio if you have one, or wait by the wellhouse area until someone comes to speak to you. Reassure visitors and ask them not to go back over the willow bridge until you are given the all clear. If someone insists on going over the willow bridge obviously you can’t stop them but please let the duty manager know over the radio if possible.

Do stop to have a chat to anyone sitting on the Happy To Chat bench in the free area if you wish. I just had a lovely conversation with a lady called Valerie in the sunshine this morning for 5 mins. It’s just another way we can make everyone feel welcome.

Guides just a reminder to please introduce yourselves, mention that we are a charity, we host private events like weddings, mention an upcoming event or current exhibition, that we have a wonderful café and about some of our community work (the community garden is a good example of that).

Please remember to sign in and out in the Bevy Room, have a look at the daily briefing sheet on the table in there if you are not attending the briefing, and keep up to date with things on the main Bishop’s Palace website and the volunteer website.

Please make sure you have practised using the radio lately, both to send and receive messages. Even if you don’t regularly carry one (like the archive team) you may need to use one in an emergency.

If you have any questions about any of the above please give me a shout.

Best wishes

Siobhan

11 March 2026

Dear Volunteers,

Spring is in the air! Lots of news so here goes……

Grace had laid about 6 eggs. Keep up to date on the swan cam.

Great news! We are having a free Open Day this year. Please spread the word. More info on our website: https://bishopspalace.org.uk/event/the-palace-open-day/

Each year we ask for three volunteers to come along to our monthly team meeting (30 mins first thing on the first Thurs of the month). Would you like to do this? It is important we have volunteers involved and if we get three people that only means coming four times during the year so not too arduous. All the teams give an update on what is going on in their department and of course you get a chance to say how things are going for you too..

A reminder that your lanyard is the equivalent of having a Friends of the Palace pass. This means you can attend any of the talks/tours for friends as well as getting a free entry and of course bringing along two friends on ‘Bring a Friend Days’. Have a look on the website for talks/tours/events.

Volunteer website updates: new for this month is the volunteer briefing powerpoint,  The Palace Trust strategy document for 2026 (a reminder that this is a confidential document for those withing the organisation) and we have also added a Monitoring Policy (see Policies and Procedures section). This is particularly relevant as we have new CCTV around the site.  This also relates to GDPR so please have a look at those policy docs too. For some light relief have a look at the pics from the pancake races too on the News page!

Supersaas rota has been updated until  the end of July so do go on and book yourself in.

Change of date for volunteer party. This will now be 3-5pm on Mon 1^st June (NOT 5^th as previously mentioned). We will be having a cream tea and garden games. Let’s hope we get a sunny day! Please let Gemma know if you would like to come along. This will be a celebration for National Volunteers Week.

A few people asked me if we could have names of the Bishops on all of the portraits in the Long Gallery. Plans are afoot for this to happen in the next 1-3 years depending on funding.

Guides: The new updated version of the guide pack is now on the volunteer website. Key changes are:

1. Change to how tours now take place – collection point and start point (see pages 4, 16)
2. New info relating to Great Hall – see page 17. Note deletion of point relating to there being a garden pre 1206 – there is no evidence of this
3. Amendments to Guides Additional Notes – see items 12, 14

Jo Stevenson, Community Gardener, is planning on running a seed bombs activity in the Easter hols for Nature Ninjas. Please can you bring in 6-egg egg boxes in time for Easter. Either give to Jo or one of the garden team at briefing or drop to shop.

Best Wishes and thanks for being part of this wonderful team,

Siobhan

27 February 2026

Dear Volunteer,

Happy Friday! I’m sure you will all agree it’s been a relief to see some sunshine recently, with the promise of a drier, brighter spring on the way we hope… 🥀🌞

📣 Annual Volunteer Briefing

Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Volunteer Briefing yesterday, 26 February. It was wonderful to see such an excellent turnout in the Conference Room. I hope you found it useful.

A summary will be added to the volunteer website over the next couple of weeks. We ran out of time for questions on the day, so if you have any follow up points please email Siobhan: [email protected]

🧩 Autism Awareness Training – Monday 2^nd March 2 – 3:30pm 

Monday’s Autism Awareness Training is now back in the Laundry Room from 2pm to the extended time of 3:30pm. Apologies for any confusion caused. The session is now full and will be a tight squeeze with 17 participants, but it promises to be an informative and valuable afternoon.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Updated Volunteer Role – Family Activities Volunteer

We have a newly named role, Family Activities Volunteer, which replaces the previous Learning Volunteer role. Please see the role description in the Roles section of the website.

This role involves offering a warm welcome to families at events such as Nature Ninja’s and Art Adventurer’s during school holidays, as well as helping with setting up and packing away craft / gardening activities. (You could carry out this role alongside your existing volunteering roles, as it does not require a large time commitment across the year.)

If you would like to be considered, please email me and I will put a list forward of names to Jo and Chris who manage these events.

📅 Welcomer Shifts – April onwards

Some volunteers have asked about booking April Welcomer shifts on Supersaas. These will all be uploaded by the end of next week. Thank you for your patience.

🚶 Volunteer Access Reminder

During opening hours, volunteers should enter through the Ticket Office rather than taking the shortcut past the Bishop’s Office.

The exception is Garden and Maintenance volunteers who are moving wheelbarrows or equipment.

🦢 Swans Update

It’s that time of year again when we help Grace and Gabriel encourage the juveniles to leave the moat. Surprisingly, not one has left yet.

To help, we have temporarily paused the sale of swan food in the shop, and we will be putting out signage on the green. The aim is to make food less readily available so the juveniles are encouraged to explore the levels, where they won’t be chased or pecked.

The Swan Cam is live, so you can keep an eye on Grace. Hopefully she will soon take a break from chasing them and start thinking about egg laying in the coming weeks!

If you have any questions about the swans, please contact Moira in the Brewhouse office.
[email protected]

That’s all for now. Have a great weekend and thank you, as always, for your support.

Warmest wishes,

Gemma

11 February 2026

Dear Volunteers

Some of you may have already seen the wonderful new exhibition from AO textiles. I am pleased to say that Emma, the creator, has offered to come in to talk to our team about the exhibition at 11-11:30am on Wed 18^th Feb in the conference room. Do come along to find about more about it so you can share this with the visitors. Please let Gemma Palmer know if you would like to attend.

Bishop Fiona, the new Bishop of Taunton, was installed at the Cathedral earlier this week.

Ash Wednesday (18^th Feb) will be marked in Wells Market Place near The Bishop’s Eye gateway by Bishop Fiona at 11:30am. It will be quite an informal gathering that all are welcome to attend.

Guides – there is a free slot on the rota on 24 Feb so do sign up on supersaas if you can cover that one please.

One thing’s for sure, I have certainly had my money’s worth out of my brolly in the last month. Thank you to all of you who have cheerfully battled the weather here over the last few weeks. Here’s to sunnier days coming…..

Best Wishes

Siobhan

4 February 2026

Dear Volunteer,

At long last I can say that it is a beautifully sunny day here. Do come in and see the carpets of snowdrops.

From Friday this week there will be a new exhibition in the conference room by AO Textiles, all about natural dyes (some of which have been made from plants right here in the gardens). Do go and familiarise yourself with it when you are next in. The organiser is going to produce an info sheet for the volunteer team and has kindly offered to do a talk about it (watch this space for more info).

We are having a pancake race on Shrove Tuesday (poster attached). Let me know if you’d like to take part. It won’t all be running, there will be a walking race and a ‘who can flip their pancake the most in 60 secs’ competition! In any event you are welcome to come and watch!

The swans are showing signs of wanting the mature cygnets to move on (chasing them off the moat, making them feel unwelcome etc). To help this natural process along we would ask that you avoid feeding the mature cygnets if possible please. This will encourage them to find homes before the new cygnets hatch in early May.

A reminder to sign up for the training/talks/tours (I have attached it again) and to pick up your new lanyard from the shop if you haven’t already done so.

Now let’s get back out in the sunshine!

Siobhan Goodwin

23 January 2026

Dear Volunteer,

Hope you are well. With so much rain in the gardens recently, it’s certainly been a soggy start to the year! I hope you’ve all managed to avoid the worst of the puddles.. 🌧️

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the WCN Community Day at the Cathedral last Saturday. It was certainly a fun and lively event, and it was lovely to see so many people in Wells working so hard to do wonderful things for the community.

A special thank you to all our volunteers who helped on our stand. You were fantastic ambassadors for the Palace and did a wonderful job running the stand and engaging with visitors.

🌟 Volunteer Training 2026
We still have places available on our 2026 Volunteer Training Programme.

Please see the attached list of talks and email me if you would like to book onto any sessions, or if there are others you’d be interested in.

☕ Coffee Meet-Ups
Come along to any of our Coffee Meet-Ups which are happening every month in the Laundry Room. (Dates listed on the attached 2026 Volunteer Training Programme) There’s no need to book on these. Just turn up, have a chat, and get to know other volunteers. Drop in anytime. Lasts 1hr.

The Laundry Room can be found by walking through the on site car park, through the archway and it is on the left hand side, blue door, up the stairs. 

🌿 Making Space for Ponds Workshop – Monday 26 January

We’ve been given details of an interesting Ponds Workshop taking place on Monday 26 Jan at:
⏰ 7.00 pm
📍 Wells Town Hall

This may be of particular interest to all Garden volunteers. Speakers include:

• Guy Graga – SWT Team Wilder
  • Rosie Lee Carter – Kingfisher Common Project

Please see the attached flyer for full details.

🎟️ Bring a Friend for Free – 17 February
On Monday 17 February, Friends of the Palace can bring two friends for free!

Don’t forget that your Volunteer Lanyard acts like a Friends membership, giving you all the same benefits. This means you can bring up to two guests with you on this date. A lovely opportunity to share the Palace with friends or family!

🎫 New Volunteer Lanyards
If you haven’t already done so, please collect your new volunteer lanyard from the Ticket Shop. These include a barcode, so it’s important that everyone returns their old one and has the updated version.

🌧️ Gardeners’ Mess Room Update
Finally, our apologies for the delay with the Gardeners’ Mess Room project. This is taking longer than planned, partly due to the recent atrocious weather, which has delayed other work.

Thank you very much for your patience. We hope it won’t be much longer now.

Thank you, as always, for everything you do. Have a lovely weekend.

Warm wishes,

Gemma

7  January 2026

Dear Volunteers,

Wishing you a belated Happy New Year. We had a successful Christmas period and now everything is cleared away and we are ready to re-open to the public in the morning. Thank you to all of you who went the extra mile to make it such a joyous celebration for our visitors.

The big news is that there is a new Visitor Reception (formerly known as the stableyard room) and the space where the shop used to be is now all part of the café. Amazing really that the transformation has taken place in just 3 days!

Just a reminder that during opening hours the new entrance (and exit) is through the new Visitor Reception where you will need to scan the barcode on the reverse of your lanyard on the black box on your right as you go in.  Please collect your new lanyard from the Visitor Reception if you haven’t already done so (and hand in your old one). For those of you who start before we are open to the public ie a few garden and maintenance volunteers, for now please walk down past the parked cars, in front of the palace and round that way to get in. You can unhook the chain by the palace building to slip through.

It’s that time of year again when we start gearing up for the busy Spring and Summer months. Here is this year’s Volunteer Training/Talks/Tours programme. Please contact Gemma to book your place.

This Sunday 11^th Jan at 3pm is the evensong service in the quire at the cathedral to remember Bishop Beckynton and his gift of water to the city. I will be there representing the Palace but do come along too if you would like to.

Sat 17^th Jan is the Wells Lantern Parade meeting at 6:15 in the cathedral. We have two swan lanterns (kindly made by some of volunteers for last year’s parade) if anyone would like to represent The Bishop’s Palace. Let me know and I will get them ready for you! That day is also the Community Day in the cathedral and we will have a stall. It’s always an interesting day so do swing by and say hello if you are in town. We will start our recruitment for new volunteers that day too, so if you know anyone who would like to join our team, as a welcomer, please ask them to contact Gemma.

Just a reminder that the new times for Palace Welcomer sessions are 10:30-1 and 1-3:30 just while it is fairly quiet in the palace.

Here’s to a great 2026!

17  December 2025

Here is a link to Merryn’s year end letter for 2025.

16 December 2025

Dear Volunteers,

What a busy, exciting month it’s been, and just 9 days to go until Christmas! 🎅✨

As many of you have seen, the Christmas decs and dried garlands inside the Palace are all looking absolutely stunning thanks to the Garden team🌟The Schools Eco Arts exhibition is in full swing with a record number of schools taking part 🎨 Father Christmas has been (!) 🎅Outside, the lights are shining beautifully for our Sparkle evenings with some lovely new additions such as the Apple Store becoming a Gingerbread House with sweet treats to discover. 🍥Plus, the new ticket shop is taking shape and looking lovely 🌈🖌…A lot going on!

Quick Updates:

🎄Decorations: Planning ahead – Chris and his team are planning on taking down the decorations in the Palace on Monday 5th January. We’re offering two volunteer slots to come and help:

o   10am–12pm

o   12pm–2pm

If you’re able to help, please reply to Siobhan at [email protected] to let her know which slot suits you best.

💺3 minutes with the Chair: Merryn and Roger’s quarterly update from the recent board meeting: Watch here: https://youtu.be/XBKXsW2HQDw

☕2026 Coffee meet-up dates held in The Laundry Room for your diaries:

o   Tues 27 Jan: 2pm

o   Fri 27 Feb: 11am

o   Thurs 26 Mar: 11am

o   Tues 28 Apr: 2pm

o   Fri 29 May: 11am

o   Thurs 23 July: 11am

o   Tues 29 Sept: 2pm

o   Fri 30 Oct: 2pm

o   Thurs 26 Nov: 11am

We also hope to catch up with lots of you at the Carol Service in the Chapel this Thursday at 2pm 🎵🍷🥧

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to all of you for your energy, time, and dedication this year. Your support makes everything we do possible, and we couldn’t do it without you. A very Happy Christmas from all of us here 🎄✨We hope it’s full of joy, laughter, and maybe a mince pie or two!

Thank you all for your continued support.

Warm wishes,

Gemma

5 December 2025

Dear Volunteers (and you might like to know that there are 183 of you!)

Things are getting very festive indeed here. I hope you’ve all had chance to see the decorations and visit the illuminations (known as Sparkle this year). Your lanyard entitles you to free entry for the illuminations so do come along to enjoy them (just make sure to remember your lanyard to show at the gate but pop it away afterwards so no one thinks you are on duty!). We have had a record number of schools taking part in the Eco Art exhibition this year and it brings quite a fun spirit to the palace.

All volunteers will be given new lanyards from 15^th Dec. This is because you will need to scan your lanyard in order to get past the new scanner in the visitor reception/shop from the beginning of January. Your new lanyard will look the same as your old one except it will have  barcode on the back which is what you will scan. We have used the generic name Volunteer welcomer for drawbridge, palace welcomers and VSVs just to make it simpler for visitors to identify your role. It will also mean that those of you who switch between those roles won’t need lots of different name son there!  Please collect your new lanyard from the shop. Thanks to Kai who has been working on producing 183 of these – no mean feat. Kai is on an 18 month placement from Yeovil College, studying T level Management and Administration and he is with us one day a week.

Would anyone like to help on our stall at the Wells Community Day in the cathedral on Sat 17 Jan 10-4? Just an hour or two would be great. We will be promoting what we do, mainly with volunteering. Please contact Gemma [email protected] if you can help. It is always a fun and relaxed event.

Just a reminder about the fire procedure. If you are in the inner gardens, drawbridge or palace please make your way to the centre of the croquet lawn. If you are in the outer gardens please remain there. It is important to keep your radio on as you cannot always hear all of the alarms (eg the gatehouse alarm cannot be heard if you are in the palace). Please can Palace Welcomers let the staff in the shop know that you are coming on duty. Please can drawbridge welcomers close the entrance gate on the way to the croquet lawn so that new visitors do not enter the site.

Please submit your travel expenses claim form as our financial year runs from Dec-Dec so any expenses need to be processed latest by the first week in Jan 2026. The earlier the better.

May I suggest that you sign up to receive The Bishop’s Palace monthly enews. This is a great way of staying up to date. Here is the link to the sign-up page:  https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/133746/sites/88335443511216096/thebishopspalaceemailnewsletter

Thanks to all of you who have pitched in to make Christmas at The Palace such a success. The visitors really do appreciate all of our efforts. You might like to know that yet again this year, one local family will be visiting Father Christmas as our guests, each day that he is on site. Each of the families have had a tough year, one way or another, and it is wonderful to be able to share a bit of Christmas joy with them. Each family receives free annual passes too.

Last chance to sign up for the volunteer carol service which is at 2pm in the chapel on Thurs 18 Dec. You are welcome to bring a guest. Please book in with Gemma [email protected]   Mince pies and mulled wine afterwards in the undercoft.

The new visitor reception is coming along nicely. Do have a peep through the window od what used to be known as the stableyard room when you are next in. It will be up and running for when we reopen in January.

Best Wishes

Siobhan

Tuesday 11^th November

Dear Volunteers,

What a fantastic weekend it was at the Artisan Market, despite the rain! A huge thank you to all of you who made it happen. From welcoming and directing visitors to shifting tables and keeping things running smoothly. We sold a record 3,120 tickets, with two-thirds coming on Saturday alone. A real team effort, and Chris and the team are already planning how to build on the success and refine things for next year.

A few things to note coming up: 

🌺 Somerset Poppies

The Somerset Poppies are now on display near the Well House in the Outer Gardens until 19th November. Created by local school children in 2018, there were originally 7,986 poppies each representing a Somerset serviceman lost in WWI. Lots were sold to raise money for SSAFA and other charities so we now have around 1000 displayed. It’s a moving and beautiful tribute. Do take a look.

🫖 Bring a Friend day – Thursday 13th November

A lovely chance to introduce someone new to The Palace. Please bring your volunteer lanyard.

🎡 Wells City Carnival – this Friday 14^th November

Expect some road disruption and road closures around Wells this Friday mostly from 6pm. We will still open as normal 10 – 4pm. Full details here: Wells City Carnival | Road Closures

🚪 Site access and closures

• Monday 17th November – The Bishop’s Eye gates will be closed all day and no on-site parking is available. (No vehicle access from Market Place to Palace – pedestrians can still walk through)
• Monday 17th November – Sunday 30th November – East Gallery closure
• Saturday 22nd November – Palace building closure from 1pm
• Tuesday 25th November – Palace building closure all day
• Saturday 13th December – Palace and Gardens closure from 12.20pm
• 24th – 26th December – Full site closure
• 5th – 7th January 2026 – Full site closure

☕Volunteer Meet Up – Thursday 20th November 2pm

Join us for a relaxed cuppa on Thursday 20th November in the Laundry Room. A chance to catch up with fellow volunteers, we’d love to see you there.

🎶 Volunteer Carol Service 

Our Annual Volunteer Carol Service will take place at 2pm on Thursday 18th December in the Chapel, followed by mulled wine and mince pies in the Undercroft. Please RSVP to me by the end of November if you’d like to attend so we can get an idea of numbers. You’re very welcome to bring a guest.

Thank you again for your time, energy, and enthusiasm, especially during a busy period. We truly couldn’t do it without you!

Warm regards,

Gemma

22nd October

Dear Volunteers

I thought today would be a good day to send out the volunteer news as it has been announced that a new Bishop of Taunton has been appointed, Fiona Gibson (more info at the end of this email). So that is very good news and I am sure you will see her around and get to know her over the coming months.

Reminder that the clocks go back at the weekend so from Sunday we will be open 10-4 until Spring! This means the daily briefing will be at 9:45 and many of the volunteer sessions change accordingly (see supersaas).

We are going to repeat some talks about the most well-known Bishops who have lived here over the centuries. These talks will last 1hr and will be on Mon 10 Nov 11-12 and Fri 21 Nov 11-12. If we have a lot of interest we will use the conference room, but if numbers are small we will use the Laundry room. In any event the talks have been very popular in the past. Each one covers three Bishops. The first one will include Bishop Jocelyn, Burnell and Ralph of Shrewsbury and then the second talk will cover Beckynton, Law, and Bagot and The talks will be presented by Brian Roberts-Wray, who has just retired from his role as volunteer guide after many years. Thank you to Brian for sharing his well-researched knowledge with us. Please book a place by emailing [email protected]

The Somerset Poppies will be going on display from 6^th Nov. Please let me know asap if you would like to help put them up (on 6^th Nov at 9am) or take them down (on Thurs 20^th at 9am). There will also be a Remembrance Service in the Chapel on Tues 11^th Nov at 12 noon. All welcome.

You may recall the Playing Card Photography Competition back in the summer. Well the cards are now on sale in the shop! They look great. We were very fortunate to have some really excellent entries from our community, staff, visitors and volunteers. There is a sample pack to look at in The Bevy Room and Gardeners’ Mess.

Works are still ongoing in The Dragon’s Lair but most, but not all, of it is now open again. Works are progressing nicely with the new shop. Do you and have a peep from a safe distance next time you are in! Should be up and running early Jan.

More info regarding the new Bishop of Taunton

The King has approved the nomination of the Venerable Dr Fiona Ruth Gibson, Archdeacon of Ludlow, in the Diocese of Hereford, to the Suffragan See of Taunton, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells, in succession to the Right Reverend Ruth Elizabeth Worsley, following her translation to the See of Wigan.

Fiona was educated at Homerton College, Cambridge, and trained for ministry at Oak Hill Theological College. She served her title at Christ Church, Bedford, in the Diocese of St Albans, and was ordained Priest in 2012. Fiona was appointed Vicar of Cople, Moggerhanger and Willington in 2014.

In 2021, Fiona took up her current role as Archdeacon of Ludlow, in the Diocese of Hereford, and was installed as a Prebendary of Hereford Cathedral.

Fiona is married to David, and they have two adult children.

Best Wishes

Siobhan Goodwin

Community Engagement Manager

(Mental Health First Aider)

Wednesday 9^th September 2025

Dear Volunteers,

Thank you for your hard work over the summer. We have been very busy and having your help and support makes all the difference. I hope you have had chance to go to see the wonderful costumes in the Wolf Hall exhibition upstairs in the conference room. The public seem to be very excited about the exhibition and we have had a very good attendance. It will be there until the end of this month.

I am pleased to report that the two

• Please find attached a summary of the results of this year’s volunteer survey. It will also be uploaded onto the volunteer website in due course.
• As many of you know we have been involved in the Wells Environment Week, in October, for the past few years. Most of the talks, events and workshops are free except for one panel event. Do have a look at this link if you would like to book in for anything. https://www.wenvironment.org.uk/events
• A reminder that the Harvest Service is in the chapel during the Tues at noon service on 23^rd Sept
• We are taking in part in Heritage Open Days next week with a tour on Architecture at The Palace (this year’s theme). This is fully booked. Many thanks to Malcolm for his expertise and for agreeing to run the tour.
• Update on the new ticket office and shop which will be in the old stableyard room. We are now hoping to make the move in January as there has been some unexpected plumbing work that needed doing. This will mean that the new Welcomer role (currently VSV role) won’t start until the New Year. Please do speak to me or Jeremy if you have any comments or questions.
• Playing Cards Photography Competition. I am pleased that some of the winners were our very own volunteers! The standard of the photographs was excellent. The playing cards will be on sale in our shop from mid-October.
• Thank you to whoever dropped off some lovely tea towels in the Bevy Room. And on the subject of the Bevy Room I just wanted to say that it is great that everyone keeps it looking so tidy and puts their cups in the dishwasher, does the recycling etc. Particular thanks to Jennie who comes in once a week and makes sure it is ship-shape and shiny. For a communal space, it is of a very good standard.
• The Bishop’s Eye gateway from the Market place will closed for 24hrs from 8:30am on 17 November. This is to comply with the requirement to deny access to vehicles for a whole day so it continues to be a private road and doesn’t become a public highway. The little door in the gates will remain open so you can still walk through
• And lastly a date for your diaries. This year’s Volunteer Carol Service will be at 2pm on Thurs 18^th Dec in the chapel. We will be in touch again a bit nearer the time so you can RSVP.

Very Best Wishes

Siobhan Goodwin

Friday 20th June

• Nigella (Love in a Mist) or Poppy seed heads – Do you have any long stems with seed pods?
• Golden Syrup, Treacle, or ‘Posh’ Tomato Tins (like the “Mutti” brand) – These make amazing little planters for succulents and other plants.
• Label-free Baked Bean Tins – If you’ve got any of these lying around, they’re perfect for the flower stand.
• Little Cardboard Trays – The kind that Riverford veg boxes use to pack things in.

8th May 2025

Dear Volunteer,

I hope you are well and still enjoying the bright, although chillier dry weather we are having this week. ⛅🌞

We wanted to let you know that we’ve had had a really successful 2025 so far, in terms of visitor numbers to the Palace and Gardens and lots of visitors to the cafe so really positive news. 📈 The Palace has also recently been awarded Museum Accreditation which gives us various benefits such as being able to loan items from other museums, receive sponsorship and donations etc so watch this space!

Volunteer Visit to Wells Cathedral:  Friday 4^th July 2 – 3pm. Come along for a guided tour of the Cathedral. Email Gemma if interested in signing up – we have 20 spaces available. Meet at the entrance to the Cathedral at 1:55pm. ⛪

Volunteer Visit to Wells Museum: Wednesday, 28^th May 10:30 – 11:15. Guided tour of Wells Museum. Email Gemma if interested in signing up – we have 20 spaces available. Meet inside the Museum at 10:25am. 🏛

Volunteer Gardener: Would you like to volunteer in the Main Gardens here? We are looking for a reliable volunteer to help out every Tuesday for a full day eg. 9 :15 – 4pm. Previous gardening experience desirable.  Email Gemma if interested. 🌳🌲

Signing in: A reminder to please print your full name on the sign in sheet in the Bevy Room at the start of your shift. We record all volunteers hours and it can be confusing if you only put your first name. 🖊📝

Lanyards: One of the many benefits of volunteering here is that your Lanyard acts like a membership card for entry so you are entitled to all the benefits that members enjoy. This includes all the Palace Lectures and attending certain events for free such as the Country Fair this weekend! 🎪🐶

Car Park: Do you volunteer every week and live outside of Wells? If so, we have space in our small on-site car park to accommodate a volunteer so email Gemma if you think you may qualify. If the same day is wanted by more than 1 volunteer the space will be swapped every 3 months.

Tins to donate – Do you have any clean, label free tins please AND / OR any empty golden syrup, treacle or posh tomato tins? (Tomato brands like Mutti have designs printed directly onto tin, not on paper wrap.) If so, please hand in at Ticket office for Jo Stevenson, Community Gardener. They will be used to pot up little succulents for sale. 🍅🌱

Sad cygnet news: Sorry to end on a sad note but I wanted to let you know we are now down to 6 cygnets. One has been missing for a few days and we don’t know what happened. Let’s hope the remaining 6 all keep well.

That’s all for now. Enjoy any VE celebrations if you are having them. 🍰🍵

Warm wishes,

Gemma 

24th April 2025

Dear Volunteers,

I am delighted to report that we have seven fluffy cygnets that hatched at the weekend (I won’t mention the other two mature cygnets that are still hanging about!) There will be our usual cygnet naming competition next week so please email suggestions to [email protected] any time after Tuesday. You can watch them 24/7 on the swan cam which is on our website. By all accounts it can be very addictive!

Please find attached an invitation to come to a Garden Party on Sun 1^st June 6-8pm to celebrate National Volunteers Week. Please let Gemma know if you would like to attend by emailing [email protected]

The Book Nook is looking a little empty so please bring any good quality second hand books you can spare and drop them to the shop.

Back by popular demand is the Fun Facts & Anecdotes talk. It will run on Fri 6 June 11-12 in the stableyard room. This is a good one to attend if you are new and you would like to pick up some light hearted information to pass on to visitors. If you would like to book a place please email [email protected]

If you missed it here is a lovely video of our tulips this year   https://youtu.be/iR4D1uyRhNM?feature=shared  Well done to all the garden volunteers who helped plant them. Back breaking work half way up a steep slope!

We have decided to turn the volume down slightly in the palace after visitor and volunteer feedback. It is great to have music and information but some of it has been a little overwhelming recently especially for people who struggle with their hearing or who have sensory sensitivity.

It really feels like Spring has arrived now and the number of visitors has certainly reflected that. Thank you for all that you do to make their visit so special.

Best Wishes

Siobhan

10th April 2025

Dear Volunteer,

I hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful sunny weather.. As many of you know, our Easter Trail for families is in full swing here and lots of children going away happy, especially with their chocolate gift at the end. 🙂 🍫

One of our lovely volunteers Janet and I have also been busy lately doing Outreach workshops with local Primary schools before the Easter Holidays. The children have had enormous fun learning about the Great Hall and its 700 year old floor tiles, creating their own stamped tiles onto cards and dressing up as a Bishop, peasant or medieval woman! 🤴 We will continue to run them in the summer term.

Volunteer Future Strategy Brainstorm! 🧠As you may or may not know 2025 marks the end of our current strategic cycle and we have begun the process of looking to the future. We would love to hear volunteers thoughts and ideas for the coming years ahead. You have the option to either fill in your thoughts in our online survey here:  https://forms.office.com/e/YQ5mtS8XLt  or if you would prefer, attend an in person session with Merryn Kidd (our CEO) from 10am-11:30am on Friday 2nd May in the Stable Yard Room. Please reply to Gemma if you would like to attend the session on 2nd May – [email protected]

Moat Boat Race – 26th August Bank Holiday Monday: ⚓Calling for any volunteers who would like to take part in this enormously fun activity for charity. We have the raft already set up so you just need to come along on the day to take part! When else do you get a chance to row a raft on the moat? We need a team of 8 altogther made up of staff and volunteers. Don’t worry, I did it last year and didn’t fall in or get wet! Please contact Gemma if interested.

Length of service: 🥇If you have been volunteering here for 5 years or more please could you reply to Gemma letting us know how many years you have been a volunteer.

Joe Gilmer’s photography exhibition “Inspired by The Bishop’s Palace” – 📷 There is a new video up on our website talking to artist and member of the volunteer team Joe Gilmer about his work.https://youtu.be/j3T7sHETNoU?feature=shared The exhibition which is currently up in the Stable Yard Room windows will be moving to The Conference Room by 11th April. Please do have a look at the exhibition if not seen!

Palace Lecture Tonight! (10th April): ‘The History of Fencing in the 15th to 17th Centuries’ 6-7pm: All volunteers are welcome to attend for FREE

That’s it for now.. Have a wonderful Easter if I don’t see you around the site 🐔🥚🐣

Gemma 

31st March 2025

Dear Volunteers,

We have had an excellent weekend, sun shining, alomost 200 people enjoying afternoon teas on Mothers’ Day and lots of happy visitors. Nothing like a bit of sunshine to cheer everyone up. Long may it continue.

To celebrate National Volunteers Week 2025 we will share our celebrations with other volunteers across Wells. This will be in the form of a Garden Party with Fizz n Nibbles 6-8pm on Sun 1^st June (not 2^nd June as previously advertised). Date for your diary. Invitation and chance to rsvp to follow a bit nearer the time.

A reminder that all volunteers are entitled to 10% off purchases in the cafe and shop, just show your lanyard. You can also claim travel expenses of up to 45p per mile. Please do take advantage of the excellent volunteer website which has so much practical and interesting information. Here is the link  https://bishopspalace.org.uk/about/volunteers/ just click the ‘click here’ box at the top of the page for existing volunteers and the password is Wellpools246 . You can also join the Palace Singers, a fun group who get together to enjoy singing and occasional performances (please email [email protected] for more info) This year we are going to introduce the opportunity for you to bring a guest for free. This will be part of the new Friends of The Palace offer and there will be one day every quarter where you can do this. You will just need to show your lanyard when you accompany your guest on the following dates.

Wednesday 14^th May

Friday 18^th July

Sunday 21st September

Thursday 13^th November

Bishop Ruth is to become the new suffragan Bishop of Wigan in the Diocese of Liverpool and to serve as the Interim Bishop of Liverpool. Unlike her secondment to Coventry, this will require her to lay down her role as Bishop of Taunton. We’re delighted that Bishop Ruth has been appointed to this role but sad to see her leaving us. In Bishop Ruth’s words “I shall miss Somerset and the wonderful people and places here and, as I follow God’s call for me, I will be praying for all of you, and for all that is to come.”  Bishop Ruth’s last service in the diocese will be the Chrism service at Wells Cathedral, on Tuesday, 15 April at 10am. If you would like to attend this service please let Gemma know [email protected] and she will book a place for you.  A new Bishop of Taunton will be appointed in due course.

There are currently 8 eggs in the nest. There are also two mature cygnets still hanging around! Do keep an eye on the swan cam on our website which is now live.

You may have noticed new labels on bins and new food waste bins around. This is to comply with new legislation. If you’re eating at your desk, please dispose left over food in the nearest food bin (bevy room, stable yard room, brewery kitchen). Please try to help us by putting your waste in the correct bin.

This weather is certainly giving everyone a spring in their step. Let’s make the most of it!

Best Wishes

Siobhan Goodwin

18 March 2025

Dear Volunteers

Spring has definitely sprung here around the Gardens, and we are seeing sunny daffodils and primroses popping up everywhere.

Did you know, officially Spring starts this Thursday with the Spring Equinox, where the Earth’s axis is tilted neither towards nor away from the Sun making an almost perfect balance between day and night! We all need more balance in our lives from time to time so this can only be a good thing…

Just a few updates for you:

• This Thursday 20th March : 6 – 7pm Palace Lectures ‘A short history of the Longbow and its use in the Hundred Years War’ https://bishopspalace.org.uk/event/the-palace-lectures-history-of-the-longbow/ Please let Jeremy Coles or Adam Saunders know if you’d like to come to the lecture and they can book you on. [email protected]
•  We have a new Quarterly update from Roger and Merryn in our “3 minutes with a chair” Trustee video. Please do have a watch! https://youtu.be/Bm5rUJL4mPE
• Jeremy would like to put together a list of VSV, Palace Welcomers, and Tour guides, who we can call on at very short notice. If you are happy and willing to be called at the last minute for shifts please email Jeremy: [email protected]
• The 2025 Volunteer Training programme has begun but there are lots of talks still available if you haven’t yet booked on. Please see attached timetable and email Gemma your preferred sessions if you still want to book a place.
• Volunteer Induction and Safeguarding: Thursday 28^th March 10 – 2pm and Tuesday 15th April 2:15 – 4:15pm in the Stable Yard Room. If you would like a refresher or still need to complete this please email Gemma to book.
• Radios – You will all be pleased to know we have 10 new shiny radios available to use when you are next in. If anyone needs help using the radio please let Gemma / Siobhan / Jeremy know.

Have a great week and happy Spring Equinox

Gemma