Address
Shaftesbury Snowdrops
c/o Councillor Tim Cook
The Town Hall
High Street
Shaftesbury
Dorset
SP7 8LY
Shaftesbury Snowdrops
Shaftesbury Snowdrops is a unique project to create a natural legacy from late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Shaftesbury’s snowdrop season is one of the biggest events of its type in the country and the town’s free snowdrop walks, including wheelchair and pushchair accessible routes, can be enjoyed by all, including dogs. Activities on offer during the season include an open snowdrop art exhibition at Shaftesbury Arts Centre, snowdrop-themed craft classes and visits to local landmarks.
The Shaftesbury Snowdrop Event – Saturday 18th February 2023
1) There will be children’s morning and afternoon lantern making workshops held at the Trinity Centre Bimport. Ticket only entry unless you only need to refurbish a lantern from last year in which case just turn up.
Times Morning: 10.30-13.00. Afternoon 13.30-16.00
Under 9s must be accompanied by adult. Limited numbers, free tickets from the TIC in person only.
2) At 11.00 in the Arts Centre there will be a fascinating talk by Gail Harland of the RHS. We are so lucky to have her this year. Free admission – donations at door welcome. Tickets from the TIC.
More on Gail below.
3) After the talk people are free to have lunch anywhere they wish in the town and walk among the snowdrops in the grounds of the Trinity Centre or visit the arts centre gallery for the Snowdrops in Arts exhibition
4) Snowdrop walks are available from the TIC (20p each). An easy guided Snowdrop walk with Rachel Diment 18th leaving from the Town Hall at 1pm.
5) In the afternoon Springhead at Fontmell Magna will be holding an open garden including a chance to see the Heritage Collection. Open 13.00-Dusk. Refreshments available. Free admission but donations welcome.
More below.
6) At 18.00 meet for a lantern procession from the Trinity Centre around the town and Park Walk led by Steps in Time accompanied by musicians. The procession leaves at 18.15 and Steps in time will be performing Snowdrops dances.
7) After the procession musicians and possibly dancers will retire to a town hostelry for more music and revelry.
On Sunday 19th the National Trust’s Kingston Lacy gardens will be open 9.30-17.00 for more snowdrops
Further afield you can visit Tyneham Village and Upton Country Park for great displays.
This year we are delighted to have a talk by Gail Harland.
Saturday 18th February 11am – Free admission – donations at door welcome. Tickets from the TIC.
Gail was born in Aldridge in 1963 and grew up in Sutton Coldfield. She gained a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics from The University of Wales. She started writing articles for the horticultural press in 1993 and was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society’s Diploma in Horticulture in 1999. She is a professional dietician, keen photographer, horticultural writer and author of a number of books including “The Tomato Book”, “Designing and Creating a Cottage Garden”, “The Weed Digest” and ”Photographing your Garden”. ”Peonies” was written for the specialist group of the Hardy Plant Society and more recently “Snowdrops”. Gail has had work published by a number of magazines including The Lady, Amateur Gardening, Country Smallholding and Parrots. In 2016 she published the widely read and acclaimed ‘Snowdrops’.
Gail’s talk is about the significance of snowdrops and explores how they have been used by non-gardeners as symbols of purity and of hope and consolation. She will look at the social and cultural impact of plants as well as their botanical and horticultural importance. There will be delightful, and sometimes humorous, stories of galanthophiles–the men and women who have collected, bred, described and enthused about snowdrops.
Whether you are a galanthophile or merely just like to look at flowers this talk will have something for everyone. Admission free – donations on the door welcome.
Celebrate the Coming of Spring at Springhead
Visit our first open gardens of the year. As well as having the chance to wander around the formal and informal lakeside gardens and enjoy the beautiful drifts of snowdrops, you will also be able to see some of the named snowdrop varieties held at Springhead.
The gardens will be open from Monday 6th until Sunday 12th February from 11am to 3pm.
In addition, the gardens will be open on Saturday 18th February from 1 pm until 4.30 pm as part of Shaftesbury’s annual snowdrop celebrations.
Light Refreshments will be available throughout the day on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th provided by, and in aid of, St Andrew’s Primary School, Fontmell Magna.
Entry to the gardens will be free but donations would be appreciated.
Dogs on leads are welcome and there is assisted wheelchair access.
For more information email info@springheadtrust.org.uk or call us on 01747 811853.
Shaftesbury Snowdrops on BBC Countryfile
23 February 2020
We are very excited to confirm that BBC Countryfile came to Shaftesbury to film the activities of the Snowdrop Season, including some of the artisans and organisations who work with us. A huge thank you to the BBC and to all the volunteers who made the filming possible over two very busy days. Enjoy the programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fs1q.
Come and visit us during Snowdrop Season 2021.
For more pictures see our Gallery
We are creating a 21st Century Legacy for the local community and our visitors to enjoy
“Just as the flowers provide pleasure and the promise of spring to come, the Season creates a sense of excitement and brings townspeople and visitors together in enjoying everything Shaftesbury has to offer.”
Founder, Pam Cruickshank
Timelapse photography is thanks to and copyright of Neil Bromhall
Background image is thanks to and copyright of Jane Shepherd
Facebook Latest
For 2022![]()
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The ‘Best in the West’ snowdrop sale is on Saturday 12th February 2022 in the Shaftesbury Guildhall from 12 noon until 4pm. ![]()
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Snowdrops in Art at Shaftesbury Arts Centre on Bell Street 10am - 4pm![]()
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The snowdrops around the town will be flourishing for everyone to see.
Virtual Snowdrop Festival of Art 2021![]()
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As well as the beautiful snowdrops you can see around the town here at Shaftesbury Snowdrops HQ we are celebrating this year’s snowdrops with our own virtual Festival of Art.![]()
We are inviting local people both adults and children alike, to create a piece of snowdrop-related artwork, (it can be any kind of art) and send us a picture of it that we can display on our website gallery.![]()
The pieces will be exhibited in our virtual exhibition, and a panel of judges, including local artist Percy Lizzard who designed this year’s image and Jon Cory who masterminded the snowdrop jam jar lanterns for This is Alfred (we can’t wait to see your pictures of those) will choose a winning entry. ![]()
Once you have sent us an electronic version of your artwork, please place the original artwork in your window if possible, so that passersby can enjoy this year’s snowdrop season safely during the covid-19 restrictions.![]()
Your snowdrop art images along with your name and address should be emailed to gallery@shaftesburysnowdrops.org by 28/02/2021. ![]()
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When you are out shopping or for exercise do go past the Arts Centre Gallery where you’ll see some of the past years snowdrop artworks too. We hope the annual Shaftesbury Arts Centre ‘Snowdrops in Art Exhibition’ will be back in February 2022. If you’d like to enter next year please send an email to gallery@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk![]()
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Good luck to everyone and enjoy this opportunity to be creative during the current lockdown!
Happy 2021 to all our friends and fellow galanthophiles. We are so lucky we can still get out and explore the snowdrops around Shaftesbury #thehighspotofdorset and in the places where we live. There’s no need to stay socially distanced from the snowdrops. Did you know that some smell of honey?![]()
Keep well.
We have 100s of snowdrops that need to be planted in our town. They will be ready in February 2021. If you or a community group would like some to plant please get in touch!
Best wishes to the organisers and artists for the reopening of the Gallery!![]()
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It’s June 1st and almost all the snowdrops in my garden have finished their growing for this year. If like me you’ve still got a few green leaves poking through it’s safe to cut these off now and not damage your bulbs for next year’s flowers. ![]()
I’ve lifted some bulbs this year to plant elsewhere over the coming months. These are stored in dry earth or sand in the cool of our shady garden shed. ![]()
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The Heritage Collection for Shaftesbury will need attention over the summer. Please email us on info@shaftesburysnowdrops.org if you can spare a couple of hours to help our one day.
From our archives, day 14: Easter Sunday. ![]()
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The end of abstinence from chocolate for many. We’ve never found a chocolate snowdrop but did indulge in a wild goose chase in Shaftesbury one February with a daily prize of a chocolate one for spotting all the snowdrops. We also hunted for a silver snowdrop made by local artisan silversmith Jes Holt. Lucky lady who won it. Jes makes earrings too. We hope to have some for sale next February. As you can see we’ve even had a snowdrop cake (we’ve had a few) made a by a talented local sugar-crafter. ![]()
Our snowdrops come in many guises through our local ‘Snowdrops in Art’ exhibition. Check back with us again to see some of the wonderful art that has grown from our legacy.
From our archives, day 13: Good Friday. ![]()
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In 2019 we commissioned some![]()
beautiful hand made and decorated pots from local potter Jonathan Garrett. Here are members of our volunteer team preparing snowdrops for public display. Have a happy and healthy Easter.