Westmill Woodland Burial Ground CIC just outside Watchfield, on the Wiltshire/Oxfordshire border are having an Open Day on Saturday June 18th from 2pm – 5pm.

A chance to enjoy the wildflowers and the birds and rabbits, admire how the communal memorial stone is settling in and have a cup of tea.  There is a talk from Liz Rothschild at 3.00 and lots of free information to browse or take away, including useful advice and information from Penny Beerling from Age UK regarding end of life planning.  You can be taken round or just take a wander and enjoy the place with friends.  A relaxed afternoon in a lovely setting with wonderful views of the Downs and surrounding countryside.  Volunteers will be on site to chat from the Family and Friends group.  If the weather is unkind there is plenty of shelter in the lovely Roundhouse with its green reciprocal roof.  What’s a reciprocal roof?  Come and find out!

We have wanted for a while to encourage people to come to the burial ground for other reasons than funerals or our annual Family and Friends events so this year we are trying out a summer evening performance after the Open Day to see how it goes.  Email for tickets – £10/£12 from  or call 01367 700615 (Liz or Sarah).  The concert will start at 7pm so perhaps come along a little earlier with rug/chair and a picnic prior to the concert starting.

GREAT CLATTINGER- PRESENTED BY THE YIRDBARDS – Pastoral Folk Music from Wiltshire

Join us for a musical tribute to our wildflower meadows.  Clattinger Farm near Oaksey, Wiltshire, is considered one of the finest remaining examples in the UK. These orchid meadows, now designated at a European level, were saved for posterity when the Ody family – the farm’s previous owners – resisted the temptation to sell out to the gravel extractors.

Wiltshire-based folk band, The Yirdbards – Paul Darby, Verity Sharp, Patrick Randall and Iona Hassan, have put together a performance which is a mixture of instrumental music, song and spoken word, that reflects both factual and spiritual aspects of Clattinger, as well as wider Wiltshire landscapes. The performance lasts about one and a quarter hours.

‘The Great Clattinger’ was an old name for one of the meadows on the farm, hence the title for this event. The 150 acre holding was purchased by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust in 1996, and is a timeless, beautiful and inspirational place.