The Summer Festival

Published:: 01 October 2024

An arial view of A la Ronde during the 2024 Summer Festival | © National Trust / Richard Gregory

Our Summer Festival, which ran from 16th to 20th July 2024, hosted 1500 visitors, volunteers, partners and colleagues. They crafted, danced and sang their way through a cornucopia of activities, all in celebration of the ‘A la Ronde – Conserving the Past, Creating the Future’ project

A volunteer leads a wet felting workshop in our festival marquee, while a bookbinding workshop takes place in the background | © National Trust / Richard Gregory

We couldn’t host a Summer Festival without a few Shells - it is A la Ronde, after all! We offered shell crafting sessions for adults, families and children with Monica-Shanta, the artist behind our Room of Discovery. Brilliant talks and tours were given by Monica, and volunteers Trudi, Greg, and Trish. Bookbinding, printing, and wet felting workshops, delivered by volunteer Sue, kept little hands (and big ones!) busy. We were also delighted to host Paddleboat Theatre Company who led ‘Stories from the Sea’ drama workshops in the sunshine.

Children learning about Devon’s rivers and water filtration with specialist Richard Irvine — Children from Exeter Road Primary School learned about Devon’s rivers and water filtration with author and forest school specialist Richard Irvine | © National Trust / Richard Gregory

Our partners The Deaf Academy delivered Deaf Awareness sessions in our orchard, and enjoyed printing and drama workshops. We welcomed refugee groups via Devon Council, making headdresses as part of Exmouth Town Council’s Exmouth Parade. Our friends at Exeter Road primary school enjoyed shell crafting and a water workshop with Richard Irvine, author and forest school leader. We held a neurodiversity quiet morning for those with additional needs. We held ‘after school specials’, free to local children, which included a Georgian Dressing Up box and a variety of garden games.

A la Ronde Summer Festival live music with the Exmouth Shanty Men — A la Ronde Head Gardener David and Senior Visitor Experience Officer Abi get involved with the Exmouth Shanty Men | © National Trust / Richard Gregory

We welcomed Roger, the Exmouth Town Cryer, who greeted visitors as they entered the A la Ronde Summer Festival, and introduced the Exmouth Shanty Men who sang a range of joyful traditional songs from the sea – and got several members of the project team involved! Our friend Reverend Martin from nearby Point in View Chapel (once part of A la Ronde’s estate) serenaded us with jazz covers on the Ha-Ha Lawn, as part of his band ‘Hat Trick’ –while visitors enjoyed ice-creams on a beautiful sunny day.

Two people test out a Virtual Reality headset showing a new virtual tour of the Shell Gallery — Volunteer Evelyn and Digital Curator Emily test out a Virtual Reality headset showing a new virtual tour of the fragile Shell Gallery | © National Trust / Richard Gregory

During the festival we were delighted to offer a unique new way of experiencing the Shell Gallery – with a VR headset! Visitors and volunteers were able to stand ‘inside’ the virtual space. They were really impressed with the virtual tour, and were pleased to hear we will soon be launching a brand new version! Films were taken of the talks given at the festival, which will be made available online, here on the Compendium, soon – designed to increase access to the Shell Gallery in new and innovative ways.