Mediaeval Fayre - Saturday 16 May - 10am to 4pm - Village Green and Ceddesfeld Hall and Lawns
T-Rex and Princess A-roar-a will be making an appearance this year. The Fayre will open with a vibrant, colourful walking procession featuring children from local primary schools, nurseries, and sports groups.On the green and on Ceddesfeld Hall lawns, visitors can enjoy the usual attractions including Walworth Falconry, Black Sheep Morris Men, ACLE Living History, Durham Rams, Escafeld Knights, True North Trades, Circus Skills and more.Two SCA tombola stalls will be packed with bottles, gifts and vouchers kindly donated by local businesses.
Around the green, you’ll also find a range of craft and gift stalls, plus the traditional fun fair for all ages.In the main hall, hot sausage or bacon buns with tea and coffee will be served in the morning, followed by a tea and cakes café in the afternoon. The bar opens at 11am.
Business Community Support and Volunteers – Mediaeval Fayre 2026
The SCA Mediaeval Fayre is organised by a small committee, who wholly rely on local people as well as various community groups, organisations, and businesses to get involved; to engage and volunteer to help in making the event successful and sustainable.
Several local shops, services and groups already do get involved every year, which is fantastic. Without donations and sponsorship as well as practical help from volunteers with setting up, taking down, manning stalls, running activities etc, the event could not take place. Please do get in touch if you, your business, organisation, or your group, can offer any help with the activities.
Save the Date – Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Thursday 18th June – 8pm
All members of SCA are welcome.
One of the pleasures of my garden is watching the birds that visit. Like many people, I’ve been feeding birds all year round. For many years, the advice was to feed mainly during winter, but that later changed to year-round feeding. More recently, however, that guidance has changed again.
Research has shown a worrying decline in some of our much-loved garden birds, partly due to a disease called trichomonosis. This is a highly contagious condition that can spread easily where birds gather in large numbers, such as at bird feeders. The RSPB report that Greenfinch numbers, for example, have dropped by over 65% in the last three decades.
RSPB conservation scientists have carried out an evidence review and found that feeding birds during winter is often beneficial, particularly during cold weather when natural food is scarce. Birds can also benefit from feeding between March and April, a period sometimes known as the “hungry gap”, when natural food sources are limited for seed-eating birds such as finches.
The good news is that we can help reduce the spread of disease by making two simple changes to how we feed birds:
Feed seasonally. Feed safely.
The RSPB now suggests that from 1 May to 31 October, we should pause filling feeders with seeds or peanuts, but continue offering small amounts of mealworms, fat balls, or suet. During summer and autumn there is a higher risk of disease spread, and birds also have greater access to natural food sources such as seeds and insects.
From 1 November to 30 April, it’s fine to feed birds a full range of foods again, including seeds and peanuts.
Busy bird feeders can become hotspots for disease, so good hygiene is vital. The Wildlife Trusts have recently strengthened their guidance on keeping feeders clean, which can be found at
www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-feed-birds-your-garden.
One of the best ways to support garden birds in the long term is to help them find natural food. Filling your outdoor space with bird-friendly plants such as sunflowers, teasels, and ivy provides vital food sources — and means birds will still visit your garden for you to enjoy.
