Beltain at WeSEE Trees: A Celebration of Growth, Colour and Community

On Sunday 3rd May we will be marking Beltain, the sixth This Mortal Life seasonal gathering since we began meeting last September. We have been moving through the Wheel of the Year together, finding meaning in seasonal shifts that create space to pause, reflect and re-align ourselves.

Beltain invites us to reflect on what makes us feel alive, what we nurture in our lives and what we steward with care. It feels like the perfect seasonal festival to gather in a place that embodies all of that. We’re teaming up with WeSEE Trees, a community tree nursery in the Maltlands area of Weston-super-Mare. Assisted by Weston Town Council, community members, with Emily Burnell at the heart of the project, are working with North Somerset Council to transform the disused plot next to Maltlands Play Area into a space for growing trees from seed, caring for them and preparing them to be planted across the town and wider region in the future.

What is a tree nursery?

A tree nursery is an investment in the long view. Seeds are gathered from local landscapes, nurtured and tended until they are strong enough to be planted out. Emily and her volunteers have been working hard to transform the site into a community space for learning and for people to come together in shared purpose. To grow trees in this way is to cultivate patience, resilience and care. This often arduous process is a reminder that the trees we plant now will one day provide shade for future generations.

The nursery project is still in its early stages, though it has come a long way from the overgrown plot that it once was. There is composting in place, a compost toilet, rainwater collection points, organised seed collecting days and young trees being tended by a small but dedicated group of volunteers. It is easy to imagine this place becoming a thriving community-led space, with seasonal events and workshops benefiting the local community.

One of the reasons this feels like such a fitting place for Beltain is because it reflects the very essence of this festival: life that is emerging, life that is nurtured by intention, and life that we have the opportunity to support through our presence.

The next big project

There is a large metal shipping container on site at the nursery that is used for storage, and right now it is unremarkable in its greyness. For Beltain, we will be gathering at this site to learn about local tree varieties and to bring life to this budding community project with a paint party. The container will be prepped in the weeks leading up to 3rd May, ready for us to roll up our sleeves and get creative by covering it in as many flowers as we can paint in one afternoon. You do not have to be an artist to take part. No experience is required and all materials will be provided. We will be coming together not only to reflect on what makes us feel alive, but to help make this space feel alive as well.

We will share a picnic together, and in the evening there will be a fire if the weather allows. Anyone who would like to will be invited to share a reading, poem or story around the fire on the broad theme of aliveness.

The container we’ll be painting for Beltain

Community building in action

Our world is in need of spaces where people can practise being together without urgency, without the pressures of consumption and without the need to perform. WeSEE Trees and This Mortal Life are coming together to offer such a space this Beltain. It is a reminder that community is built not through grand gestures, but through the steady accumulation of shared hours and shared intentions. We will gather together, tending to what is emerging, celebrating what is alive and adding colour, care and creativity to something that is being shaped by many hands.

If you have been wanting to support a local grassroots initiative, if you have been looking for a place to be creative and present in nature, or if you simply like the idea of meeting up with some good humans to celebrate the season, this is an invitation to join us.

Further details about the event and how to attend can be found on the events page. We looking forward to seeing you there!

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