Week of free events and activities announced for Honiton

A week-long celebration of Honiton's cultural centres and green spaces has been announced for the end of May.

The fun free events and activities will be held at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Beehive, LED and Honiton's green spaces, plus a discounted outdoor cinema screening.

Comprising cultural events and fun health and wellbeing themed activities, local people will be able to meet teams from different East Devon District Council services who will be running the events.

The week-long programme kicks off in style with a Museums at Night event at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery on Saturday, May 25, at 5.30pm.

It continues at different venues across the town with horticultural talks, creative workshops, nature walks, fitness classes, circus skills, wellbeing courses and a Dragons Den style community funding event, all of which are free.

The week concludes with an evening outdoor cinema event at Allhallows play area on Friday, May 31, with discounted tickets.

The council is also keen to hear people's views, not just about what they currently have, but also what they would like to see more of and how East Devon can improve Honiton's green spaces.

To this end the council are running Honiton Events Week, the first phase of a new 'umbrella' initiative, called #inhoniton – comprised of further activities, development and support for green spaces.

#inHoniton's aim is to encourage local people to get more active with family and friends, become more involved in volunteering and to generally get more use out of all the council's sites in the town.

Here's a list of events taking place between Saturday, May 25, and Friday, May 31:

Saturday, May 25, 5.30pm Museums at Night, Thelma Hulbert Gallery.

Monday, May 27, 9.30-11.30am Nature Walk Knapp Copse.

Monday, May 27, 2-3pm Garden Design, venue tbc.

Tuesday, May 28, Taster gym/exercise classes LED Honiton Leisure Centre.

Tuesday, May 28, 10am-12pm Circus Skills, outside Honiton Family Church.

Tuesday, May 28, 11am-2pm BBQ Masterclass Offwell Woods.

Tuesday, May 28, 11am-3pm Family storytelling workshop Thelma Hulbert Gallery.

Wednesday, May 29, 10am-3pm Honiton Bottom Adventure Day.

Wednesday, May 29, 10.30am-12pm Woolly Wednesday Thelma Hulbert Gallery.

Wednesday, May 28, 1.30-3pm Early Years Creative Session Thelma Hulbert Gallery.

Wednesday, May 29, 2-4pm Honiton Dragons event Beehive.

Thursday, May 30, Taster gym/exercise classes LED Honiton Leisure Centre.

Thursday, May 30, 9.15am Devon Loves Dogs event Honiton Bottom.

Thursday, May 30, 11am-2pm Go Wild in Honiton at Beehive.

Thursday, May 30, 11am-3pm Felting workshop Thelma Hulbert Gallery.

Thursday, May 30, 11am-12.30pm Ways2Wellbeing event LED.

Thursday, May 30, 2-3pm Wow with a windowbox venue tbc.

Thursday, May 30, 2-4pm Tour of the Glen.

Friday, May 31, 10am-1pm Gittisham Common Heritage walk.

Friday, May 31, 11am-1pm Mindfulness and Depression Course, Thelma Hulbert Gallery.

Friday, May 31, time and film tbc Outdoor Cinema, Allhallows play area.

Councillor Ian Thomas, the leader of East Devon District Council, said: "We want to start a conversation with the town about the green spaces we manage and how we can help improve issues such as access, signage, on-site information and facilities to make them even better for local people to enjoy

"We realise we can't do all of this alone so will be working in partnership with Honiton Town Council, as well as other key green space and cultural providers in the town, for the benefit of the whole town through joint projects and funding bids.

"Please help us during the week by coming to as many events as you can – they are all free, except the outdoor cinema, which is discounted - and let us know what you think about the facilities and how to improve them and what sort of events will get you, your family and friends out more often."

Picture: Mark Williams, East Devon's Chief Executive, plus officers from the council's StreetScene and Countryside services, together with the Leader Cllr Ian Thomas (centre), Honiton Town Council Deputy Clerk Heloise Marlow (left of Cllr Thomas), Honiton ward member Cllr Jenny Brown (left of Heloise Marlow), and representatives from the East Devon AONB and Blackdown Hills AONB pictured here at the launch of inhoniton and Honiton Events Week.