Cultivate is a creative partnership that brings local food, arts and people together for the benefit of rural communities and the natural environment in South Somerset.
We deliver a vibrant programme of community-led arts, wellbeing and nature-based projects, performances and events in inspiring places, from farms and gardens to woodlands, country parks and bustling food markets. By working closely with producers, artists, organisations, and community groups in and around Crewkerne, Chard, Ilminster, and South Petherton, we create experiences that champion sustainability, diversity, and reconnect people to the local food story.
Cultivate was a key element of our work as a partner in Ruritage, a 4-year, EU-funded project, 2018-22, that aimed to strengthen the role that culture and heritage play in the survival and success of rural communities.
Our current programme includes:
Great Mead Pilot, is an exciting community-led project in South Somerset. Together we’re exploring how to transform a beautiful green space in the heart of Chard into a safe, inclusive place for the whole community to enjoy and feel welcome. Launched inMarch 2025, it was one of ten projects across Europe to be supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s Connect NEB.
Chill On The Hill, an annual festival, produced in partnership with Ham Hill Country Park, that celebrates nature, local food, arts, culture and community, with workshops and performances for all ages to enjoy.
Recent projects include:
Sewing Seeds of Gladness was an 18-month intergenerational, community stitching project for people in South Petherton to celebrate diversity and positivity through creative stitching. Several hundred people invested much love and talent into creating a beautiful tapestry that depicts a map of the parish.
Soil Story worked with young people and adults at Rama Life and ARK at Egwood over 8 months in 2024, using arts, nature and food-related activity to explore the wonders of a hidden world and discover that there’s so much more than mud under our feet.
Slow Burn was an 8-week programme that enabled young people from PROMISEworks to work with visual artist Natasha Rand to design, build and sculpt a pizza oven in the woods at ARK at Egwood.
At the end of the sizzling summer of 2022, Farmyard Circus performed its fabulous circus show at Bagnell Farm in Norton sub Hamdon, enjoyed by more than 280 people.The Somerset Food Trail 2022 was a county wide farm to fork showcase of 190 local, sustainable and delicious food, producers, farms and cafes. Cultivate collaborated with local producers throughout the trail offering arts activity and a cultural offering including music, poetry, family performances and visual arts.Click on the films below to find out more!
Cultivate is about bringing communities together in meaningful and creative ways, connecting people to the land and systems that we are all part of, and creating opportunities to learn, share and take part together. Here’s what that looks like:
Cultivate prides itself on co-creating an exciting mix of projects with different artists, partners and organisations. Read about Cultivate projects within the various new stories here.
Chill On The Hill at Ham Hill Country Park (2022 and 2023)
Cultivate Connects (Flaxdrayton Farm Event, Chard Together 2023, Yeovil Together 2023 & 2022)
Farm Yard Circus at Bagnell Farm, Norton Sub Hamdon
Let's Fly! Drone footage in collaboration with C&T; with local producers, Bagnell Farm, North Perrott Farm Shop and The Cookhouse, Flaxdrayton Farm
The Somerset Food Trail with Sustainable Food Somerset
The Banners of Chard with Somerset Art Works
Slow Burn at ARK with PROMISEworks children and mentors
Doorstep Poetry with North Perrott Farm
Apple Art with Natasha Rand
For Cultivate events, workshops and performances keep an eye on the Take Art What’s on Page,
read the latest news stories or subscribe to the Take Art mailing list here.
Flier design by Mell Oliver from The Sunshine Bindery
If you have a question, want to find out more or to get involved in Cultivate's local work contact cultivate@takeart.org or Call 01460 249 450.
