Around 50 people joined a new community pageant entitled ‘Gudula’s Gathering’ over the weekend, to perform a well dressing and celebrate May Day, the start of summer.
It took place in Ashburton on Sunday the 3rd of May at 4pm, as the closing event of the Dartmoor Tors Festival, which was attended by around 1,500 people, who came to watch or participate in a series of walks, talks, performances and workshops.
Musicians played and children danced as people followed St Gudula (played by Helen Bruce from the Dartmoor Preservation Association) and the three river spirits of Dart, Avon and Teign (played by Sophie Pierce, Kirsteen McNish and Rachel Dawson respectively), from Ashburton Arts Centre to St Gudula’s Well in Old Totnes Road.
St Gudula carried a large wreath made by members of Growing Space, a community project in Ashburton which grows flowers to share as ‘floral hugs’. Others carried foliage and flowers to lay at the well. A group of local folk musicians, led by Mike McInerney and Carolyn Adcock played music specially composed for the occasion by Mike.
Thanks for Dartmoor’s land and rivers
The group processed through the back alleyways of Ashburton including the Recreation Ground, where many children and their parents and grandparents joined in. Once the procession reached the well, there was a handfasting ceremony, and St Gudula and the three River Spirits invited everyone to reflect on and give thanks for Dartmoor’s land and rivers. Then people took it in turns to go up to the well and lay flowers and posies there.
Local places and customs
The idea for the pageant came about because festival organisers Alex Murdin and Sophie Pierce wanted to create a new community event which drew on local places and customs.
Says Alex: “Gudula’s Well, an ancient holy place, is traditionally associated with healing the eyes. There is also a granite cross standing by it. That was our starting point, and then we thought about well dressing, which is a traditional May custom in England, and the idea of ‘bringing in the May’ – celebrating the start of summer.”
Kirsteen McNish, the co-curator of the event, with Helen Bruce from the Dartmoor Preservation Association, says the idea was to bring people together to share their connection with the land and the water it supplies: “The well is a quiet place of care, reflection and pilgrimage. We thought by invoking the spirits of St Gudula, and the three rivers, we could create an experience both beautiful and reflective.”
Connected and Grateful
One participant, writing about the event afterwards, said: “It’s hard to put into words how incredibly moving it was to be a part of… Receiving and giving blessings, we walked with full hearts feeling connected and grateful… it will stay with me a long time and I hope we get to celebrate with you again next year!“
In all about 1500 people attended the festival, attending talks, walks, performances and workshops both in Ashburton and at numerous locations around Dartmoor including Princetown, Hound Tor, Two Bridges and Merrivale.
The headline act, Celtic songstress Gwenno, was sold out, and among the most popular speakers were rewilder Derek Gow and Dartmoor National Park archaeologist Lee Bray.
An Impactful Partnership
For 2026. The Dartmoor Preservation Association have been lead partner of the Dartmoor Tors Festival. This has involved contributing both funds and time, working closely with the festival organisers to help make sure that the festival is accessible to all. In line with this aim, the DPA ran a free mindfulness walk at the Dewerstone on Friday the 1st of May, with the help of Hannah Durdin from Moorland Guides, which was very popular. ‘Gudula’s Gatheirng’ well dressing and procession was also free to attend, attracting both locals and visitors from as far as Somerset.
Festival organisers, Sophie and Alex, said: “We cannot thank the DPA enough for supporting the Dartmoor Tors Festival, it really made such a difference, particularly to our closing pageant, Gudula’s Gathering. We so appreciated having the funds to be able to pay the musicians and other creatives and to buy materials. Even more valuable was Helen’s incredible, inspiring input to creating the event, and, of course, personifying ‘Gudula’ in the most captivating, beautiful and moving way.
“We’ve had some incredible feedback, including from one person who wrote: ‘It’s hard to put into words how incredibly moving it was to be a part of….Receiving and giving blessings, we walked with full hearts feeling connected and grateful…it will stay with me a long time and I hope we get to celebrate with you again next year!’
“I’ve also had a message this morning from someone who attended lots of events:
‘Hi Sophie. Just wanted to drop you a line to say a huge thank you and well done to you and Alex for organising such an amazing Tors Festival for the second year running. The festival was a real triumph in connecting people to place in so many different ways and as always Dartmoor was magnificent! I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 walks and talk I booked and as always met some lovely people.’
“And other comment from Hannah Marsh on Instagram who attended quite a few events:
‘So many lovely faces, talks and events, to fill me up with new stories, knowledge and understanding of Dartmoor, and what a unique, complicated, magical place I’m now lucky enough to live alongside. From its ecology to its archaeology, its folklore to its farming, I feel full to the brim with new thoughts, ideas and inspiration.’
Image: Emma Stoner