Forgive me, it has been a while between posts. I remember when I started this blog and I set out to update once a week... excuse me while I go laugh hysterically! I do have lots of ideas that need to be typed up, but life does get in the way, as you all well know. I have noticed that people are still popping on here to read my ramblings and, for that, I want to thank you all. It fills me with warm fuzzies... not to mention a kick up the backside to actually post something from time to time!
So today, I am here to write about the Staffordshire Pagan Conference, which took place in Rugeley last Saturday. It's a relatively new event, this year being its second, hosted by Elric Sullivan and sponsored by the Children of Artemis and Pagan Pride UK. Last year, I sadly missed it due to other commitments. This year, I decided I had to be there.
If you were to attend this conference and expect something at the scale of Witchfest International, you will be disappointed. But not for long- to paraphrase Shakespeare: though it may be little, it be fiercely awesome.
The conference itself took place in one large hall- not unlike the early days of Witchfest England. The stage was set up for the speakers and musicians, rows of seats laid out for attendees and then lots of fascinating stalls around the outside. It was an amazing mixture of traders- organisations such as CoA and the Doreen Valiente Foundation, herbalists, book sellers, crafts, artists... and, yes, I did spend all the money I brought with me. In my defence, I needed all of it! And one purchase was a gift for one of my friends who wanted to come but couldn't make it.
The talks commenced at 10.30am and continued until 5pm, taking a break for lunch. It was a very chilled out atmosphere where one could either sit and listen, shop and listen or just shop- there was no obligation to sit down and shut up the moment the talk started. This did cause a slight issue in the first two talks where the sound system wasn't quite loud enough and those sat further to the back of the room couldn't hear the speakers very well. But Merlyn and Elric were soon on the case and that was resolved in time for Cat Treadwell. We also heard from Ian Robinson (standing in for Neil Geddes-Ward, who had to cancel due to the loss of a family member), Cristina Pandolfo, Anna Franklin, Merlyn and Ashley Mortimer.
The talks were fascinating- I attended each one. Admittedly, it wasn't that difficult to ensure you were there in time- there was always a 5 minute warning so people could take their seats, and there was plenty of time between each talk to go and do some shopping, get some food/drink, catch up with friends, etc.
The lunchtime music- provided by Corvus- was also very good, and gave a lovely backdrop to shopping or chilling with food. I, unfortunately, didn't stick around for the evening music as I had a 2 hour drive back home and was already exhausted.
Oh, and another plus point from me... the food! All too often, one can go to a festival of any variety and find that either the food options are rubbish or cost more than your ticket did. Not here! With nothing costing more than £1, one could choose from a variety of freshly made sandwiches, plus crisps, cookies, chocolates, pasties. There was something for everyone, and all very tasty. As someone who loves food- and gets very grumpy when hungry (being hangry is totally a thing)- this was a major thumbs up for me.
If you live close to the Midlands and are looking to attend a decent Pagan festival, the Staffordshire Pagan Conference is definitely where you want to be. Tickets are already available for next year and are selling out pretty quickly, so do get in quick! Click here to order. Profits go to charity- last year, they raised over £350 for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
I hope you enjoyed my post, and hopefully there will be more to come!
Blessings,
-Shanti
xxx