AFTER 16 years at the helm, Lee Edmead has stood down from the Wellington Folk & Custom Society he founded.

Announcing his departure as chair, coordinator, the society’s Mr Double Danger the 2nd and Lord of the Wild, he looks back on 16 years of seeing the society through lockdowns, through two short notices of two pub closures - including the society's resident pub - but without cancelling a single event in the society’s calendar.

He said: “The society was founded on a principle to be a cross section of the community, within different beliefs. The folk customs from this island we have rekindled are entwined within Christianity, Paganism and the biggest influence of all is secular.”

The seed was sown in the of Winter of 2010/2011 for a Wellington Folk & Custom Society as he travelled around Somerset and Devon to Folk Custom events.

"I thought there must be old Wellington events that died out and could be rekindled, so I researched at the old 'Taunton local study library' as it was called then, above the Taunton library.”

Lee’s research was written up and compiled into the Wellington Folk & Custom Society booklet, setting out our guiding principles, objectives, and folk custom events from the past like Blaize night, Collop Monday, Thread the needle, Clipping the Tower, including characters like Mr Double Danger and Conjurer Baker, both from the 1800’s.

The society’s rekindling of the Wassail in Wellington in 2012 was with a first Wassail song - a version called Apple Wassailing originating from the Wellington area in the 1920's. The booklet also included new ideas such as a Folk Parade integrated in the Wellington Carnival.

As he steps down, Lee has been busy compiling a digital and physical archive to produce a second edition of the Wellington Folk & Custom Society book covering the events, background and later research, including a list of all the Bishop Blaize and St Bridget sworn in at the annual Blaize 'n' Bridget nights, to be donated to the Society and the Wellington Museum.

Paying tribute to the early, original members, the more recent members and all the supporters over these years who got involved in the society he said: “Big thanks to Connie and Dave at the Cottage Inn. Big thanks to the public support from the Wellington Community and surrounding areas. Big thanks to our close relationship with Bootstrap Border Morris.

“I like to acknowledge those members and patrons who have passed from this world: Richard Fox (Freeman of Wellington), Phillip Knighton, Bill Radford, Jenny Williams, Eric Enticott (our first Bishop Blaize), and Rob Williams, our first master of ceremony and song keeper and only just recently passed away on the 12th of October; our thoughts go out to his family and close friends.”

Looking to the future of the society, he added: “May the new folks grow and prosper into the Winter and the New Year.

“May these Westcountry, English and British Customs continue as a living tradition, joining the past and embracing the now and the new and taking it into the future.”