An event to celebrate the reintroduction of Cranes to the Somerset Levels after 400 years, took place at the Willow and Wetlands Visitor Centre in Stoke St Gregory near Taunton on Saturday 22 November.

The Willow and Wetlands Centre came to life on Saturday evening for their wonderful Annual Christmas Fayre and the Celebration of the Cranes event where schoolchildren and adults processed and danced with sculptures of the iconic Crane and other magical creatures to music by the Big Noise Street Band.

The Great Crane Project has seen Somerset Art Works delivering creative workshops within the community, involving pupils from Stoke St Gregory Primary, North Curry Primary and Heathfield Schools locally, cumulating in what was an inspiring and beautiful illuminated lantern procession. Orchestrated by Becky Swaine from SAW, twenty illuminated Crane headdresses, made by pupils from Stoke St Gregory Primary School joined the North Curry dragonflies and artist Sarah Butterworth’s two large crane sculptures in a magical and captivating procession in the courtyard at the Willow and Wetlands Centre.

The event marked the fifth anniversary of the Project aimed at reintroducing the magnificent Crane to the Somerset Levels.  The Procession formed part of The Willows and Wetlands annual Christmas Market which is always a popular event where the local community gather to celebrate the beginning of the festive season.

Rebecca Pow, the Prospective Conservative MP for Taunton Deane, went along to support the event with her family.

Rebecca said: “This was a truly inspiring occasion. The Great Crane Project is a resounding success story in many ways, not only in terms of conservation, by releasing this rare bird onto the Somerset levels, but now it is also involving the local community in a wonderful rural arts project.  This magical event on Saturday brought together local schools and the Somerset Artworks and will be a huge and welcome boost for the local rural community.”